Chapter 4

For the next five days, I didn't pick up a single one of Martin's calls. My registration was complete. My supervisor helped me with a significant portion of the preparation work. I would be able to fulfill my wishes and leave quietly the day after tomorrow. However, I had obviously underestimated how determined Martin was to come clean. Perhaps he was in a rush to end things as soon as possible and chase after his true love since he had realized it so late. That afternoon, the moment I came out of my dormitory, I saw him. I couldn't help but smile weakly. His tall, handsome figure waiting in the doorway looked just like it always had. He used to come here to pick me up and take me on dates, or to bring me some food that his mom had prepared for me. Sometimes, he would even stop by just to tell me that he missed me. Today, though… I knew I couldn't escape the truth any longer, so I psyched myself up to greet him. "Hi. What are you doing here?" He looked up. When he saw me, his deep gaze softened with concern. "Why aren't you wearing a jacket? It's almost fall, and the weather's getting colder. You might catch a cold." As he spoke, he lifted a smooth, slender hand and helped me tighten my loose collar. He lifted his other hand instinctively, about to pull me into his embrace. In that moment, I thought I saw the man who was once full of love for me. The same man who gave his family the cold shoulder for a whole year so that they would give in and let us date. The very next second, I realized what was going on. We were together for six years. His thoughtful actions and gentle care were simply habits he had developed over that time. Just as I was about to step back, he came to his senses and put his hand down. My heart clenched painfully. He paused for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Why haven't you been picking up my calls?" I smiled casually. "My phone broke. I was too busy to bring it to the store these past few days because I was working on my thesis." His stare lingered on my face for a moment before he finally looked away. "Ah. I see." A long, heavy silence fell between us as a cold breeze slipped in through the door, chilling me to the bone. However, since he was silent, I wasn't going to say anything either. By the time he spoke up, my face was already red. My sensitive skin always flared up in the cold. He finally spoke in a low voice, "Willow, I have something to say to you." Before he could continue, his phone suddenly rang. My eyebrow twitched. He had changed his ringtone. It used to be a recording of me singing "Lucky Girl", but now, it was "The Loneliest Whale". It was Molly's favorite song. I couldn't help but smile miserably. He hadn't changed. When he loved someone, he paid attention to every single detail. "Hello?" "Martin, where are you? I can't get through to Willow. Molly got into an accident, but she doesn't want to tell her family. You know how stubborn she can get. She didn't want Willow to worry either, so she's been alone in the hospital." It was Alex Yarrow, Molly's childhood friend. Martin's eyes widened. "Is it serious? Which hospital is she at?" I could hear Alex say, "It's not that serious, but she broke her leg, so she can't get out of bed." Instead of relaxing his brow, his frown deepened even more. "Got it." After hanging up, he hesitated before deciding to lie to me anyway. "Willow, my… my relative is in the hospital. It's pretty serious, so I need to visit. You…" I acted as if I hadn't heard the conversation he'd just had and nodded hurriedly. Only then did Martin finally notice the red marks on my cheeks. After a moment, he finally passed me the tube of ointment he carried around just for me. "Be good and go put this on, okay?" He then hurried away. I stared at the tube of ointment that was still warm from his body heat. My chest felt prickly and stung as if ants were eating away at it. He would never have to carry such things around with him again. Never again.