Chapter 3

Ten years of the same old thing. Actually, I'd been tired of it for ages. Back then, I just couldn't bring myself to throw away all the feelings he had for me.

I turned to go upstairs, but Samuel caught me by the arm.

His voice was practically snapping with impatience.

He said, "Cathy, how long are you going to keep being so difficult? You-"

Before he could finish, everything went black, and I lost consciousness.

When I came to, I was lying in bed.

Samuel was lying next to me, his arm still holding me tight.

The moment I stirred, he woke up.

His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at me.

He naturally reached out and gently touched my forehead, finally relaxing, his voice hoarse.

He said, "You had a fever. It lasted a whole day and night, but it's finally gone."

Of course. After spending the whole night in the cold wind, getting sick was inevitable.

Ever since I nearly drowned in the sea, my health had never really recovered.

I tried to speak, but my throat felt like it was on fire.

I croaked, "I'm thirsty."

Samuel rushed to get me some warm water.

Nestled in his arms, I drank half the cup before my throat finally felt a little better.

Samuel held me close, his fingers caressing my cheek with gentle affection.

He said, "Why didn't you tell me you were feeling sick? I finally managed to get some weight on you, and now it's all gone again."

I pulled a wry smile with a hint of sarcasm, and then dozed off again.

When I got sick, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I was out of it for a whole week, barely conscious most of the time, and every time I managed to open my eyes, Samuel was always there, never leaving my side.

One morning, I woke up and instinctively reached out, only to find the space beside me empty and the room eerily quiet.

His side of the bed was cold.

Voices drifted up from downstairs.

I slowly got up and headed downstairs.

From behind the door, I could see the two of them at the entrance, neither of them noticing me.

Samuel sounded genuinely surprised.

He asked, "What are you doing here?"

Kathie was dressed in a white dress, looking up at Samuel with eyes full of delicate vulnerability.

Kathie said, "You haven't picked up my calls or replied to my texts at all this week.

"Are you having second thoughts again? Don't you want me anymore?

"Samuel, I miss you so much. Please don't shut me out, okay?"

Samuel frowned.

He said, "You should go. Cathy's still sick, and I don't want to upset her. If you need to talk, we can do it over the phone-"

Before he could finish, Kathie tiptoed and flung herself into his arms, pressing her lips to his and silencing him.

Samuel tried to push her away without thinking.

But Kathie wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding on for dear life.

Her kiss, mixed with bitter tears, made his hands falter, his determination wavering.

Little by little, he stopped fighting it and started kissing her back.

After a long, breathless moment, they finally pulled apart, both of them gasping for air.

Kathie's eyes locked onto his, intense and almost desperate.

She said, "Samuel, stop pretending. You know you can't let me go.

"You don't love her anymore. Staying with her just because you feel responsible is only making all three of us miserable."

Samuel's voice was laced with restrained pain, every word heavy with suppressed emotion.

Samuel said, "I can't..."

Standing behind the door, I threw it open without warning.

Kathie and Samuel snapped their heads up, staring at me in shock.

Samuel's face went pale with panic.

He called out, "Cathy..."

I pushed past him, went straight for Kathie, and grabbed a fistful of her hair.

With my left hand, I yanked her head back, forcing her to look at me.

Without hesitation, I raised my right hand and slapped her hard across the face.

I shouted, "You shameless bitch! How dare you come here whoring yourself out?"

Fueled by rage, I slapped her across the face again and again, over a dozen times, not holding back for a second.

The only thing echoing through the hallway was the sharp crack of slaps and Kathie's wailing screams.

"Enough!" Samuel couldn't take it anymore and yelled, his voice raw with frustration.

Suddenly, he threw me aside, slamming my head against the cold, hard wall.

Warm blood started to drip down my temple, slowly trailing down my face.

Through a haze of red, I watched as Samuel rushed over, carefully gathered Kathie into his arms, and headed out in a hurry.

He said, "Kathie, don't be scared. I'm taking you to the hospital."

As I watched their figures fade into the distance, my mind hazily wandered back to that first snowfall when I was eighteen.

Samuel, with snow falling all around us, traced out "Samuel loves Cathy" in the fresh white blanket.

I smiled at him and asked, "How long will you love me?"

His eyes were shining, full of youthful energy, and he made a megaphone with his hands, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Samuel loves Cathy forever. Forever!"

I sank down the icy wall, sliding to the floor as tears mingled with the blood on my face.

I laughed brokenly, murmuring under my breath. "Samuel, you liar. You hurt me so much..."

As I drifted in and out of consciousness, a sudden scream jolted through the haze.

I turned my head and came face-to-face with my mother-in-law, Maggie, whose expression was stricken with panic.

The thermos she'd been carrying crashed to the floor as she rushed over to me.

She gasped, "Cathy, why are you here all alone? And how did you get hurt like this?

"Where's Samuel? Where did he go?"

She frantically pulled out her phone, about to call Samuel.

I gripped her hand.

I whispered, "Maggie, just take me to the hospital first."

Her expression shifted, and then she sprang into action. She hurriedly helped me up and told the driver to get us to the hospital.