The days passed by, and Theodora and Gerald's friendship bloomed like a lotus flower, slowly, steadily, more and more every day. Since the previous encounter with Gerald, where Bertha had witnessed his other side, she was afraid to even look into his eyes.
She felt him glancing her way sometimes, but she kept her gaze aways away from him. She was even afraid of talking to him or staying with him alone. She tried talking with Theodora, requesting her to stop seeing that fraudulent man. Initially, Theodora used to ignore her or try to give justifications, but Bertha began to notice the small changes in her over these days.
Every time Gerald's topic came up, Theodora became possessive. With every attempt of Bertha to separate them, Theodora's reactions became angry. It was only wise for Bertha to not poke at that topic for a while, but that didn't stop her from worrying for Theodora.
