Chapter 5

Jonah and Cecelia didn't say a word, which counted as their silent agreement to Pearl's statement. Jonah cleared his throat, shifting the topic and asking Cecelia, "What's this competition you're talking about?" Cecelia stuck her tongue out playfully and said, "We're going to race around the lake at night. I signed you up for it. You're not mad at me, are you?" Jonah fell silent before turning to look at Pearl. Pearl shrugged nonchalantly. "You guys go ahead. I need to return to campus to work on my thesis anyway." Isla, who was utterly unaware of their true relationship, warmly invited Pearl to join them, "You should come with us!" "I doubt Pearl likes something as boyish as biking," Cecelia replied on her behalf before Pearl could say anything in response. Jonah echoed, "She's right. Pearl's rather timid, and she's not that great at sports." Pearl didn't bother denying it even as she thought with a bit of exasperation, "Not good at sports? I, the captain of the college's boxing team, am not good at sports? The same captain who has been undefeated for three years? "Man, my juniors would probably be frothing at the mouth to have a go at Jonah if they heard this." Still, she didn't want to waste her time with them. So, she took the bangle she'd removed from her wrist earlier and handed it to Jonah. "Here." She wanted to tell Jonah to keep it safe, but Isla's eyes lit up the moment she caught sight of it. She snatched it away from her grasp and exclaimed, "Oh, my gosh! What a stunning aquamarine!" She looked at Cecelia with envy. "You just said the other day that you wanted to find a good-quality bangle, and Mr. Lawrence immediately got you one! God, why don't I have a classmate this thoughtful?" Cecelia lowered her head bashfully. Isla continued to tease her, "Cecelia, you should put it on. I've never seen an aquamarine this pretty. It must be worth thousands of dollars." Jonah hesitantly took the bangle from Isla under Cecelia's expectant gaze and handed it to Cecelia. Yet, his eyes never left Pearl's face. Pearl saw Cecelia put it on and immediately let out a sigh of relief. The aquamarine bangle might be an heirloom, but it was precisely because of its significance that it felt like a hot potato when it was in her possession. Besides, it would end up in Cecelia's hands sooner or later. It was better to let it go now rather than later. "You two have fun. I'll get a cab." Pearl didn't look back as she stepped into the elevator. Behind her, the very person she had been watching from afar was now watching her walk further and further away. Jonah stared at the closing elevator doors and felt something he couldn't quite name stirring in his chest when he noticed how decisively she had left him. Pearl went to the musical alone. The tragic "Hamlet" show lived up to its name, making her cry through most of the performance. On her way back to campus, she checked her phone and saw Cecelia's latest post. The bangle was now on Cecelia's wrist, and the caption of her picture read, "I'm sure no one else is cycling around the lake wearing an aquamarine bangle!" Her and Jonah's shadows overlapped intimately in the photo. Pearl calmly clicked on Cecelia's profile and selected "Unfollow" and "Not Interested". When the great Cecelia had barged into her life, she had scrolled through Cecelia's account like some sort of creepy hate stalker. Now, though? Now, she had better things to do. She had been a spectator of a show named "Jonah" for the past few years. She had laughed and cried over that show. Now that it was over, it was time that she finally removed herself from it. … Pearl's classmates had decided to apply for leave to spend the remaining days with their families before leaving for Nyora as the Nyora aid work project's departure date came closer and closer. Pearl, who had chosen to stay on campus, took over most of the logistics work. She spent days puttering about preparing supplies and barely slept a wink. There were only ten days before her departure. So, she went to the pharmacy to stock up on medical supplies. When she did, she happened to chance upon some pregnancy tests on the shelf and picked one up on a whim. After all, she had been oddly nauseous lately. It had gotten so bad that she had been throwing up every day recently. Plus, her period was late, too. She couldn't be that unlucky, could she? Fate had to be mocking her. Pearl nearly cussed herself silly when she saw the two lines on the test. She forced herself to calm down. False positives could happen sometimes. Perhaps that was the case here. So, she immediately made an appointment and went to the OB-GYN first in the morning for a blood test. An hour later, she stood in the hospital lobby, utterly dazed. Her mind felt fuzzy as she clutched the report that read, "Two months pregnant." If it were two months… That lined up perfectly with the last time she had slept with Jonah. It was right before Cecelia returned to the country. How could fate be so cruel? She was just days away from getting that damned divorce certificate. She was merely a few days away from leaving this cursed country for Nyora! Pearl couldn't help but pull up Jonah's number. It didn't matter how strong and independent she actually was. She was still only a 24-year-old college student. After a moment of hesitation, she pressed the call button. The next second, a ringtone sang to life not far from her. Pearl turned in the direction of the sound and saw Jonah. He was in a trench coat, standing right next to the beautiful Cecelia. They looked like a match made in heaven. Jonah heard the ringtone and picked up his phone with a frown on his face. Pearl hastily ended the call before it could connect and ducked into the nearest corner.