Chapter 3: The Scent of Betrayal

Ever since she found out about my skin hunger syndrome, Melissa had grown colder and colder toward me.

Especially lately, after she got a new male assistant, Drew.

Melissa started staying late at work. She'd come home late, hair still perfect, smelling faintly of Drew’s aftershave and the takeout she never shared with me. It drove me crazy, but every time I brought it up, she just shrugged it off, her face unreadable.

This time, I argued with Melissa because Drew messed up at work out of carelessness.

I suggested firing him immediately, but Melissa refused, even mocking me for never having worked my way up from the bottom and lacking empathy.

The heat surging through my body dragged my thoughts back.

It made my skin crawl with need, like that hot, sticky Midwest July when the air feels heavy enough to chew. Heat prickled up my neck. I shifted in my seat, trying to hide how restless I felt, and whined at Rachel:

"I don’t want money. Last time, Melissa found that scented candle and threw it away. Aunt Rachel, can you buy me some more?"

Rachel shot me a sidelong glance, then quickly looked away. Her pen paused, and a small blot of ink spread across the white paper. She blotted the stain with her sleeve, then pressed her lips together, like she was swallowing a curse.

The comments appeared again:

[Main guy, did you really forget you wore that see-through shirt today to seduce your girlfriend? Even if your aunt acts all pure and career-focused, she’s not actually a nun.]

[From this angle, if Rachel just looks down a little, she’ll see the main guy’s abs and V-line up close~ Usually, if he even leans in a bit, this woman shakes with excitement. I’m honestly worried she’ll die from pleasure.]

[Something’s off. The main guy usually has great posture. Why is he suddenly crossing his legs?]

[It’s set. Seven Star Media, Little Mel is about to explode.]

[Big Yellow Girl, your words are crude but not wrong, but this is a bit too much.]

[Crying, am I the only one who feels sorry for Rachel? Every day, the boy she loves asks her how to please another girl. No wonder Aunt Rachel loses her mind later. If my crush kept asking me for help with his girlfriend, I’d snap too.]

I stared in shock at the very real comments scrolling before my eyes.

There was no way I could keep pretending it was a hallucination.