Your Foul Smell

"Amber! What does all this mean? Are you really flirting with Rad? Tell me if this isn't true! Tell me if you were near Rad earlier because you genuinely wanted to ask about Marseilles!"

Bree heard Trey's muffled shouts as her feet followed the pull of Rad's hand. However, Bree wasn't focused on that. Her eyes were vacant again, filled with confusing thoughts.

"This is all wrong!" Bree had been repeating that in her head since earlier because what was happening now didn't align with the events in the original timeline.

Rad shouldn't be angry with Amber. Rad shouldn't have humiliated Amber in front of everyone. They were supposed to love each other, not betray each other. But what happened just now was far from betrayal. The recent events clearly indicated that Rad no longer desired Amber.

The twist of fate she was experiencing now was vastly different from the outcome she saw when the death sentence was carried out. Bree struggled to piece together the current fate's narrative because it shouldn't be like this. Everything felt scattered and chaotic.

"Wait!" Bre tugged Rad's hand slightly as they reached the entrance of the tent.

Bree walked more slowly but still caught up with Rad, who was already inside. He hadn't said anything since earlier, but he felt the tug of her hand and let it go.

"Do you not love Amber?" Bre asked directly, choosing clarity over confusion.

"Love who?" Rad felt like he just heard an owl hooting in broad daylight. What Bree said seemed absurd.

"Why would I love someone who rejected me? Are you crazy?" Rad clearly didn't think about that at all.

"But you should love Amber!" Bree still clung to the belief that all feelings should be the same. Amber and Rad hadn't changed much, and they should be starting to be interested in each other now.

"Should? Why do you emphasize 'should'? Since when am I supposed to love your sister?" Rad started disliking the word 'should.' Bree seemed to imply that he was obligated to love Amber.

"Not since when, but you should be interested in her now." Bree mumbled, sorting through theories in her busy mind.

"Are you sick? I'm sure you must be sick. You can't be talking so nonsensically when you're healthy." Rad reached out to touch Bre's forehead, but, of course, she moved away and swatted Rad's hand.

"Don't touch without reason!"

The rejection made Rad recall his purpose. Making sure he had enough air, Rad walked towards Bre. And, of course, Bree retreated, steadily stepping back until her shin collided with the box she had been sitting on earlier.

"What do you want?" Bre snapped.

"What's on your mind? Like explaining why you suddenly felt the need to be sweet to me."

"I don't need to explain, and I wasn't being sweet to you!" Bree retorted.

Bree panicked because Rad's satisfied expression suggested he knew more than he should. And that meant he had figured everything out. Now Bree understood why she had been acting that way towards Amber. Rad knew what Amber did and what Bree did.

"Ck… Ck… Is there something wrong with you?" Rad chuckled, pretending to examine Bree's lips to see what silenced her.

Bree swatted Rad's hand again. "Let go!"

"Can you tone down the arrogance? You should be feeling ashamed right now, or at least guilty towards me." Bree's continued arrogance slightly disturbed Rad as he enjoyed the small victory.

"Why should I feel guilty? I'm not guilty towards you!"

"Forgot again? I not only saved your life, but I am also your husband! Is it appropriate for you to engage in a competition with Amber? Do you think I'm a gift that you can toss around?"

Rad wasn't entirely offended, as the race at least brought a laugh, but he was definitely annoyed. Rad was irritated because two women were undermining his feelings.

He had already given Amber a harsh lesson for weighing the situation incorrectly, but Bree was not innocent either. According to Edmond, she had proposed this competition. Rad wanted to hear Bree apologize. It would be satisfying.

"Now… I see you're starting to understand your mistake." Rad looked at Bree, avoiding eye contact and looking around. It indicated guilt. Again, a small victory silenced the always-right Bree.

"I'm not guilty. All this happened because Amber decided to snatch you from me!" Bree quickly covered her mouth. Her statement was too honest. She intended to defend herself, but it sounded like jealousy.

Rad raised an eyebrow in surprise. "As far as I remember, you didn't want me, but now you don't want anyone else to want me?"

"Yes! Because that would hurt my ego! I don't want to lose to Amber!" Bree answered hastily, relieved that Rad didn't catch the jealousy in her words.

"Ridiculous, Bree. I..."

Rad wanted to continue his lecture, but he ran out of breath. Rad could hold his breath longer than most, but there was still a limit.

Rad stepped back to take a breath. Even that wasn't entirely relieving. Just a slight breath, and the scent of Bree overwhelmed him. Rad closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and struggling to control himself. He felt Bree's scent becoming stronger and more tempting.

Rad grumbled internally, realizing that his sanity was slipping away. He cursed himself for sensing the fragrance of Bree. It was distracting him from maintaining control.

"What's wrong with you?!" Bree shouted.

The guilt and confusion that had overwhelmed Bree earlier were replaced by anger now. She was upset to see Rad holding his breath again.

Rad turned to Bree. "I just smell your body's scent..."

"I'm not stinking!" Bree snapped, cutting off Rad. She didn't want to hear any more mockery about her body.

"My body's scent is normal! If you consistently find my body to be foul-smelling, it could be because your own mouth is stink."Bree couldn't contain her anger anymore, and her words came out with tears. Her emotions reached their peak.

The issue of body odor shouldn't have become this big. Bree shouldn't care. But she was offended, feeling degraded compared to all the other women around him. Bree saw Rad effortlessly pulling women into his arms and kissing them, while now he refused to breathe near her.

"You often use your mouth to kiss many women; that's why your mouth stinks! Don't try to blame others for the filth that sticks to your own body!" Bree wiped away her tears, stood up, and walked out.

"Stay here! This tent is yours."

Rad's shout halted Bree's steps. She heard Rad's footsteps, and soon the breeze brushed against her as Rad passed by and exited the tent.

"It's not like that..." Rad mumbled softly, but Bree didn't hear.

Bree turned back in, busy wiping away her tears. She didn't want to cry for Rad anymore. She shouldn't cry for him anymore. All of his actions shouldn't cause her any more harm.

But proving that resolve was much harder in practice.