The Comments Called Me Ruined and I Called Bluff Chapter 03
In the afternoon, Sadie finally came out of her room.
She was clutching a dress in her arms.
It was my dress—the light green floral one from my walk-in closet.
She stood in front of me, her expression so conflicted it looked like she was making a life-or-death decision.
“Nicole… you said I could pick whatever I wanted.” She took a deep breath. “So I tried this one on… If you’re upset, I’ll put it right back.”
[Here it comes! The ultimate test!]
[The imposter would never have let someone anywhere near her clothes.]
[Last time a maid accidentally touched one, she was screamed at until she cried for three hours!]
I looked at the dress.
I had bought it right before I left.
At the time, I thought this shade of green would look perfect with Sadie’s skin tone, and I planned to give it to her as soon as I got back.
I just never expected it to happen like this.
“Go try it on.”
Sadie froze. Then, as if terrified I would change my mind, she bolted into the bedroom to change.
When she came out, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and spun around.
The hem of the dress flared out, revealing her slender ankles.
It looked good, but—
“The waistline is too high. Without a belt, it looks like a nightgown. Hold on.”
I went upstairs, grabbed a belt, and brought it down. I fastened it around her waist and tied a neat bow in the back.
“There. Take a look now.”
Sadie stared at herself in the mirror for a long time without saying a word.
Then, she let out a sudden laugh.
It was short, bursting out like a tiny stray bubble.
The laugh startled her, and she quickly covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
But it was too late.
[That laugh was real! She wasn’t acting!]
[The shell is cracking! Her fake victim persona is totally shattering!]
By that evening, we were curled up on the couch eating strawberries.
Sadie was still wearing the dress, kicking her legs up.
Her cheeks were stuffed completely full, making her look like a little hamster hoarding food.
I sat next to her scrolling through my phone, with my own plate of fruit in front of me.
One plate for each of us—pure, peaceful quiet.
She wasn’t afraid of me anymore, and she was even starting to let her guard down completely.
“Nicole, these strawberries are so sweet.”
“Yeah.”
“Nicole, do you want to try dipping them in chocolate sauce?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Nicole…”
“Alright, alright. You keep calling me like that and I’ll have to ask what you’re wishing for.”
She burst out laughing, her eyes crinkling into little crescents.
[She looks so happy, oh my god.]
[It’s been three years, and she can finally relax in her own home.]
Right then, the front door opened.
Cyrus was back.
He stood in the entryway, freezing mid-step when he saw the scene in the living room.
Sadie was wearing my dress, lounging with her legs up and eating strawberries.
I was sitting right beside her, scrolling on my phone.
Two identical plates of strawberries sat on the coffee table.
His expression shifted from exhausted to confused, and then from confused to entirely suspicious.
[Cyrus is back!]
[He was away on a business trip for a week, and he came back to find everything had changed, lol.]
“Cyrus…” Sadie greeted him, her voice muffled around a strawberry.
Cyrus walked over, his gaze shifting back and forth between us. “You two… didn’t fight?”
Sadie shook her head, pointing to her dress, “Nicole let me wear it, and she even picked out the belt for me.”
Cyrus looked at the dress, then looked over at me.
The look in his eyes changed.
It was no longer that pure coldness and vigilance from before.
Now, there was something else in it, something hard to define.