Matthew almost dropped his glass in shock. “You’re what?”Lily was slowly packing her clothes into her luggage, not seeming to be in any hurry. “I’m leaving,” she repeated in a patient tone.“Alone?” Matthew said, approaching her hesitantly. “Why so suddenly? You should’ve told me. I’ll arrange the quickest flight back home so we can—”“No, Matt. I need to go back alone,” Lily told him gently. “I have some important work to do.”Matthew frowned. “Then let’s go back together. There’s no point in me staying if you’re not here with me.”Lily paused in the middle of packing. “No, Matt,” she said softly. “You should stay.”“Huh? What are you talking about? No, we’re leaving together, and that’s final.” Matthew took out his phone and began to dial a number.Lily stood up and gently caught his wrist, looking into his eyes calmly. “I don’t want you to come with me, Matt.”Matthew paused, staring at her in disbelief. “What are you saying, Lily? I don’t understand.”“I don’t want you to come wi
Allison dreamed that she was being chased.It was a dark, empty road, the surroundings devoid of buildings and objects except for a few trees. It was cold and terrifying. She ran and ran aimlessly, but the path in front of her seemed to stretch into an eternity of darkness. She could hear the footsteps following her from behind, the sound so loud that it kept ringing in her ears. She could barely breathe, and her legs were burning from exhaustion. Yet she kept on running, knowing that if she stopped now, she might—She might… die?But didn’t she want to die?Why—Suddenly, Allison woke up.Feeling a stab of pain, she sat up in bed, sweating profusely. She couldn’t breathe properly, and her mind was so dizzy that she felt like she was seeing dark spots in her blurry vision. As she tried to calm her racing heartbeat, she felt something warm flow down from her nose. But she didn’t have to touch it with her finger to know that it was blood.She smiled wryly as she wiped it off with the ba
Allison raised an eyebrow. “Am I not allowed here?” she said, turning away to continue searching for her umbrella.Matthew’s cheeks turned pink. “No, no, that’s not what I meant… I’m sorry if it sounded that way,” he said sheepishly, watching her in curiosity.Allison went to the back of the classroom and finally found what she was looking for. It was a red umbrella that her father had bought for her as a birthday gift, and she treasured it ever since. Although other girls got cellphones and outfits for gifts, Allison didn’t mind at all since she wasn’t very interested in that kind of stuff. She preferred practical gifts like notebooks, umbrellas, ballpoint pens… things that actually had essential use.She was about to leave the room when Matthew suddenly called out for her uncertainly.“Hey…”She paused in her tracks to look at him. “Yes?”Matthew looked unsure for a moment before getting off the desk and approaching her hesitantly. “Uh… Allison, right?”“Yes, that’s me.” Allison gaz
Matthew let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.He didn’t know why he anticipated Allison’s answer so much. Maybe it was because he was so fed up with his current lifestyle that he so desperately longed for something different, something that could possibly turn his routine into something a little better.Although he didn’t mention it earlier, he really had a hard time with his tutor. Mr. Jenkins had been with him since last year, and every time Matthew caught even a glimpse of his back, his chest would feel so heavy and his throat would close up in anxiety. Every time Mr. Jenkins got disappointed with him, he would punish him by extending their study hours, and by then Matthew could barely restrain the urge to puke. If only the way Mr. Jenkins taught wasn’t condescending, then maybe Matthew would be able to stomach studying for a while. However, Mr. Jenkins wasn’t at all that considerate.The moment Allison entered the room, the thought just came to the forefront of Ma
Matthew didn’t know why, but he felt the urge to confide in this girl. Although they had only ever spoken to each other today, he could feel a sense of trustworthiness coming from her.Being a quiet, introspective person in nature, he would sometimes observe his classmates out of boredom. Most of them were, as expected, pretty self-centered and focused on their own desires, a few even setting aside their studies just to have some fun. It was rare for him to see people who were focused on school and nothing more, and Allison was one of them.Allison always kept to herself. She was never involved in any trouble, and she would always mind her own business, rushing straight home after class to study, presumably. She wasn’t in any clubs, and she never seemed to attend any parties, either.Probably the only time he ever saw her at a party was when the school held a week-long festival where everyone was required to be present later at night once the event was over. She had been like a wallfl
Edward Laurier had never been quite the affectionate type, but Martha could’ve sworn that his personality had been so much better when they were newlyweds.He was a quiet, powerful man, yet he took care of her regardless of his cold nature, showing his love for her in a subtle way. Being a businessman, he was keen and attentive, and he was also very particular with the details. He was also wary of people, constantly on guard as he observed them, speculating their real intentions through his indifferent mask. That was why he often came off as stern and intimidating, but Martha never really felt that same aura from him whenever they interacted. Perhaps that was what they called finally being yourself in front of a loved one.However, things started to change, little by little, the moment she got pregnant.Hanson Laurier, her father-in-law, was pretty much patriarchal. He had trained his son severely ever since he was little, so Edward had grown into a somewhat spitting image of his fath
That was probably the reason why Matthew shrunk into a shell that he created for himself. Being pressured to do something that you didn’t want to do was probably one of the most depressing feelings in the world. He didn’t ask for this, yet it was given to him nevertheless and he was expected to take it with a pinch of gratitude.Maybe it was just teenage puberty that made him want to rebel against everything, but the truth was that he was just tired of everything.It was painting that helped him relax, and made him feel like he was being transported into another world. A world that was peaceful and calming, a world where he could be himself and express his imagination the way he wanted. Painting gave him a safe haven that he never knew he needed before, and it was probably the only thing that kept him sane all this time.But the moment his father found out that he preferred to paint instead of studying, he flew into a fit of rage. Edward confiscated all of his art supplies and threate
“Oh, by the way, about your earlier question…”“Hm? Ah, you mean about me asking why you don’t want a chauffeur?”“Yeah. The truth is… I don’t really talk to people like this. I mean, like with you,” he admitted, not having the courage to look into her eyes at this moment. “I don’t know if it would make any sense, but I just don’t want to rely on my father’s wealth and influence, you know? I want to do and experience things for myself.”“…I don’t think I understand,” Allison said, her pragmatic side rising to the surface. “Why not have a chauffeur, anyway? It’s convenient, and you don’t have to waste time waiting for transportation and getting exhausted from the longer travel time. The routes the buses usually take tend to have traffic, too.”“I’m just not comfortable with things like that,” Matthew muttered.At that moment, the raindrops lessened, so his words rang in Allison’s ears loud and clear.“I don’t like being in such a stiff atmosphere, especially after school,” he explained