Chapter 6 After landing that punch, I stepped back behind Connor. I stared at Serena and Gordon coldly, then spat, "This is my house. Sluts and their lackeys aren't welcome. Get out!" Serena stumbled back, while Gordon stared at me in disbelief. Then, he touched his swollen eye and barked, "Jolene Miller! What did you just say? Care to run that by me again?" "I meant exactly what I said," I shot back with a sneer. "This house is for decent people, not sluts and their lackeys. "Want me to make it clearer? Fine. To me, Serena's nothing but a slut, and you're the fool who follows her around, cleaning up the mess she leaves behind." That set him off. Without another word, he roared and lunged at me. But Connor kicked him hard, sending him flying. Gordon crashed into the far wall before collapsing to the floor. He clutched his stomach and shot us both a murderous glare. "So you've been sneaking around with another guy all along? Unbelievable, Jolene! Still pretending to be with me while you've already latched onto someone better, huh?" I thought his insults would make my blood boil. But to my surprise, I didn't feel a thing. I just stared at him quietly, like I was watching a grown man throw a fit in public. Then again, after all the verbal abuse and public shaming I had endured in my past life, Gordon's words barely left a mark. If anything, I ought to thank him and Serena for toughening me up. In the next second, I grabbed the broom and started landing blows on both of them as I drove them out of my house. Gordon stumbled back, dragging a visibly shaken Serena with him as they fled. The moment the door clicked shut, the tension I had been holding in finally snapped. I leaned against the wall and slid down slowly until I was sitting on the floor. Right then, Connor handed me a tissue. I looked up at him in a daze. "Take it. You're sweating all over," he said. Only then did it hit me. This had thrown me right back into the chaos that once led to my death. I had forced myself to push through the fear, and just managing to beat them was no small feat. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, I finally noticed how drenched in sweat I was. I took the tissue and dabbed my face. Then, I turned to Connor with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Dr. Parker. If you hadn't spoken up for me, I'd be branded the slut of the century." Connor shook his head. "It's nothing. You saved my mother's life, after all. You're a hero to my entire family. Besides, you weren't pregnant to begin with. I just told the truth. It wasn't a big deal." Still, I couldn't thank him enough. I kept apologizing and insisted on taking him out to dinner. Connor said I was being too polite and that friends didn't need to keep tabs like that. But I stood firm because he had no idea that he had just saved my life. 1/2