Chapter 3

My friend picked out a nice hot springs hotel for me.

She wanted to take me there so I could relax and feel better.

But when I was already at the hotel entrance, James suddenly called me and told me not to go in.

Somehow, he found out about it and called me out of nowhere.

"Claire, don't go in. The owner and I have some bad history. I'm worried if he finds out about us, he might try to hurt you," James said.

My heart fluttered with sweetness.

He was never the caring boyfriend type.

He barely talked, always keeping that frosty look on his face.

But that day, for the first time ever, he actually sounded gentle when he talked to me.

Just hearing him say he was worried about me was enough to make my heart melt.

That day, it started to rain outside.

My friends kept urging me to stay, promising I'd be safe with them there.

But I still listened to James and drove off alone.

Lightning crackled overhead, thunder shook the sky, and rain poured down in sheets.

I could barely see the road in front of me. I was scared, but I kept going, driven by nothing but sheer willpower.

It took me three hours to finally get home.

Now that I thought about it, that day was the fifteenth too, the very day he always took Joanna to the hot springs.

So was it because she was there that he didn't want me to go?

When I still didn't say a word, James calmly asked Joanna to head back to the car first.

Their voices pulled me back from my wandering thoughts.

He opened the car door for her, buckled her seatbelt, and even adjusted the AC to make sure she was comfortable.

Joanna pouted in a cute way, looking a little annoyed.

But really, she was just acting spoiled.

"James, I can't stand the heat. Why did you turn the AC up so high?" she complained softly.

James bent down and carefully tucked her skirt back in, making sure it wasn't sticking out of the seat.

He was as gentle as if he were soothing a toddler.

"Be good, okay? If the AC's too low, your leg won't handle it. I'll get you some ice cream in a bit, just hold on for me, alright?" James coaxed, gentle as ever.

After a few more soothing words, James finally closed the car door softly.

When he turned back to me, that cold, expressionless mask was back on his face.

It was like everything I'd just seen had never even happened.

But I knew it wasn't my imagination.

James could be doting, could fuss over someone endlessly.

But that tenderness was never for me.

I locked eyes with him, using every ounce of strength to keep myself from falling apart, barely holding back the tears in my throat.

"James, you've never cared for me like that," I said.

He froze for a second, a blank look on his face; he had no idea what I was talking about.

I took a deep breath, my vision blurring.

"You've never taken me to the hot springs, never opened a car door for me, never buckled my seatbelt, and you've never talked to me like that," I said.

For a split second, I thought I saw something flicker in James's eyes, but I couldn't catch what it was.

When I looked up again, he was wearing that same calm mask as always.

"Claire, she's not in great shape, that's why I take extra care of her," James said.

"But what does her being sick have to do with me? Why do I have to carry the weight of her pain?" I asked.

My vision blurred even more, and I swiped at my tears, not even caring if I looked pathetic.

But even faster than my tears could fall, James reached out.

His warm fingertips gently brushed the tears from my cheeks.

I opened my eyes and looked at him.

"James, my parents are really upset today. They don't feel safe leaving me with you anymore," I said.

I kept looking at him, refusing to look away.

Hoping for even the slightest flicker of concern for me in his eyes.

But there was nothing.

James just smiled, then gently wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. "Claire, what about you?

"Marriage is between the two of us. You don't have to listen to anyone, not even your parents."

Right then, I saw it clearly in his eyes, a look of absolute certainty.

It sent a chill straight through me.

Noticing how I was trembling, James reached out and pulled me into his arms.