Chapter 256

It is already three in the morning and Amy is planning to go back and see how Peter is doing. She opens the door to find Peter sleeping on the lounge so she asks for a blanket from a waiter and gently covers him. To her surprise, this action awakens Peter. Seeing a blurry figure, he reaches out and grasps her, "Melissa, don't leave me again." Peter is surprised that this time Melissa did not cruelly pull her hand away. Perhaps she finally understood his heartfelt efforts over the years. Peter pulls her closer and whispers "Why did you come back?" "I was worried, so I came to check on you." Amy replies lightly, seeing that Peter has stopped drinking so she can go home with peace of mind. "I know you have feelings for me, you're just suppressing it. I'm happy you came back, I thought you were angry at me, I'm sorry." Peter knew that he had lost his temper in front of Melissa tonight, he always selfishly asked her questions that put her in difficult situations. He wants to apologize to Melissa, begging for her forgiveness. "It's okay, I'm not angry anymore, no need to apologize." Amy feels more at ease hearing Peter sincerely apologize. She adjusts to a relaxed state, "I see you're okay now, I'll go home.” Peter tugs her over when he hears Melissa wants to go home. He couldn't accept Melissa being with Joseph, nor would he allow them to get engaged! "Don't go back to him, do you know that I love you, do you know that I love you..." Peter mistakes Amy for Melissa and pulls her into his embrace, wanting to bare his passionate heart to her, proving his sincerity. He wants Melissa to know that she has taken over his entire world, he could give up everything for her. At this moment, Peter didn’t know how to convey the burning love in his heart. He won't let anyone wrest Melissa away from him, nor allow her to pretend to be someone else, he wants to completely drive Joseph out of Melissa's heart. So, he tightly embraces the warm soft woman in his arms, hoping to melt her icy heart with his ardent body heat. Peter captures her lightly-scented lips and firmly kisses her. Peter loves her obstinate thoughts, her kind and genuine heart, her gentle and pleasing appearance, her free and beautiful soul... he wants her to know how much he loves her! Clothes hit the floor, and with tears, Amy indulges in Peter's embrace. Like a despicable thief stealing someone else's feelings, yet she is so innocent, so heartbroken. Amy doesn't mean to deceive Peter, she just can't and doesn't want to extricate herself from a similarly broken heart. Countless times, Amy has fantasized about strolling hand in hand with Peter during beautiful dawn, the afternoon, and dusk, then kissing under the mellow moonlight, everything being velvety soft and dreamlike. But she never imagined that after remaining virtuous for twenty-six years, she ended up losing her virginity under such absurd circumstances and even became a substitute for her best friend. Amy always believed that Heaven pitied her, not having experienced heartbreak from a no-good man, eagerly anticipating a once in a lifetime romance. She lived in her fairy tale, until one day she realized that she was not loved by anyone, a tragic and laughable figure. "Don't marry him, live with me someplace only the two of us know about, don't leave me…" Said while Peter muttered in its sleep, the fervent kisses left their marks on Amy's neck, her humble love, vulnerable like a crystal, trembled at her heart's apex. Pain. From her body to her soul, Amy bit her lip to contain it, her tears covertly slipped down into her hair, not willing to let Peter see them. Amy turned her head, the world began to blur. She told herself not to fantasize and lightly closed her eyes trying to find herself again. But she looked back, the road behind her was pitch black, she lost herself and didn't know where to go. Peter held the one he imagined to deeply love, on one hand he feared damaging the warm and fragile figure, on the other he wanted to squeeze out her love for other men, so he collided with her passionately, trying to express his inner complex and entangled emotions. "Melissa, promise me… Let's run away together…" Peter no longer knew what he was saying, he indiscriminately voiced all the fragmented thoughts in his mind to the imagined Melissa. That included their shared memories, their first meeting, their first joint success in their careers, their first time riding horses, playing golf… So many more life details, which made it impossible to forget those beautiful and tranquil days. "No, I am not." Amy shook her head desperately, gradually losing consciousness amidst her disarrayed breath and hasty actions… At around 5 in the morning, there seemed to be a knock at their door, "Good morning, we will be cleaning the room at 6 a.m., please turn off your music and take all your personal belongings with you." Amy stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, tidying her messy hair like a marionette, as usual, she tied it into a low ponytail. She splashed her cheeks with cold water, to be honest, she didn't like the look she had in the mirror, a hollow and dull expression full of pain and loss. Amy took out an intense shade of lipstick, she tried to focus her attention on applying it carefully on her lips. Peter sat in between the sofa and coffee table on the carpet in a rundown state, the whole room was filled with the murky smell of intimacy and strong liquor. The whisky that dripped from the doorway onto the coffee table had dried out. Peter buried his hands deep in his hair, unable to feel any pain. The bathroom door opened, Amy did not say a word nor did she look back, but simply left the room, leaving behind a remorseful Peter. It was a ridiculous event he himself found hard to accept. Once sober, Peter realized that he had made a major mistake, with no room for redress. From then on, he would truly be a stranger to Melissa. After leaving the Saint Louise cruise ship restaurant at Fish stuck harbor, Amy wandered on the deserted streets early in the morning, the desolation mirrored her current emotional state, extremely bleak and dismal. Amy walked wearily to a breakfast stand, but she was not interested in any food; she just wanted to avoid home and find a place where she could be alone. "Miss, what would you like to have? Baozi, noodles, wonton, milk, soy milk, hot coffee?" The shop owner's enthusiasm for the job seemed to be a hundredfold even in the early morning, reciting the breakfast menu flowed like a smooth rhythm.