Glancing at Ivy’s pathetic state and ashen face, I took off my other high heel and threw it at Kieran’s face without expression.
“Even if you could fire a hundred Ivys, it wouldn’t change the fact that we’re done.”
With that, I turned to leave, but my dress caught–Kieran was grabbing it with shaking hands.
In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him look so lost and helpless.
“Don’t go… can you tell me what I did wrong that you have to break up with me? Are you really with this guy now? Chloe, I can’t believe you’d be this cruel to me…”
My eyes were full of disgust. “Let go.”
ફ
Stubbornly shaking his head, Kieran’s voice was terrifyingly hoarse:
“Chloe, look at me. Unless you look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t love me anymore, that you love Grayson… Or I’ll never believe you really want to leave me.”
As Kieran wished, I finally looked into those eyes that had somehow turned red and desperate, like he was about to
cry.
I told him, word by word:
“Kieran, I really don’t love you anymore. No matter who I love in the future, it’ll never be you.” “DO YOU GET IT
NOW?”
His knees gave out, and Kieran dropped to the ground in front of me without any dignity. He forced his stiff face into a smile that looked worse than crying:
‘It’s okay, Chloe. As long as I love you, that’s enough. You don’t have to love me back. Just don’t break up with me, hen I’ll do whatever you want, even kill someone…”
I said calmly as water:
‘I don’t need your worthless love. If you keep harassing me, I’m calling the cops.”
At that, Kieran blinked. All those tears he’d been holding back came flooding out:
‘Chloe, don’t do this to me. I know I shouldn’t have kept trampling on your feelings and ignoring how good you were to me. Why can’t you give me one last chance to make things right? I swear I’ll change. You’ll see…”
Cutting off his obsessive rambling, I simply said:
15:23
Nine Years Wasted – Now Lin Marruing Your Rival
Chapter 8
“Kieran, it’s too late for all that.”
Under Kieran’s hollow, lifeless stare, I got in Grayson’s car and drove away.
In the car, I apologized for using Grayson as a human shield and getting him punched.
But Grayson just smiled it off:
“Next time you need this kind of help, definitely call me first.”
After safely dropping me off at my building, Grayson added:*
“Chloe, if Kieran bothers you again, call me. Doesn’t matter what time.”
I nodded and smiled, making plans to grab dinner together next weekend.
t
A month later, on an ordinary night, I got a call from an unknown landline–it was Kieran.
He seemed sick, sounding weak and coughing constantly:
“Chloe, don’t hang up. I just want to ask you one thing.”
“Did you ever actually love me?”
I didn’t even look up from my TV. “No.”
With that, I hung up and kept watching my variety show.
It wasn’t until two days later that I learned from our class group chat that Kieran had been in an arson attack at his office. He was still in the hospital, fighting for his life.
It’s Ivy who had set the fire. After being fired, she’d had an emotional breakdown. Half–dead from her illness, she’d locked the office doors, wanting to take Kieran down with her in a murder–suicide.
Reading the police report, I realized that Kieran had called me while facing death…
“What awful luck.”
Outside the movie theater, my muttering caught Grayson’s attention as he was buying tickets:
“Chloe, what’d you just say? I didn’t catch that.”
“Nothing.”
I closed the group chat and peeked at his phone. “Did the tickets go through? What time’s our showing?”
“Just came through. We’ve got half an hour before it starts–perfect time to grab that boba you wanted.”
15-23
الملطسييض
63.3
Chapter 8
Grayson excitedly led me downstairs to the mall’s lower level.
While getting boba, he also bought me snacks, toys, and all sorts of stuff. The bags in his hands made it look less like we were seeing a movie and more like he’d just finished holiday shopping.
After the movie, down in the parking garage, Grayson had me help him open the trunk to “grab something.”
Hearing that, I opened it and–no surprise–found the flowers and balloons he’d prepared.
The guy was visibly nervous: “Babe, will you be my girlfriend?”
I didn’t even hesitate to take his hand and smile: “I do.“.
Life is long and winding.
Around every bend and turn, you’ll always meet the next person meant for you.
