Chapter 5

To me back then, those words felt like a hint.

The extinguished hope flared up again.

I decided to wait until graduation to confess.

I thought, by then, we'd probably be together, right?

But what I got instead was that phone call, a near-admission of the truth.

That night, I chain-smoked in the living room until dawn.

Right before I went to bed, Claire called me again.

"Are you asleep?"

Her voice was low, different from usual.

"Not yet..."

I only got two words out before she hung up.

I didn't understand why she asked.

But that call reminded me of my hopeless, one-sided crush.

I crushed the cigarette and was about to lie down.

A knock on the door.

It was Claire.

She looked at me and said:

"Mason, I want to try with you. Do you want to?"

We barely slept that night.

The next day, I thought she would wake up and accuse me of taking advantage of her. But to my surprise, once sober, she didn't regret it at all.

She just... changed.

The girl everyone used to look up to slowly grew quiet. So quiet she felt like a stranger.

And that "try" lasted for seven years.

We went from friends to lovers, but our dynamic barely shifted.

After graduation, Claire entered the Bennett family business and eventually took over.

I found a stable job in her city to be near her.

Logically, getting married was the next step.

But Claire was always reluctant.

Every time I brought up a wedding or our future, all I got was silence.

I was slowly worn down until I stopped fighting. I broke down many times and even hardened my heart to ask for a breakup.

But every time I did, Claire refused to let go.

The irony was, those were the only moments I actually felt like she loved me.

By the time I finished reading the entire account, the sky was already turning light.

I rubbed my burning eyes, completely wide awake.

Suddenly, a heavy thud came from the next room.

Chapter 5

To me back then, those words felt like a hint.

The extinguished hope flared up again.

I decided to wait until graduation to confess.

I thought, by then, we'd probably be together, right?

But what I got instead was that phone call, a near-admission of the truth.

That night, I chain-smoked in the living room until dawn.

Right before I went to bed, Claire called me again.

"Are you asleep?"

Her voice was low, different from usual.

"Not yet..."

I only got two words out before she hung up.

I didn't understand why she asked.

But that call reminded me of my hopeless, one-sided crush.

I crushed the cigarette and was about to lie down.

A knock on the door.

It was Claire.

She looked at me and said:

"Mason, I want to try with you. Do you want to?"

We barely slept that night.

The next day, I thought she would wake up and accuse me of taking advantage of her. But to my surprise, once sober, she didn't regret it at all.

She just... changed.

The girl everyone used to look up to slowly grew quiet. So quiet she felt like a stranger.

And that "try" lasted for seven years.

We went from friends to lovers, but our dynamic barely shifted.

After graduation, Claire entered the Bennett family business and eventually took over.

I found a stable job in her city to be near her.

Logically, getting married was the next step.

But Claire was always reluctant.

Every time I brought up a wedding or our future, all I got was silence.

I was slowly worn down until I stopped fighting. I broke down many times and even hardened my heart to ask for a breakup.

But every time I did, Claire refused to let go.

The irony was, those were the only moments I actually felt like she loved me.

By the time I finished reading the entire account, the sky was already turning light.

I rubbed my burning eyes, completely wide awake.

Suddenly, a heavy thud came from the next room.