Chapter 19

Leo opened his mouth, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. He'd planned to take things slowly and use proximity to his advantage, but he hadn't expected Phyllis to be so blunt and ruthless in cutting off every possibility. He wanted to ask for the reason and fight for one last chance. Even if the odds were paper-thin, he didn't want to give up. But when he saw that gentle yet distant expression on her face, all his words died in his throat. In the end, he only said, "Fine. Whatever you say, Lissy." He kept calling her Lissy instead of Phyllis to make them seem closer. Phyllis didn't call him out. She just patted his shoulder in reassurance. "Trust me on this. You'll see a lot of sights in your life, like the changing of the seasons. "Maybe what you need isn't warmth but a little coldness. Or maybe, when the time is right, you'll meet the person you're meant to love. As for me, I'm just a passerby you met for a brief moment before moving on." She spoke with such finality, com