When I opened WhatsApp, I saw that after I blocked her that afternoon, she had called me numerous times and even used different numbers to try and add me.
When she realized I wouldn't respond, she took to Twitter to apologize publicly.
In my previous life, I would've immediately apologized to her the moment she furrowed her brow even slightly.
But now, watching that video, I could only feel that she was putting on a show.
There wasn't a single ripple of emotion in my heart.
But just then, my father called.
"You brat, what did you do to upset Clarice again? Get your ass back home right now!"
I realized that Clarice hadn't just put on a performance on Twitter. She had gone straight to my parents to complain.
That really set me off.
"Well done, Clarice, spreading lies about me? Do you have any idea how much you've hurt me?"
With that thought, I said to my father, "You can help the Barrett family all you want, but Clarice has nothing to do with me.
"No matter what you think, don't bother me with anything about her anymore. I don't care, and I don't want to care!"
My father became even more furious over the phone while I could hear Clarice pretending to be a good person in the background.
She pleaded with my dad not to be angry, saying it was all her fault.
"Clarice, quit pretending to be the saint. Don't those words make you feel sick?
"All those times you ignored me, and now suddenly, it's all your fault? Where were you back then? Get lost!"
My mom also took Clarice's side. She grabbed the phone from my dad and started scolding me.
She even threatened to cut off my living expenses if I didn't come back and apologize to Clarice.
Hearing that, I hung up the phone right away.
In my previous life, my parents were like this, too. They practically treated Clarice as their own daughter.
And I, their real son, was treated like an outsider, ordered around every day.
I stood alone by the window of my small rented room, looking out at the night view, feeling a deep sense of loneliness.
I silently vowed to myself that I would live my life to the fullest.
The next day, without any hesitation, I set off for Azuria.
Before I left, my parents kept sending me messages, urging me to come back home.
I received a notification from the bank that my credit card had been frozen.
It all felt incredibly ironic to me.
I thought, "Clarice is truly something, having my parents choosing her side."