Man, what's wrong with you?

"Honey, this is so kind of you!"

Jessie was elated, thinking that she had finally defeated Sherry. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Jeremy. Now, at last, nothing could get in the way of their happiness. She put one hand on the back of Jeremy's neck and with her other hand tried to unbutton his shirt, wanting to embrace him skin to skin.

"Be quiet," he snapped.

His face had gone cold. He suddenly felt as though her touch burned him. He unwrapped her arms and pushed her aside, then turned and entered the bedroom. He slammed the door shut so hard that the picture frame on the wall rattled.

Jessie stood silently, her mouth open with shock. She thought about knocking on the door and trying to calm him down, but she didn't dare. She felt tears threatening to stream down her cheeks.

She enjoyed being with Jeremy because he was so wealthy, generous, and handsome. But he had such a bad temper! He would buy her the nicest things, but she never knew when his anger would flare up. She worried that if she said the wrong thing, he would throw her out.

Quietly, Jessie backed away from the closed door, deciding not to disturb him for now.

She went to the living room and sat on the sofa. After a while, she began to get bored, so she got up and began exploring the enormous villa. She thought smugly to herself that this villa could very well become her home soon.

However, even a cursory exploration of the first floor made her restless and uneasy.

The living room was strewn with items of women's clothing, such as shoes, earrings, and hats. There were pastel-colored toothbrushes and towels in the bathroom, as well as pots and plates in the kitchen that bore floral, feminine designs.

All of these painted the clear impression of a woman who had lived her and left her mark on the household.

She remembered how many times she had tried to persuade Jeremy to take her to his house. Now she knew why he always refused.

She knew she was not his only lover, but she had not expected this. He actually lived full-time with another woman!

realized that Jeremy never stayed the night at her house because he had someone else to come home to, someone else to keep him company. She felt a wave

herself to keep

one. Then she moved on to the TV cabinet. She opened

of white porcelain, and had an unusual, flowing shape. It was obviously handmade. Several verses had been inscribed on

took her a second to realize

felt furious. She lifted the vase from its perch and examined it carefully. There were

was building up inside her at Jeremy and at this woman. How dare she

been in

Thinking about Jeremy in love with some other woman,

so startled by his sudden appearance that she lost her grip on the vase. It broke as soon as it hit the floor,

she said automatically. "Honey, it

Jeremy's face scared Jessie, and she trailed off, shrinking from him

reached out, grabbed her by the arm,

was a birthday present, given to

that spot for several years. He couldn't believe Jessie had been reckless enough to mess with his personal belongings, and to

He heard her pound on the door

room, staring at the shards of the broken vase. He

the shy way that Sherry had presented the vase to him. She had covered the poem on the vase with her hands so he couldn't

picked up one of the white porcelain shards. He couldn't shake the superstitious

day by the time Sherry finally returned

room, where he had spent almost the entirety of the past thirty hours, leaving only to get food or to go to the bathroom. He refused to admit to himself that he had been waiting for

a tailored white coat and high heels that did marvelous things

in a mess with his