What Separates Me and You

Lewis‘ expression was dark the entire way home. When they finally reached the mansion, he suddenly

reached out and grabbed Josephine’s jaw, emanating a frosty air all around.

“Very gutsy these days, aren’t we, Josephine? Running away from home now, huh?”

His grip on her jaw was like a vise. It felt as though he was letting out all his fury through his fingers.

Josephine’s jaw ached so much that she felt it might shatter at any moment.

She stared at Lewis‘ eyes through her suffering, observing the storm that was brewing in them.

Clenching her fists, she stared at him for quite a while. Just as she was about to sign something, he

threw her on the couch.

The ceiling above her seemed to spin, and for a brief moment, all she saw was black. He went up to

her and held her arms behind her. “Who taught you to do that?”

A bitter smile tugged on Josephine’s lips as she stared at him emotionlessly. A wet. sheen crept up her

eyes.

She tugged forcefully, freeing her arm. “Nobody taught me to do it. You don’t care where I am anyway,

so why can’t I leave?” She signed.

Though she couldn’t speak, her expression and actions spoke volumes about how angry and aggrieved

she felt.

Lewis‘ gaze bored into hers without a word.

“You like Sierra so much, so I’m giving way to let you be together. Isn’t that good enough? Why have

you brought me back?” Josephine signed.

She rarely got into an argument with him, nor had she ever complained. She had always been obedient

and docile, akin to a kitten. Whatever he said went, and he never had to take her feelings into

consideration. All he had to do was give her a pat on the head, and she would be more than happy.

It was only today that he found out that she was capable of being angry too.

He took a while to process this new piece of information. “Were you acting out of spite?”

Josephine was stunned, her hands pausing mid–air. For a moment, she did not know. how to answer

that.

She did not know if she had acted out of spite, but the thought of him neglecting her. and disliking her

child stifled her so much that all she wanted to do was to escape this suffocating hellhole of a place.

Right then, her phone vibrated. She took it out and had a look. It was a message from. Avery.

She glanced at Lewis. He had his eyes on her phone too. Before she could react, he’d already

snatched her phone away and tapped on the text message.

“Josie, I’ve been locked up, and the cafe’s been raided. I feel so bad for my paintings. But I did all I

could to keep your paintings safe. I’ve mailed them over to you. Remember to check that you receive

them!”

After Lewis read the message, he shot Josephine another glance. The anxiety in her eyes was

palpable.

He scoffed. “Are you ignoring my words now?”

The slight smile on his lips radiated a sort of danger in Josephine’s eyes. She shook her head

vigorously, trying to explain herself.

But Lewis had chucked her phone to the coffee table by the couch and strode out. the door.

As though anticipating his next move, she ran and caught up to him.

There was a small storage room outside the mansion meant for parcels. Lewis went straight there and

kicked at a pile of parcels.

Right at the bottom of the pile was a box that held the paintings that Avery had mailed Josephine.

For a moment, Josephine’s pupils constricted. She rushed over and crouched down on the ground,

protecting the box with her body.

“Move aside!”

She shook her head with tears in her eyes, begging him to spare her the paintings. Those were not

only Avery’s present for her, but they were also her hard work and effort. They were a symbol of the

friendship they shared.

Lewis‘ expression was dour. He grabbed Josephine by the wrist and flung her aside.

Powerless against him, all Josephine could do was clutch desperately at the box. It was all to no avail.

Lewis picked the box up and headed out to the yard. He threw the box roughly on the ground as though

it contained nothing but mere trash.

Josephine intended to rush over to it, but Lewis‘ hold on her was unyielding.

He produced a lighter and with a flick, flames danced from his hand.

Josephine’s eyes widened at the sight of the flickering flames before her. She opened her mouth but

couldn’t produce a single sound.

His grip on her hands cut off the only means of communication between them.

He turned to look at her. “You care so much for these paintings?”

Tears rolled down Josephine’s face, her eyes begging silently for him to not burn.

them.

A cold and ruthless smirk graced his features. It seemed like the more she cared for something, the

more he was intent on destroying it. He wanted her to watch as. everything she held dear shattered

and fell apart before her very own eyes. All that could remain in her line of sight was him, and him

alone.

His hold on the lighter loosened gradually, and along with it, the flames fell on the box, creeping across

its surface and slowly setting it on fire.

Josephine suddenly started struggling. When it proved futile, she bent down to bite Lewis on the arm.

The sudden jolt of pain nearly caused him to loosen his hold on her. But with a swift twist of his body,

his arm went around her waist and pulled her back.

The dancing flames reflected in Josephine’s eyes grew brighter with each passing moment. Eventually,

the flames were all that could be seen in her eyes.

She watched helplessly as the box burned down to reveal the paintings. The flames. licked them up bit

by bit, and slow but surely, they burned down into ash.

A gust of wind blew across the yard, elongating the flames and picking up the bits of

ashes off the ground. The black fragments fluttered around in the air around them.

Lewis did not let go of her the entire time. Her silent struggles and prayers seemed insignificant and fell

upon deaf ears.

She reached out her hand, but all that she managed to touch were the fragments of ash and paper

floating in the air.

She slumped feebly into his arms. In the end, he let go of her, and she sat heavily on the ground. The

pieces of paper still circulated around her, as though mocking her.

Just like Lewis, they seem to think that everything she cared about was too cheap to be taken into

consideration.

She did not even have the chance to catch a glimpse of the paintings before they were all wiped clean

off the surface of the earth before her eyes, as if they had never existed in the first place.