Chapter 2
1 froze on the spot.
He spoke indifferently. “Rings are meant to be worn by girlfriends anyway. And you’re not my girlfriend.”
So, he knew what was inside.
A cold, dull
in settled in my chest.
Alright, I’ll leave now.” I said.
He hummed in response, covering the red marks on his neck in the mirror.
I pressed my lips tightly together, grabbed my phone, and dashed toward the door.
Just as I was about to leave, Austin called out to me.
“Oh, by the way, change the access code permissions. You won’t be coming back here anyway.”
At that moment, it felt like a hard slap across my face,
I wanted to ask if he really had to be this heartless.
But in the end, I said nothing and silently deleted my information.
As the notification of successful permission removal chimed, Austin’s voice rang out as well.
“Don’t bother contacting me anymore. I wouldn’t want Emily to misunderstand.”
I didn’t respond and fled as if escaping.
The early autumn morning was bone–chilling. My coat was still in the wardrobe, and I was only wearing a thin jacket.
But the cold in my body couldn’t compare to the frost in my heart.
Last night, during our entangled moments of passion, Austin Colson whispered a promise in my ear–that when the first snowfall came, we’d go to South Temple together to hang a love lock.
knew better than I did what that love lock symbolized.
A Love Left Behind. Embracing a Better Future
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Yet, just one night later, he already had a girlfriend.
waiter year after year, but his confession never came,
And now, that first snowfall we’d dreamed of would never arrive
Before I could dwell on my sorrow, my phone rang. It was Austin.
“Catherine, I got hit by a car.‘
1 froze, hearing his pained groans through the receiver before he gave me an address and told me to
come.
Clutching my phone, I stood in the freezing wind for ten whole minutes before finally hailing a taxi to the location he’d mentioned.
But when I pushed open the door to the private room, what I saw was Austin, perfectly unharmed, laughing as he peeled shrimp for another woman.
At that moment, I felt like a complete fool.
He had exploited my soft heart yet again, luring me here like a pawn in his game.
The room was filled with our mutual friends, all of whom looked awkward, avoiding my gaze.
The woman at the head of the table raised her eyes. She wore a white dress, stunning and proud, her gaze toward me filled with disdain.
“Austin, is this your childhood friend?”
Austin nodded and stood, walking over to me. In a low voice, he said, “Catherine, don’t be angry.
Emily wanted to meet you.”
So just because she wanted to meet me, I had to brave the freezing wind and snow to rush overhe
He didn’t even notice I was only wearing a thin jacket, my face pale from the cold.
My nose stung, and it felt like a knife was slicing through my chest, one cut after another.
Emily Karson gave me a perfunctory smile. “Catherine, thank you for taking care of my boyfriend over the past year, but I hope you can keep your distance from now on. After all, I’ve seen too many manipulative women using the childhood–friend excuse to steal other people’s men.”
pirrowed my brows and was about to speak.
A Love Left Behind: Embracing a Better Future
Thit Austin hurried to prove his loyalty.
I promise you, we’re really just friender”
“You’ve never seen her as a kid–she was as dark as a monkey, and we’ve even seen each other naked as kids. How could I possibly feel anything for her?”
“Besides, If I liked her, I would’ve confessed ages ago. Why would I wait until now?”
Emily seemed a bit more satisfied. “I trust you, but I don’t trust her. Women like her, who casually sleep around, who knows what she’s capable of?”
Her eyes lit up as if she had an iden. With a sly sinile, she turned to Austin.
“Austin, if you really don’t love her, there are so many good men here. Why don’t you introduce one
to her?”
I was stunned, both shocked and disbelieving.
Slowly, I turned my gaze to Austin.
He didn’t dare meet my eyes and awkwardly rubbed his nose.
With a glimmer of hope, I looked at him. “Austin, is that really what you think of me?”
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