Another Life, Another Me

70. Hearts

"Y-You..."

"What do you think you were doing to Cordelia?"

Florence gripped his hands around the arm that Ace had wound around his neck and struggled to remove it.

But no matter how hard he tried, Ace's hand did not move—his arm didn't even shake.

"A-Ace...?" I murmured quietly out loud, but Ace didn't turn his head once to look at me.

He was intently focusing on choking Florence to death.

"I'm tired of this. I'm tired of you treating her like that," Ace said, his expression twisting with frustration.

Florence tried to respond, but Ace's hand was so tightly gripped around his neck that he couldn't speak.

"I try. I try. I swear I'm trying. I look away whenever you flirt with her. I let you treat her however you want. I do my best to not cross the line and I know my place. Because I know. I know you're her fiancé. I get it."

"You...g-ge...get...yo...ur...han...d...off...me..." Florence gasped out.

"I know I'm only allowed to watch. I get it. I get it. But I hate it. I hate it so much."

"..."

"Tch."

At this point, Florence was on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen and Ace stared at him with disgust.

He threw Florence from the wall to the ground with a thud before Florence could fully lose consciousness.

"Hey. Listen to me. Don't pass out yet," Ace said coldly as he knelt down by Florence and grabbed his collar.

Florence began coughing and retching on the ground as he greedily sucked in as much air as he could.

"You..." Florence said through gritted teeth.

"Me? What. Are you going to get rid of me too?" Ace said, his eyes switching from green to red.

"..."

"Are you planning on kicking me out or killing me like the others? Oh. I forgot. You can't."

"..."

"You can't kick me out without killing me first. And even if you could kill me, Cordelia would die. But I would never let that happen. I would never let you even touch me."

"B-stard. You're a b-stard. That's what you are," Florence spat at Ace, his own eyes turning red.

"No. I'm not. But you...you should take a look at yourself. What the hell do you think you were doing? She's sick. She's a patient. Didn't you hear the doctor? She needs to stay in bed."

"...Didn't you hear what she was saying earlier though?! She wants to keep that thing here! That stupid vampire! Don't even lie to me...! You want to get rid of him as much as I do!"

"I know...I hate him. I hate him too. I was so mad when I saw her like that. I thought I was going to kill him."

"Then why?! Why are you doing this?!"

"Because I hate everyone who hurts Cordelia equally. And, right now, you are hurting her more than anyone else."

"..."

"Who do you think you are? If anyone touches her you're allowed to kill them, but if you hurt her, make her cry, or force yourself on her, it's alright?"

"...What are you..."

"And, besides, it's what she wants. She wants Wolfe here. Who am I to disagree?"