Part 1My Serpentine Boyfriend

Benjamin loves snakes.

As his fiancée, I’m constantly terrified into tears by them. His response is always a sneer.

“Putting on a show again.”

I’ve tried so hard to conquer my fear.

But then, a girl appeared who wasn’t afraid of them at all. She would come and go from his room as she pleased, playing with his little serpent.

That was the last straw. I packed my things, ready to call off the engagement, when a line of text flickered into existence before my eyes:

[That’s right, our girl needs to run! Don’t let this wicked serpent coil around you.]

[LMAO, the male lead is going to lose his mind. After more than a decade, our girl is still terrified of snakes, let alone the idea of him shedding.]

[Wait, am I the only one who wants to see our sweet girl get so overwhelmed by him when he loses control that her vision blurs?]

A shiver ran down my spine.

When I turned back, Benjamin was closing the door behind him, his voice a low chill.

“Packing your bags. Planning on running away?”

* * *

I don’t get it.

I woke up at the crack of dawn, packed with the stealth of a cat, and even kept the door shut.

So why did Benjamin’s snake still manage to get in?

“You… you… stay away from me!”

I scrambled back into a corner of the room. The snake, inky black and slender, paused at the doorway, its tongue flicking the air with a soft hiss.

For some reason, I felt like it was staring at my suitcase on the floor. And it did not look happy.

I made a shooing gesture. “You just stay right there. Don’t move. Okay?”

The little snake froze, its grape-dark eyes fixed on me.

I let out a breath and quietly continued packing.

“So early. Where are you going?”

The door creaked open. Benjamin leaned against the frame, his eyes sweeping over me before he enunciated each word with cold precision. “My dearest fiancée.”

I jumped like a startled rabbit. “I… I-I’m going on a trip. A vacation.”

“With whom?”

“A friend. You don’t know her.”

He narrowed his eyes and slowly started walking toward me. I instinctively backed away.

A flash of annoyance crossed his face. “Afraid of the snake, I get. But you’re afraid of me, too?”

Honestly, I wasn’t.

But the girl who had been frequenting his serpentarium recently… she made me feel like an absolute joke.

I turned my head away, biting my lip to keep from speaking.

“Fine.”

Benjamin suddenly crouched down and picked up the little black serpent. It coiled obediently around his wrist, its head raised, tongue flickering.

His gaze locked onto mine. “Touch it.”

Fear flooded my face. The pressure in the room seemed to drop, and Benjamin’s voice was low and insistent.

“Touch it. Keep it with you for one night. Do that, and I’ll let you go.”

He had a terrible temper, but Benjamin Thorne was a man of his word.

Steeling myself, I reached out a trembling hand. The snake darted its head forward, and before I could flinch away, it was slithering onto my skin.

“Ah—!”

I let out a small cry. The serpent had already wrapped itself greedily around my wrist, its tail brushing back and forth against my pulse point.

“Ngh.”

At the same time, Benjamin let out a muffled grunt. His expression was dark, but a strange flush was creeping up his cheeks.

I stared at him, confused. He scowled, a mix of anger and embarrassment. “Just go. And give it back to me tomorrow.”