Chapter 223: Differential Treatment
On one side, it was all doom and gloom. On the other, there was a glimmer of hope and a shot at redemption.
How was she supposed to pick? Did she even have to?
Seeing Yancy and Mia all cozy and close, Benjamin lost it. He yelled and charged at them.
Mia screamed, shoved Yancy away, and braced herself.
She'd seen Benjamin throw punches before.
That one time at the bar, we were all wasted, and Benjamin showed up and beat a guy half to death. It was brutal, scared the crap outta us.
Mia didn't want Yancy to get hurt. She knew she couldn't do much, so she stepped up and pushed Yancy behind her.
Benjamin was going full force and didn't expect Mia to step in. His fist was already flying, and it was too late to stop. Mia closed her eyes, ready to take the hit.
Yancy, who'd been pushed away, snapped back into action. Like a madman, he lunged at Benjamin. Just as the fist was about to land on Mia, Yancy kicked Benjamin in the face.
I yanked Mia away from Benjamin's punch.
Yancy put everything into that kick, nailing Benjamin's left cheek. Blood started pouring, and Benjamin stumbled back, hitting the ground hard.
Mia cried on my shoulder, and I patted her back, feeling like my heart was breaking.
Seeing Mia cry made Yancy even madder. He kicked Benjamin a few more times.
But Benjamin wasn't going down easy. He roared and got up, swinging back.
Yancy was strong, and after a few rounds, Benjamin was done. He stopped fighting back, just taking the hits.
Benjamin got knocked down, tried to get up, and got knocked down again. He kept trying until he couldn't anymore and just lay there, beaten.
"That's enough, man. You're gonna kill him." Adam dropped his bags and pulled Yancy back. "Forget him, check on Mia."
Yancy calmed down, shot Benjamin a cold look, and turned to Mia, asking if she was okay.
Mia shook her head, still crying, saying she was fine. Only then did the fire in Yancy's eyes start to die down.
Benjamin struggled to stand, his tall frame swaying. His fancy clothes were dirty and torn, his hair a mess, and blood smeared across his face.
He looked at Mia, who was being protected by Yancy, his eyes full of sorrow.
Could Benjamin actually feel pain? How rare.
Maybe now he'd get a taste of what Mia had been through all these years.
"Mia, can we go back?" Yancy asked softly. His young but tough body stood in front of Mia, like a wall shielding her from everything.
"Mia, let's go back. I haven't even had dinner yet."
"Okay." Mia wiped her tears and started walking.
We headed back to the apartment. Yancy wanted to carry my bags, but Adam stopped him. "Nah, you take care of Mia. I got this."
Honestly, I didn't want Adam in my place, especially since Brad had warned me to stay away from him.
But Mia was still crying, and Yancy was busy with her. I couldn't carry all the stuff, and with Benjamin acting crazy, having another guy around seemed smart. So I let Adam help.
As we got to the door, we heard Benjamin's desperate scream from behind, "Mia, I love you. Don't leave me, please."
Mia's body shook, and she stopped dead in her tracks, tears streaming down her face again.
Yancy stood behind her, not saying a word, just waiting for Mia to decide.
After a few seconds, Mia started moving again and headed into the stairwell.
Yancy let out a sigh of relief, and my heart finally started to chill out too.
Thank God, Mia held it together.
Once she took that first step, the rest would get easier. It might sting, it might be rough, but as long as she kept moving, she'd get through it someday.
From today on, Mia and Benjamin were officially done.
Once inside, I flopped onto the couch, using it as an excuse to hide my jumbled thoughts.
Yancy, playing the host, invited Adam to sit and grabbed him a bottle of water from the fridge.
Mia went straight to the bathroom, and when she came out, her tear stains were gone, though her eyes were still a bit puffy.
"Jane, how about some seafood pasta?" Mia asked me softly.
I nodded. Mia opened the fridge, grabbed the ingredients, and headed to the kitchen. Yancy, being the thoughtful guy he is, threw on an apron and followed her, leaving me and Adam on the couch.
With guests over, we couldn't just sit there in awkward silence. I was trying to think of something to say when Brad sent a video call request.
Perfect timing, Brad.
I answered, and Brad's face popped up on the screen, still handsome but looking worn out.
Brad was holding the phone with one hand and rubbing his forehead with the other, looking totally beat.
No need to ask, Brad must've gone straight to the hospital after dropping me at the airport and hadn't rested since.
I thought I was being too jealous. Just thinking about Brad being with Jenny made me mad, even if she did save his life.
"Are you home?" Brad asked, his voice hoarse and clearly uncomfortable.
'Duh, Brad, this is a video call; can't you see I'm home?' I thought, rolling my eyes.
"Just got in. Brad, you got a headache?" I asked, even though I tried not to.
"It's nothing. Looks like you got in late. Was the flight delayed?"
"I ran into Benjamin downstairs. We talked for a bit, so it took a while."
Brad's eyebrows shot up. The mention of Benjamin clearly threw him off. "Are you hungry? Want me to order takeout?"
"No." I turned the phone around. "Look, Mia's making seafood pasta for me. It's delicious and clean, no need for takeout."
Brad smiled, "You haven't rested well these past few days. Eat something and hit the sack early. If anything comes up with Larry that you can't handle, call me anytime."
I turned the phone back, and the camera accidentally caught Adam. Brad saw him, and his just-relaxed eyebrows furrowed again. He asked, annoyed, "Why is Adam there?"
'Oh Brad, this is a video call; he can hear you. Even if you don't like Adam being here, don't make it so obvious,' I cringed internally, feeling a pang of irritation.
"Oh, the luggage was too heavy for me to carry, so Adam helped me bring it up."
"Why are you being disobedient?"
"I want to be obedient, but there was so much stuff, and I couldn't carry it. You weren't here, so what was I supposed to do?" I pouted and acted spoiled.
He could hold Jenny, but I couldn't have Adam help me upstairs? He couldn't be so unfair!
Brad didn't know what to say. His face turned sour, and he stared at me for a long time before saying, "I'll be back soon. Don't bring strangers home; it's not safe for you two girls."
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