novelnext Chapter 21
Chapter 21
I looked at the man in front of me. His eyes filled with desperation and hope. I spoke softly, "Our relationship had been over a long time ago. We can't put together pieces of shattered mirror."
"Besides, I've already fallen in love with someone else,"
I added.
"Please don't come after me anymore. Don't disrupt my life again."Then I apologized and said goodbye to Sonny's mother and left the private room.Sonny still remained stiffly on his knee. His once proud posture now looked like a broken shell. The man who had always taken the lead in one relationship was now the one hopelessly begging to turn back time.My mind wandered back to New Year's Eve a long time ago.
At that time, Sonny had just started his business. I had gone home to celebrate with her family, while he had stayed behind at the university, working tirelessly on a project proposal in the empty dorms.
I had called him over video and he had taken ages to pick up. When he did, he was sitting alone in the dim room, the glow from his computer screen casting shadows on his tired face.
An unfinished cup of instant noodles sat on the desk.Fireworks crackled one after another in the background on my end. My parents were busy in the kitchen, preparing a grand meal and the warmth of my family's celebration sharply contrasted with his isolation.Sonny propped his phone on the desk.
I could see that his hand never stopped typing frantically. He was bundled up in a worn-out jacket. At that time, my heart ached to see him like that.Forcing the tears from falling, I spoke in a trembling voice, "
Happy New Year, Sonny. Will you be working much longer?"He glanced at the screen and smiled widely. "Happy New Year, Bella. I'm sending you a holiday gift. What delicious food are you having?"A notification popped up on my phone.
He sent me thirty dollars as a New Year's gift.I did not accept the money but transferred all the meager money I had in my account to his. Once the holiday ended, I rushed back to school on the earliest flight I could find.
I tricked him, saying that she had mistakenly ordered his takeout to the campus entrance and that he had to pick it up. He made his way across the empty campus, only to find me waiting. My arms were overflowing with New Year's treats."You..." he stammered. "Why are you back so early?"He stood there, stunned while staring at me. I beamed at him, as bright as a gift from the heavens."I came back to keep you company," I had said.At that moment, he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug.
He held me so tightly it felt as if he wanted to fuse me into his very being. Together, we had endured the hardest of times.
However, I finally realized that some people could only share hardship, not joy.I had thought things were settled, that this ###Chapter of my life was closed. However, I had underestimated how far a desperate man could go when he had nothing left to lose.While I was working, a call came from my parents.
"Bella, Sonny came here and said he wanted to marry you," My mother said.
Stunned, I could hardly believe he was still trying to interfere in my life. Clenching her teeth, I immediately requested time off and prepared to fly back to Chester City."Mom, Sonny and I are over," I insisted. "I'm not marrying him. Wait for me to get home."She sprinted out of the office and dialed his number. He answered almost instantly."Haven't we made things perfectly clear?" I demanded. "Why are you going to my family? Have you no shame?"However, he did not get angry. His voice was calm, almost gentle when he said, "I really do want to marry you."