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Chapter 93: Mad Love

“Woof, woof!”

At the dining table, Layla rested her head in her hands, gazing dreamily at Roger.

“Darling, why does it feel like Carla likes you more than she likes me, her own owner?”

“Maybe I’m just naturally good with animals,” Roger replied, coughing slightly as if to mask his discomfort.

He glanced guiltily at the little dog circling his feet before offering an explanation.

“Oh, really?”

Layla readily accepted his excuse with a gentle nod, but her gaze lingered on his face.

“...”

Under Layla’s lovestruck stare, Roger’s movements slowed, and his expression became increasingly uneasy. Unable to endure her gaze any longer, he asked, “Aren’t you eating?”

Shaking her head, Layla replied in a blissful tone, her eyes fixed on Roger.

“Just watching you enjoy the meal I made fills me with happiness.”

Her adoration made Roger feel uneasy. Yet, looking at the beautiful girl before him, he couldn’t help but think of how he had once admired and pursued her. He convinced himself to accept her overly passionate behavior, reasoning internally:

Maybe I used to look at her with the same level of infatuation.  

...

Although Roger managed to rationalize it at first, Layla’s ever-intensifying expressions of love soon left him feeling suffocated.

“I’m going out for a bit,” he announced one day.

“Why, darling? Did I upset you somehow?”

“No, I just want to meet up with a friend.”

“A friend? Who? Why didn’t I know about this meeting? Aren’t we lovers? There should be no secrets between us! Unless... is this friend another woman? Are you betraying our love?”

For the first time, Roger saw an expression other than adoration on Layla’s face. It was a mixture of jealousy and resentment, as if she were loathing an imaginary rival.

“I suddenly don’t feel like going out anymore,” Roger said nervously, deciding to stay home.

“Wonderful, darling!”

At his words, Layla’s jealous expression vanished completely, replaced by a dreamy smile. It was as if her outburst had never happened. She threw her arms around him, showering him with affection.

But as Roger held her soft, delicate body, the enthusiasm in his heart was replaced with unease.

...

In the days that followed, Roger couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Layla’s cheeks seemed more hollow, her eyes sunken, and her behavior more paranoid. She grew increasingly possessive, demanding detailed schedules and insisting they speak every fifteen minutes. If he ever missed a call, she would rush to his workplace in a panic.

The tipping point came one night.

“Woof, woof... growl, woof!”

Hearing Carla’s frantic barking, Roger rushed to the living room and froze. Layla was holding a kitchen knife, swinging it wildly at the little dog.

She muttered under her breath, “Roger belongs to me. No one can take him away from me—not even a dog. His love is mine alone...”

Carla bared her teeth, growling defiantly, her usual docility replaced by aggression as she faced her owner head-on.

“Sorry, darling. Did I wake you?”

Noticing Roger, Layla’s jealous rage softened into a loving smile. Her voice was as sweet as ever, though the knife in her hand gleamed ominously under the light.

“Don’t worry, I’ll soon rid us of this obstacle to our perfect love,” she said softly, her gaze returning to Carla. The loving expression on her face twisted into jealousy as she raised the knife again.

“Woof!”

Dodging the blade, Carla wagged her tail at Roger before snarling and lunging at Layla.

...

Watching the chaos unfold, Roger realized the truth.

Layla had gone mad.

It was the love potion. The potion had stripped her of all reason, turning her into someone consumed by obsessive, twisted love.

Understanding this, Roger didn’t hesitate. He fled the house, his heart pounding with fear.

This wasn’t the love he had hoped for.

...

Desperate, Roger sought out the shop where he had purchased the potion.

Pushing open the door, he spotted the professor-like man seated atop a stack of books in the center of the room. The man didn’t even look up from his reading as Roger approached.

“Here for the antidote?” the professor asked, his tone unsurprised.

“I want to end this,” Roger replied, his face still pale with terror. “This madness isn’t the love I dreamed of.”

“But it is still love,” the professor remarked, turning a page in his book.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Roger said, “I want to restore Layla to her original self. I’d rather lose this love than endure this madness.”

“If you undo this, you’ll lose her love entirely,” the professor warned.

“If love is this twisted and insane, I’d rather have never known it at all.”

Hearing Roger’s resolute answer, the professor smiled faintly. Setting his book aside, he produced a small vial resembling the love potion and handed it to Roger.

“This is what you need. The antidote will set everything back to how it was.”

no ch 94