Chapter 9

Margaret didn't explain. She simply hung up and sat there in silence for a long time. She was exhausted, and she couldn't hold on anymore. The man she had wanted to marry was the Lester who once had eyes only for her. But now, that man was long gone. And he was never coming back. … Time passed, and their wedding day was around the corner. But Lester spent every day at the hospital with Scarlett, as if he'd completely forgotten about the ceremony. Margaret didn't bring it up either, as if she were being considerate. It wasn't until the day before the wedding that she called him and asked to meet at the rooftop of their high school. "Why did you think of coming here all of a sudden?" Lester asked as he carried her upstairs. "Tomorrow's the wedding. I just wanted to come back and see this place one more time," Margaret said calmly. She deliberately ignored the way he tensed at the mention of their wedding. When they reached the rooftop, Lester was surprised to find a round table set up with steak and candlelight. Gazing quietly at the familiar space, Margaret said, "Lester, do you remember? This is where you confessed to me." Back when they were 18 years old, he'd cornered her here and said, "You said you'd only be with me if I caught 100 butterflies. I did it." With a wide grin, he opened his backpack and released a flurry of colorful butterflies into the air. As they fluttered around the couple, Lester pressed a trembling, yet firm kiss on Margaret's lips. "Margie, will you be with me? I'll love you forever." The same memory seemed to have resurfaced in Lester's mind, too. His gaze softened, and then he sat Margaret down at the table and kissed her forehead. "Margie, I'll always love you." He sounded so sincere, as if nothing had ever happened between them. He acted like he hadn't held another woman's hand, promising her that he'd call off the marriage if that meant he could get her to wake up. Margaret met his gaze, suddenly realizing how good his acting was. She said nothing and urged gently, "Let's eat." They sat across from each other. The rooftop view of the campus brought back countless memories, and she began recounting their past. "I remember when I could never keep up with others during PE lessons. You used to carry me while trying to blend in with the rest of the crowd. But you got caught and had to run ten extra laps. "Then, you grabbed a loudspeaker and shouted at the teacher that you'd carry me every day for the rest of your life. "There was also that time you played basketball while injured, and I was so mad I ignored you for days. You couldn't take it, so you risked getting caught by the dorm staff and threw pebbles at my window in the middle of the night, just to bring me some snacks and make up with me. "And when we took the mock college entrance exams, you ranked first, and I was somewhere around the hundredth. So during the actual exam, you deliberately got a few questions wrong just to match my score so we could apply to the same school. "You said being with me meant more than getting into a prestigious college." She sounded eerily calm as she recalled their past, but Lester didn't sense anything off. "Yeah. I can't imagine being alive without you," he said with a smile. He had no idea that with each memory she brought up, she wasn't reminiscing. She was saying goodbye. Looking at him now, Margaret felt that maybe the boy who once caught butterflies for her at 18 years old had only ever existed in her imagination. Time didn't kill him. It just revealed his true colors—something she'd never seen clearly. Noticing her red-rimmed eyes, Lester thought she was getting emotional. He hurried over and said gently, "Margie, don't cry. I'll always be with you. We'll always be together." His lies were like poisoned honey—sweet but fatal. Yet, Margaret swallowed every word and put herself through so much misery. They hugged in silence for a while. From afar, they still looked like a loving couple. A call suddenly broke the silence. It was from the hospital. "Mr. Hamilton, Scarlett's awake!" The voice on the other end of the phone was loud enough for Margaret to hear. Lester froze, but the excitement in his eyes couldn't be hidden. He hung up and sprang to his feet. "Margie, I have to go. I'll come back to pick you up later." She grabbed his sleeve, her voice hoarse. "I haven't given you my gift yet." He paused, yet his gentle tone did nothing to hide his determination to leave. "I'll be right back." The fabric slipped through her fingers, and she watched him leave. Lester once said no one mattered more than Margaret. But now, for Scarlett's sake, why didn't he even have the patience to just stay a little longer for her present? Margaret's chest tightened, and the pain swept over her like a tidal wave. Her vision swam. Ever since she stopped her medication, she'd been enduring this kind of suffering every day. But nothing hurt her like Lester did. Only after he completely left did she close her eyes and start to count. She started from one, and when she figured he was about to reach the ground floor, she staggered to her feet. Then, she wobbled toward the edge of the rooftop, her gaze fixated on the familiar figure downstairs. Ever since her legs were amputated, this was her first time walking for so long on her prosthetics. But it wasn't to survive. It was to seek death. Struggling to maintain her balance, she stood at the edge of the rooftop and watched him get into his car in a hurry. As he revved the engine, Margaret wondered how he might feel if the woman he'd loved for ten whole years—from the age of 16 to 26 years old—died in front of him. Too bad she'd never get to see it. She didn't want to anyway. Life hadn't been easy on her, and she wouldn't want to relive it again. With a smile, she closed her eyes. The moment the car's engine roared alive, she jumped off the building with her arms spread wide. Her body slammed into the windshield of Lester's car. Blood splattered across the glass, and screams echoed all around. "Oh, my God! Someone jumped! She's dying!"