Minnie's eyes blazed with anger and determination as she confronted her mom. "You were hurt, and then you walked away, and now you're wearing this scarf to cover up the bruises. He did it again right."
Minnie's mom tried to defend herself, but Minnie wouldn't have it. "No, Mom, enough! Stop defending him every time. Stop making excuses for him."
Minnie's voice rose, her emotions boiling over. "You're still defending him, even after everything he's done to you. Why, Mom? Why are you still protecting him?"
Her mom tried to calm her down, but Minnie was having none of it. "No, Mom, I won't calm down. I won't stop until I make sure he pays for what he's done to you."
Minnie's mom pleaded with her, "Please, baby, don't say such things. It's not his fault..."
But Minnie cut her off, her words spilling out in a torrent of anger and hurt. "It's not his fault? Are you kidding me, Mom? He's been beating you for years, and you're still defending him?"
Minnie's mom tried to explain, but Minnie wasn't listening. She was too caught up in her own emotions, her own desire for justice.
"You always do this, Mom," Minnie said, her voice shaking with anger. "You always make excuses for him. You always defend him. But I'm not going to let that happen anymore."
Minnie's mom tried to reassure her, "Minnie, it's not your fault. None of this is your fault."
But Minnie wasn't convinced. She felt responsible, felt like she had to make things right.
"I'll make sure he pays, Mom," Minnie vowed, her eyes blazing with determination. "I'll become a lawyer, and I'll make sure he pays for every single punch he's ever thrown at you."
Her mom tried to calm her down, but Minnie was resolute. "I'll get my revenge, Mom. I promise you that."
Minnie's mom sighed, her eyes filled with a deep sadness. "Minnie, baby, I don't want you to waste your life on revenge. I want you to be happy."
But Minnie just shook her head. "I'll never be happy, Mom, until he pays for what he's done to us."
____
Violet turned to walk away from Leo, she collided with Snow, who was standing in the hallway with a knowing glint in her eye.
Violet's eyes narrowed, her expression icy. She and Snow weren't exactly on good terms at the moment.
Snow held Violet back, her grip firm. "Where do you think you're going?" Snow asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Violet tried to shake off Snow's grip. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Snow. Let me go."
Snow laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "Oh, I'm not going to keep you from your precious Leo. You two can continue your little flirtation, for all I care."
Violet's eyes flashed with anger. "You think you're so clever, don't you, Snow? You think you've won some kind of victory because Oliver and I broke up."
Snow smiled, her eyes glinting with triumph. "I'm just saying, Violet, that you're free to do as you please. You and Leo can have sex, get married, have kids... whatever you want."
Violet's expression turned icy. "I'm not going to fall for Leo just because you're trying to push us together, Snow. So, sorry to disappoint you."
Snow shrugged, her smile never wavering. "Faith will tell itself, I suppose."
As Snow walked away, Violet turned to Leo, who was watching the exchange with a mixture of confusion and concern.
Leo took a step forward, his eyes locked on Violet's. "Enough, Snow," he said, his voice firm. "We've called off our relationship, and I'm trying to move on."
Snow turned back, her eyes glinting with amusement. "I don't see any harm in that, Leo. But my point is, why the secrecy?"
Violet rolled her eyes. "What's your business with how we do our thing, Snow?"
Snow shrugged. "No business, really. But since Oliver has moved on, I think you should too."
Violet's eyes narrowed. "And what makes you think I'm not moving on?"
Snow smiled, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Never mind, Violet. Have a happy dating life... with Leo, I presume."
With that, Snow turned and walked away, leaving Violet and Leo staring after her in confusion.
_____
Snow picked up her phone and dialed Oliver's number. Oliver, who was sleeping, groggily answered the call.
"Wow, are you asleep?" Snow asked, her voice bright and cheerful.
Oliver rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Yes, I'm asleep. And I don't have class, so stop calling me."
Snow ignored his grumpiness. "Get out of bed and come meet me right now," she said, her tone brooking no argument.
Oliver sighed. "Snow, it's 11 am. I don't have time for drama or whatever it is you want."
But Snow was insistent. "Just come meet me, Oliver. I'll send you the location."
Oliver reluctantly agreed. "Fine, I'll come."
"Don't be late." She exclaimed.
Oliver laughed. "Coming from the queen of lateness herself."
Snow chuckled. "Hey, I was only late one time."
Oliver teased. "Oh, sure, Snow. One time, right?"
Snow laughed. "Okay, okay, maybe I've been late a few times. But that's not the point."
"What's going on, Snow? Why do you need to see me so urgently?"He queried.
Snow's tone turned serious. "I'll tell you when you get here, Oliver. Just hurry up."
Oliver's curiosity was piqued, but he knew better than to press Snow for more information. "Fine, I'll be there soon."
As Oliver arrived at the location Snow had sent him, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Snow was already there, pacing back and forth outside the building.
"Hey," Oliver said, approaching her. "What's going on?"
Snow turned to him, her expression serious. "This..."
She quickly moved towards him and gave him a peck and then he pushed her backwards.
Oliver's eyes narrowed.
Oliver's eyes widened in surprise as Snow dropped the kissed on his lip His mind racing with possibilities.
But before Snow could answer, Oliver's expression turned accusatory. "What the f*ck is wrong with you. Do ou just go around kissing other people, don't you?"
Snow's expression turned mischievous, and she asked Oliver a question that left him stunned. "LET'S DATE."
Oliver took a step back, his eyes wide with incredulity. "You're crazy, Snow. I'm not going to date you."
But Snow was dead serious. "I'm not joking, Oliver. I'm completely serious."
Oliver shook his head, turning to walk away. "I should never have come here."
But Snow chased after him, her feet pounding the sand as they stood on the beach. "Oliver, wait! Are you still thinking about Violet?"
Oliver stopped, turning to face Snow. "What does that have to do with anything? And even if I was, which I'm not, I just got out of a relationship. I don't need to jump into another one."
Snow's expression turned sly. "The relationship doesn't have to be real, Oliver. We can just pretend to date to get back at Violet and Leo."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "I don't need to get back at Violet. And even if I did, I wouldn't use you to do it."
Snow's face fell, but she quickly recovered. "Fine, Oliver. If you enjoyed being treated and dumped by Violet, then go ahead. See if I care."
As Oliver turned to walk away again, Snow shouted after him. "You're just going to let her walk all over you? You're not even going to fight for your pride?"
Oliver stopped, turning back to face Snow. "What's it to you, Snow? Why do you even care?"
Snow's expression turned fierce. "I care because I don't like seeing you get hurt, Oliver. And Violet's going to hurt you again if you let her."
Oliver sighed, shaking his head. "You're not going to give up on this, are you?"
Snow's eyes sparkled with determination. "No, I'm not. Because someone needs to knock some sense into you, Oliver."
As Snow stood there, her arms crossed and a fierce look on her face, Oliver couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for her spirit. But he still wasn't going to fall for her crazy plan.
Or was he?
___
The next day, Minnie woke up to a sharp pain in her stomach.
She was alone in her hostel room, and she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.
She struggled to get out of bed, but the pain was too much.
She managed to grab her phone and dial for help, hoping someone would come to her aid.
William was the first person to respond. He rushed over to Minnie's room and found her curled up in bed, clutching her stomach in agony.
"Hey, what's wrong?" William asked, concern etched on his face