Ficorpio
Chapter 1
I grew up starved for love.
So when I met a boyfriend with an overwhelming need for control, I acted afraid, resistant, and timid on the surface.
But secretly, I was thrilled.
He demanded that I report my whereabouts every moment of every day. Checking my smartphone was routine. Deleting my friends from my contacts was standard practice.
Everyone else found it suffocating. All I felt was sweetness.
But lately, he had changed.
His replies had gone from instant to practically nonexistent. His mandatory check-ins had gone from three times a day to once every three days, and then he simply stopped checking altogether.
I was devastated. And terribly hurt.
Then, one day, I suddenly heard his inner thoughts.
She’s too obedient. It’s boring.
She wasn’t like this before. She’s getting more and more boring.
The next second, I stared blankly at my phone.
The screen lit up.
My obsessive-love first boyfriend, whose possessiveness had once driven him completely insane, had sent me a message:
Baby, I’m back in the country.
The blood rushed to my head.
For a moment, I froze.
Adrian Sterling…
He was actually back?
Just seeing his name was enough to send a cold shiver down my back.
A sour, uneasy feeling welled up in my chest. It was something rooted deep in my soul…
Fear.
If Ethan Hayes was merely controlling, the kind of man who demanded to know where I was going and refused to let me have male friends, like a dog guarding its food—
then Adrian was…
A rabid dog.
No. At least a dog could understand human speech.
Adrian couldn’t.
Even now, I remembered the day I had gripped a sharp kitchen utility knife and screamed myself hoarse, demanding a breakup.
His palm had driven straight through the blade.
The sound of metal sinking into flesh still made my scalp prickle.
Blood dripped between his fingers, yet he acted as if he couldn’t feel the pain. Inch by inch, his bleeding hand closed around mine.
His eyes were utterly calm.
So calm that there was even a trace of tenderness in them.
“Good girl. Don’t ever say those two words again.”
Then he pulled me into his arms.
His embrace was broad and solid, but it wasn’t warm.
Instead, it sent a shudder deep into my bones.
More than once, I had wondered whether he was mentally ill.
More than once, I had asked myself what he could possibly see in me.
Didn’t every obsessive lover care about looks above all else?
I wasn’t particularly pretty. Aside from having a larger chest, my figure was completely ordinary. I was even a little chubby.
But Adrian had never looked down on me.
His gaze was always filled with devotion. Whenever he held me, his arms tightened as if he wanted to press me into his chest, greedily breathing in the scent of my neck.
Chapter 2
“This is perfect. You fit right in my arms.”
If anyone else had said that, I would have ignored it completely.
But Adrian…
I was genuinely afraid he might secretly collect my farts.
At the restaurant, Ethan Hayes set down his glass and asked gently, “When we’re done eating, do you want to go somewhere else?”
His gaze was fixed on me, as though he genuinely wanted to know what I thought.
But I heard another voice beneath his words.
[This is so damn annoying.]
[When is this going to end? I have a tournament match tonight.]
I paused, quietly put away my phone, and shook my head. “…I’m a little tired because of my period. Let’s just go home.”
Ethan’s lips curved. “Okay.”
His smile was flawless.
Once, Ethan would have noticed something was wrong immediately. He would have gripped my shoulders and demanded to know what was going on.
He used to check my messages every day, analyzing my conversations with everyone one by one. Even if I sent a male colleague a simple “Thank you,” he would make some sarcastic comment about it for ages.
And today was Qixi Festival, of all days.
Back then, the moment Adrian Sterling’s message came through, Ethan probably would have intercepted it.
But now…
How long had it been?
He hadn’t checked my phone in a long time.
[Holding hands is such a hassle.]
I heard his inner voice again, the words pricking my eardrum like a fine needle.
Ethan walked beside me, his expression distant, a faint trace of impatience showing through.
[If I don’t hold her hand, she’ll get upset. That’ll be even more annoying.]
The next second, Ethan drew in a deep breath. As if completing an assigned task, he reached down and took my limp hand in his.
The moment his palm touched mine, I suddenly remembered when we had first started dating.
Back then, Ethan had been clingy.
Whenever we walked or went shopping, he insisted on draping an arm around my shoulders or holding my hand. He wouldn’t even let me turn my head to look at an attractive guy. Not even an attractive woman was allowed. He said he was afraid my taste would go astray.
I had always been sensitive and starved for affection, so I had welcomed his possessiveness. I was like someone who had spent twenty years dying of thirst in the desert, only to finally drink water laced with poison.
That was why, later on, whenever he stopped reaching for my hand first while we were out, I would get angry.
I never imagined it had become a burden to him.
My smartphone chimed with a new message.
I lowered my eyes and glanced at the screen.
Another text from Adrian:
[I hear you haven’t been behaving while I’ve been away.]
My mind went completely blank.
I froze where I stood, forgetting even how to breathe.
Chapter 3
Ethan turned around, confusion flickering across his face. “Claire?”
He called my name several times before I finally came back to myself.
I hurriedly locked my phone and forced a strained smile. “I’m not feeling well. Let’s just go home early.”
Maybe he could tell I was trying to hide something. His brow furrowed, and instinctively, he took a step toward me, reaching out a hand.
But in the next second, he seemed to remember something. Slowly, he withdrew his hand and shoved it into his pocket.
“Oh. Sure.”
Ethan’s expression remained flat.
I heard the thought behind his words, edged with impatience.
Not this again. How annoying.
She’s putting on this mysterious act just to get my attention. Does she ever have anything useful to do?
I froze.
Then I gave a bitter laugh inside.
Fine. He wasn’t wrong. I had done something that stupid before.
By then, Ethan had already lost the enthusiasm he’d shown at the beginning of our relationship, and I’d grown deeply insecure.
To test how he felt about me—and to make him care again—I had deliberately acted evasive, pretending I was secretly messaging another guy.
At first, it had worked perfectly.
Ethan had been consumed by jealousy. That very night, he’d demanded to know who the other man was and nearly taken my phone apart trying to find out.
The next day, he had moved into my apartment without asking, insisting we start cohabiting. Behind my back, he’d even investigated whether any men were deliberately trying to get close to me.
But it hadn’t taken him long to realize the whole thing had been staged.
I still remembered the look on his face.
Disgust mixed with contempt.
After that, he became noticeably colder toward me.
A familiar female voice suddenly sounded behind us.
“Ethan! Claire! You’re here too?”
I turned around and saw Sophie Whitmore walking toward us with several young men.
They were Ethan’s childhood friends, and they were close.
“So, what’s the plan tonight? Internet cafe?” Sophie slung an arm around Ethan’s shoulders and wagged her eyebrows. “We’re one player short.”
One of the others laughed. “Why would we go to an Internet cafe? Do you even know what day it is? It’s Qixi Festival.”
Sophie covered her mouth, as if only just remembering. “Oh, right. Qixi! In that case, Ethan, you’d better stay here and keep your girlfriend company.”
Ethan glanced at me, his brows drawing together.
Damn it. Here we go again.
It’s always like this. The second she sees Sophie, her whole face falls.
When we get home, she’ll probably make a scene all night.
I lowered my head.
Ethan was right.
I was jealous of Sophie Whitmore.
But it hadn’t always been like this.