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Call Me Nuts
Call Me Nuts
Author: JenJen

Chapter 1

Author: JenJen
The psychiatric facility informed me I could finally be discharged. Howard Armstrong still hadn't shown up, but his secretary, Alex Freeman, was busy handling all the paperwork for my release.

I trailed behind Alex, taking one step at a time. Alex was clearly getting impatient, urging me several times to hurry up.

I plastered a smile on my face and explained that my muscles had atrophied from all the time I spent in recovery.

"Muscle atrophy. It must be a disease caused by idleness," he muttered under his breath.

Before I could say anything, I heard a sweet, whiny voice at the door. It was Phoebe Lawson, Howard's childhood friend.

"Howie, I've already accompanied you here twice this month! You used to only come here once a month. I had to skip work to be here with you, so you'd better make it up to me later!"

I realized that she always tagged along during his regular visits.

Howard chuckled as he opened the door. "What? Don't you like coming to the psychiatric facility?" But the second he saw me and Alex, he froze.

Before, I would've marched right up to him and made a scene. I would've demanded to know what the hell he meant by that. But ever since I came to the psychiatric facility, every single visit from him ended with more abuse and bullying.

The memory of those electric shocks still made my body seize up. I couldn't move. My feet felt like they were bolted to the floor.

Howard stood there awkwardly. Phoebe tugged on his sleeve with a glint in her eyes.

"Howie, didn't Yvette always tell you how terrible things were in here when you visited her? But look at her now… she looks totally fine to me."

Phoebe eyed me up and down with the same cold look my doctor always gave me. Memories of the abuse crashed over me, and I instinctively took a few steps back and tried to hide behind Alex, trembling.

Howard's awkwardness vanished the moment he saw me flinch like he'd just found something to use against me.

He sighed dramatically and, with a tone that sounded more like charity than concern, said, "That's enough, Yvette. Drop the act already. Phoebe was kind enough to come with me to get you. Let's go home."

I stayed silent, hunched and small, like a frightened bird.

Howard scowled, clearly disgusted. "What the hell happened to you? Why are you acting like this?"

Phoebe chimed in, "Yeah, Yvette. Howie's been doing all this for your own good. He just wants you to get better. Are you putting on this act to make him feel guilty?"

Then, she took a few steps forward and asked, "Were you really abused? Or were you just lying to get Howie's attention?"

I looked at her—at that face that looked just like my doctor—and I couldn't speak. I just kept backing away, doing my best to hide from her gaze.

Howard grabbed me by the arm and yanked me aside. "You're impossible, Yvette! You're playing these little games just because you're jealous of Phoebe!

"I guess you haven't had enough of the psychiatric facility yet. Pheebs, don't waste your time on her; she won't appreciate it anyway!"

He turned around, took Phoebe's hand, and stormed away. Before he left, he barked one last order at Alex, "If she wants to leave, take her. If not, send her back in!"
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  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 8

    After we parted ways that day, I carefully went through the documents, and there it was: my so-called "medication certificate." Sure enough, it was stamped with the seal of Phoebe's brother's psychiatric facility.That was all I needed. I took Phoebe and her brother to court. Falsifying medical records and aggravating a cutthroat competition—either of those charges alone was enough to land them behind bars for a while. The siblings even started arguing in court.Phoebe claimed she had no idea her brother had issued a fake medical report. Her brother insisted Phoebe had forged his workplace's seal and that he had nothing to do with the case.The two of them were clawing at each other like rabid dogs when I submitted my second set of evidence. It included detailed records of my medications and follow-up evaluations from the psychiatric facility, along with certified health assessments from other hospitals.That sealed their fate. Their reputations imploded together. During the bail

  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 7

    Rowan didn't waste a single second. That very same day, he resumed talks with the Armstrong Group. There was one critical piece of evidence I needed to retrieve from their headquarters. If I could get my hands on those forged medication certificates, I wouldn't just be able to move forward with the divorce; I could finally hold those two shameless bastards accountable.Hence, I followed Rowan, posing as his new secretary, and finally got into the Armstrong Group building. Rowan had a polite conversation with the other party, but it didn't take long for him to steer the conversation to exactly where we needed it to go. "For this project, we insist that the original project lead from Armstrong Group handle the negotiations."Phoebe's smile froze. She had no choice but to bring up Howard. "Mr. Armstrong has already assigned all the projects to me. Mr. Quinlan, perhaps we can—"Rowan wasted no time and said, "Then surely there's no issue with you submitting the original documents an

  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 6

    I had sent the divorce papers to Howard's office more times than I could count, but I never got a response. After being discharged, I didn't go home. Instead, I headed straight to Armstrong Group.However, Phoebe stopped me at the entrance. "Yvette, I don't want to be cruel, but the company doesn't allow non-employees inside. "Are you here to see Howie? Sadly, even if you find him, it won't do you any good. He won't see you unless you apologize to me properly first."Honestly, I couldn't shake the feeling that Phoebe was consumed by nothing but jealousy. Every time I saw her face, which looked so much like my doctor's, I couldn't help but feel nauseous. I turned away and gagged a few times. Phoebe didn't even give me a chance to speak. She closed in on me, her expression almost unhinged. "If you're sick, you should go home and rest. But if you keep making a fuss like this, maybe you should go back to the psychiatric facility for another long stay, hmm?"Three years of trauma w

  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 5

    Howard froze and felt as if someone had cut off his air supply. His brows drew together as he stared at me in disbelief. "You want a divorce?" He couldn't believe what he had just heard. However, what settled in his eyes was not shock; it was disgust, barely concealed behind the surprise. Even Phoebe went quiet.He took in my blank expression and let out a mirthless chuckle. "Yvette, have you looked at yourself lately? You're nothing but a housewife. "I pay for everything—your clothes, your food, and your medical bills. And you have the nerve to talk about divorce just because I asked you to apologize to Pheebs after you tried to sabotage her out of jealousy?"He seemed to have forgotten that I once had a successful career. It was he who forged my medication certificate, had me thrown into a psychiatric facility, and single-handedly destroyed my life. Yet, here he was, talking so self-righteously as though he'd done me a huge favor. In the past, I would have crumbled under that

  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 4

    When I came to, I was already in a hospital bed with an IV drip in my arm. I could hear Howard and Phoebe talking about my condition from behind the curtain. I couldn't see them, but I could tell it was them by their voices.Howard sounded confused. "Wasn't she supposed to be resting in the psychiatric facility? How did she end up with muscle atrophy and all these needle marks?"Phoebe let out a soft laugh, her voice sugary as always. "It's just a disease caused by idleness, Howie. Even your secretary said so. She was never actually ill. We faked her medication certificate, remember?"My brother was her attending physician. I had a word with him before she was admitted. All she did every day was lie around and rest. It was no wonder she ended up like that."She's not like you, Howie; you've been working so hard you've practically lost weight."Howard sounded like the pieces were finally clicking for him. "So that's what it was... Yvette was always picking on you. You didn't deserv

  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 3

    That night, I came down with a high fever. I was barely conscious—my mind drifting between dreams and delirium. For a moment, I thought it was still three years ago. Instinctively, I called Howard for help.But instead of his voice, I heard Phoebe's syrupy tone on the other end. "Who's calling you at this hour, Howie?"It was late, yet the two of them were still together. The fog in my head cleared just enough for me to hang up the phone immediately.Howard didn't come home until the middle of the night. By then, the ibuprofen I'd taken had already kicked in.He burst through the door, looking like he'd rushed over straight from somewhere else. His hair was a mess, his lips were swollen, and love bites littered his neck.It had been four whole hours since I had called him for help. He looked exhausted, but for the first time, he softened his tone and tried to explain himself. He said, "I was busy at work." I gently patted his hand and told him it was fine. He froze, clearly

  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 2

    I couldn't believe he would want to send me back in. I didn't want to go back to the psychiatric facility. I couldn't go back to that hellhole!I shot to my feet and was just about to run after them when Alex seized my arm. I couldn't think straight anymore. Tears blurred my vision, and I couldn't even tell which direction I was facing. "Please," I begged. "I want to go home! I'll go home."Alex let out a heavy sigh, his brows knitting together. "Alright. I'll take you home."The scenery outside the car window blurred past. It wasn't until we were on the way back that I finally started to calm down.Phoebe had returned to the country three years ago. I'd already known about her long before that.Howard and Phoebe had grown up together. After graduating from college, she went abroad to further her studies, but Howard couldn't follow her because his family business had run into trouble. Hence, he had no choice but to stay and study locally.I graduated with Howard, worked alongside

  • Call Me Nuts   Chapter 1

    The psychiatric facility informed me I could finally be discharged. Howard Armstrong still hadn't shown up, but his secretary, Alex Freeman, was busy handling all the paperwork for my release.I trailed behind Alex, taking one step at a time. Alex was clearly getting impatient, urging me several times to hurry up.I plastered a smile on my face and explained that my muscles had atrophied from all the time I spent in recovery. "Muscle atrophy. It must be a disease caused by idleness," he muttered under his breath. Before I could say anything, I heard a sweet, whiny voice at the door. It was Phoebe Lawson, Howard's childhood friend. "Howie, I've already accompanied you here twice this month! You used to only come here once a month. I had to skip work to be here with you, so you'd better make it up to me later!"I realized that she always tagged along during his regular visits. Howard chuckled as he opened the door. "What? Don't you like coming to the psychiatric facility?" But

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