She Outshines All the Starlight

"Barbara, what's on your mind? You've been quiet for ages."

Jerry's tone was sharp with impatience.

"I've spelled it all out. What more do you want? Just be good. It's for your own good."

Barbara stared at him, her heart a cold knot of pure hatred.

Her fists clenched so tight her nails bit into her palms—the sharp pain the only anchor keeping her from splintering apart.

Mistaking her silence for a sulk, Jerry gave a helpless shrug.

"Actually, I got you another surprise."

Like a magician, he produced another elegant gift box from behind his back, its perfect bow gleaming.

"Wanna open it?" His voice brimmed with anticipation, as if offering a rare treasure.

But Barbara sat utterly still, her eyes hollow and vacant—still, dead pools.

When she didn’t move, Jerry waited a beat, then opened the box himself.

"Barbara, you're gonna love this!"

With a wicked grin, he pulled out a black lace bunny outfit—provocative, suggestive, its sheer panels and strategic cutouts designed to set any man's pulse racing.

The sight hit her like a physical blow. Her world seemed to collapse in a silent roar.

She shot to her feet, trembling violently with rage and humiliation.

"Jerry, *this* is your surprise?" Her voice was a ragged scrape, each word torn from her throat. "What am I to you? Some cheap hooker you can humiliate? Your personal plaything?"

She bit her lip until she tasted blood. The vile words Jerry and Jason had exchanged that day slithered through her mind like venomous snakes, gnawing at the last tatters of her dignity.

"Enough drama. Get over here," Jerry's voice thickened with lust. "Put it on..."

Barbara couldn't take another second. She lunged forward, snatched the outfit from his hands, ripped it savagely to shreds, and hurled the tattered fabric into his face. "Jerry, you animal!" she screamed, her voice raw and breaking. "I'd rather die than let you touch me again!"

Her violent outburst startled him. He dropped the remnants and reached for her, trying to pull her into his arms. "Barbara, what's gotten into you?"

But his hand never reached her. She slapped it away.

"Don't touch me!" Barbara shrieked, recoiling like a wounded animal, her eyes wide with terror and revulsion.

Just then, Jerry's phone rang. His expression shifted instantly. A glance at the screen, and he answered swiftly.

"Hey, Claire, what's up?" His voice softened, dripping with honeyed gentleness.

He picked up the torn bunny outfit and the little whip from the floor, holding them up mockingly before her. "Shame about this. Next time, maybe. Sleep alone tonight. Don't wait up."

"Jerry!" Her voice cut the air. He paused at the door and turned, a teasing smirk on his lips. "What's this? Jealous?"

He walked back, hooked a finger under her chin, and forced her gaze up to meet his.

Leaning close, his breath hot against her ear, he whispered words meant for her alone:

"Let me make this crystal clear. Being with Claire is my right. Being with you? That's an affair. Understand? Keep your head down and stop making waves."