Cassy couldn't believe what she had just heard. As the depth of Pete's words slowly hit her, it hit her hard. She was rooted on the spot. Her limbs were stiff and immovable. Her mind had gone numb. Just like in her nightmare, Cassy's surroundings darkened. She felt herself swaying slightly. A couple of minutes later, her mind slowly overcame the shock from what Pete had said. She suddenly felt very weak and like a mess all over again. Her courage had dissolved. Her strength had vanished. Pete's words had broken her defenses. Hearing something like that from the one she loved was just too painful. But a little voice in her head urged her to poke at the raw wound, to break or be broken. Cassy turned slowly, the muscles in her body tightly slowly, a heat spreading rapidly.

"What... did you just say?" She heard her voice croaking. She slowly turned on her heel to face Pete again. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, red rage blinding her. Lucia, who was standing just beside her, was staring from Cassy to Pete, her eyes wide open.

A sly smile crept across Pete's face as he crossed his arms confidently. "You heard me," he said with a smirk. His voice was already thick with mockery. That reaction alone conjured a mixture of dark, suppressed emotions within Cassy. The rage that was pulsating through her was putting up scaffolding for others. She felt her face blaze fiercely in humiliation. Confusion clouded her mind. Meanwhile, Pete seemed to have regained his composition, but his face was unreadable. It was like he was waging war. Whatever pity and sadness she felt about planning to ask Pete to move out had long disappeared.

"Devi scherzare!" Cassy heard Lucia say. She could only see Lucia's face sideways, but she knew her well enough to say that Lucia was rolling her eyes with an expression that could kill. Cassy then saw Lucia put her hands on her hips. A stealth stance. She looked as if she wanted to punch Pete out.

Lucia made her want to fight back. To fight against Pete. Against the lie he is trying to justify. She didn't quite understand what came over her when she went right up to him, standing just a few inches away from him. Up close, she noticed how much Pete had changed since she had last seen him. He looked better than she remembered. Cruel now, but in an odd way, he looked happy. Their breakup had worked in his favour. But Cassy didn't want to be known as the fault-the failure. Her voice wavered as she confronted Pete; the words that exploded out of her mouth were a mixture of disbelief and anger. She made sure to aim the blow right at him.

"You. Cheated. ON. Me. Not the other way around!" Cassy spat her accusations, emphasising every word. Visions of her beating Pete, pulling clumps of his hair out, and screaming at him blurred her vision. She had to keep herself from doing all that in real life.

"You practically drove me into her arms, Cassy," Pete replied coolly, hinting at an air of superiority.

"I wouldn't have gone to Franny if you hadn't been all... well you!" His voice is now dripping with disdain. The tension in the air was thick. Each of his words sank painfully through her skin, piecering through her muscles.

"F..Franny?" Surprised at his comeback, she took a step back. At this point, she was struggling to breathe and trying hard to be calm. Pete was the kind of guy who always found justification for his actions. He didn't like when things didn't go his way. He'd complain for hours and hours until the other person gave up and let him win. She knew him too well to let him win, at least this time. She clenched her fists tightly, challenging herself to look strong. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked him in her steadiest voice.

"God Cassy! You're so overwhelming! You are never your own person!" Pete started to speak. And once he did, he didnt stop sending bash after bash at Cassy, who had gone numb with the accusations. "You always want me to validate you. You are indecisive and undetermined, always leaning on me, depending on me." At this point, Pete paused a couple of seconds, enjoying the humiliation on Cassy's face. He smiled smugly before adding, "It is exhausting, Cassy. You're weak-minded and submissive. So ready to let anybody make you do anything, whether or not you like it. Jeez, it's like I'm looking after a child, and frankly, I don't want to carry this burden anymore."

Cassy's heart was pounding hard. Her head was beginning to ache. She had never known this was how Pete felt. Pete was the kind of person who always had to have the last word. So she had always thought he liked making decisions for her, and she had always let him do as he pleased for them both. Only now coming from his mouth, she realised that it couldn't have been very pleasant.

"Is this how it's always been?" Cassy managed to speak; her voice was barely a whisper.

In previous situations that Cassy recalled, Pete's frustration with Cassy's indecisiveness had simmered beneath the surface, hinting in subtle gestures and passing expressions. Perhaps he had grown tired of constantly bearing the weight of their relationship, his patience wearing thin with each passing day. These subtle cues hinted at a brewing storm, one that now threatened to engulf them both in its fury. She was exhausted, caught at the centre of it.

"Yes Cassy. I hate to tell you, but you need to grow up!" Pete's lips curled into a satisfied smile, his eyes gleaming with triumph. It was a look Cassy knew all too well, one that signalled his desire for control. He continued to go ahead. "Franny, on the other hand, is one hell of a woman. It's amazing to have such a boss in life," Pete uttered the last few words, placing much emphasis on the word boss with satisfaction gleaming on his face.

Cassy's eyes immediately filled with tears. She felt as if Pete had slapped her across the face. Her chest felt tight, making it harder to breathe. Her hands started to tremble. Her mind was racing as Pete's accusations replayed in her head. Her thoughts were a mess of confusion, hurt, and anger. How could he say those things? Were his accusations true at all? Cassy's head was full of doubt. Pete's words kept eating her away. It was enough. She wanted to leave and never come back. She never wanted to see his face again. She hated herself for being so faithful to someone like Pete. It was humiliating to listen to Pete talk of her that way.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lucia walk right up to Pete; she saw her give him a threatening look before standing next to her and looping her hand through Cassy's.

"Hey! That's enough. You need to move out immediately. We don't care where you go, you bastard, but you need to get the hell out of here. NOW!"

Cassy was grateful at Lucia's outburst, even though she almost felt a tremble pass through Lucia's body. It did shock her as well as Pete, but she felt grateful for the intervention. She couldn't take it anymore. Her knees were about to give in. There was no more strength left in her body.

As if on cue, Cassy felt Lucia gently tugging her arm, and they both turned to leave. Pete didn't dare to say anything else. They heard him walking away. Cassy put in her best effort to look strong. She walked out of the door with Lucia on her arm. As soon as they were outside, Cassy's knees gave out. She bent down clutching herself, breathing heavily. She heard Lucia exhale deeply. It had been a tense encounter. Steadily herself a few minutes later, Cassy stood straight. Her furiously red face was slowly fading away.

Once in the car, Cassy put her head in her hands. The overwhelming encounter was too much for her. Despite that, she was glad that it was over. But Pete's accusations kept resurfacing even though she tried her hardest to suppress them. She felt broken and stomped on. Next thing she knew, she was turning to face Lucia. The question that was on her mind split from her lips before she had a chance to rethink.

"Am I really someone like Pete says?"