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
The next day, Matthew decided that he would approach Allison early before classes started so that he could return her umbrella to her.Last night, he had indeed been hit by heavy rain. If she hadn’t insisted on letting him keep the umbrella, he reckoned that he could’ve been soaking wet by the time he arrived home. His mother, as always, had been worried and scolded him a bit about not bringing a coat. As she followed him into his room, he took that opportunity to tell her about his plans.Martha was indeed surprised at his sudden decision, but she felt that it was necessary. Truthfully, she didn’t quite approve of Mr. Jenkins and his teaching style, but Edward had stubbornly insisted on it given the fact that Mr. Jenkins had built quite the reputation for himself in the tutoring community for being the one who educated many successful people in the business world. Martha couldn’t find it in herself to disagree completely since Matthew’s grades were lower than what she expected, but s
Allison didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping.It was as though she were in the midst of dreaming and waking up, like she was wrapped in a hazy cloud where she didn’t know what was real or what was a dream.The memories from the past came drifting towards her like flowing water, playing out scene by scene as though it were a movie. She didn’t know why she suddenly thought of that time, the time when she first got to know Matthew.Matthew had always been the quiet one, but she knew that he tended to think deeply about things. He liked to keep to himself most of the time which made the girls in their class think that he was irresistible and somewhat playing hard-to-get.Allison thought that that was quite a shallow assumption they made about him, but simply kept quiet.That day, when Matthew brought back her umbrella and thanked her, they met up on the rooftop after school to discuss the schedule and the rates. They eventually agreed to meet up at Matthew’s house every day, including
Allison waited, but thirty minutes had already passed and there was still no sign of Matthew. She had no idea how long she’d been here and how long she’d been out. A few hours, maybe? But she couldn’t be quite sure yet.She wanted to call for a nurse, but she was too weak to even sit up. She just laid there on the bed, her mind dizzy and her lungs fighting to breathe normally. She felt so tired and in pain that she could no longer move the way she wanted to.In the end, sleep came to her, and she embraced her slumber once more. She didn’t dream of Matthew again and nor did she remember their past memories. Instead, she had a dreamless sleep, which was a nice reprieve from her normal bouts of insomnia.As time passed, however, something made her stir. Something warm was pressing against her skin, a large hand that was gently grasping her lower arm, making her feel inexplicably safe and secure. It was as though it was telling her that she was not alone, that she was worth it.Dangerous
The first phase of the treatment was starting. Allison couldn’t describe what she was feeling right now towards Matthew. Was it hate, or was it gratitude? Or perhaps a combination of both? Either way, she was feeling really conflicted at the moment, especially after answering the doctor’s questions one by one. The fact that she ended up in the hospital over and over again against her will made her dead inside, and she wished that she could just get this over with as soon as possible. The doctor explained to her that the treatment was typically divided into two phases, namely induction, and then consolidation or post-remission therapy. However, before the initial treatment, they needed to test whether she was fit enough to have intensive chemotherapy or if treatment at a lower dosage was recommended. He also informed her that the induction process would destroy most of the normal bone marrow cells as well as the leukemia cells, so most patients typically developed dangerously low bl
The chemotherapy treatments were like hell for Allison.Matthew remained her only support throughout the entire process. She thought that if it weren’t for him being there, she wouldn’t have been able to handle it.No wonder they always said that probably the loneliest feeling in the world is being sick and alone, with no one to take care of you, and nobody who even knew you existed.She hated to admit it, but she was starting to get used to him. His presence was filling her days like refreshing water to her empty, broken glass. Though the cracks were minuscule, and the water seeped out from the glass in droplets, at least she could carry his support within her, and she could feel how much he truly cared about her.It was like… he was family.Even though she broke that family relationship herself years ago.Yet he was still here with her, staying by her side no matter what…It was stirring conflicted feelings in her heart that she didn’t know what to do with.***Meanwhile, Matthew wa
The subtle transition arrived when Allison discovered clumps of hair on her pillow the moment she woke up. She gazed at them silently as she gathered them in her hand, her mind blank. When Matthew walked up to her and saw this scene, a deafening silence fell across the room, and only the low sounds of the medical equipment and the humming of the air-conditioning could be heard. They both knew that this would be coming, but the moment it began, Allison felt like her whole world was slowly crashing down on her. From then on, whenever she brushed her hair, whenever she washed, whenever she woke up… the loose hairs kept falling out, and through time, she couldn’t handle it anymore. “Do it,” Allison told Matthew quietly one day. Matthew froze in place as he stared at her with cautious yet sad eyes. “Lise… are you sure about this?” Allison shut her eyes as she tried to contain her emotions. “…I’m sure, Mattie,” she finally said, trying to put more conviction into her tone like she trul
Two days had passed since that night.After Allison had spotted the suspicious pair of men, she and Matthew decided to watch them for a while to see if they might do anything alarming.Fortunately, the men seemed to keep their distance and only whispered to each other. They followed Zoren and Jane for a while before the couple finally disappeared into a crowd in the town square, and that was the end of it.Allison had briefly considered telling Jane about it, but now that she thought about it, she hadn’t been able to get the woman’s contact number. Matthew had no details, either.‘It’s probably nothing,’ Allison thought to herself.Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but she wanted to believe that her mini-vacation with Matthew would not turn out badly in the end.Maybe it was just a coincidence that those two men were staring at Jane and Zoren and were merely walking in the same direction.Maybe she and Matthew were just making a big deal out of nothing…But despite her thoughts, she
Jane laughed. “Silly. You should call her Mrs. Laurier!” she scolded playfully. “They’re married.”“Oh.” But Zoren didn’t look apologetic at all. “Sorry about that.”“It’s fine.” It was Matthew who spoke, and his tone was polite.“So!” Jane said, smiling. It was weird for Allison to see her like this. She wasn’t usually this pleasant. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Why don’t the four of us go on a double date? You two must be here for a vacation too, right? Like we are?”“Well…” Allison began hesitantly.“That sounds good,” Matthew interjected with a smile. “How about dinner tomorrow? They don’t have any fancy restaurants here, but we could find someplace nice.”“Oh, you’re right.” Jane nodded. “My darling here made me go on a vacation in a small city like this. I refused at first, but he managed to persuade me. It was going to be romantic, he said. It was going to be just the two of us, he said! So I agreed. But I don’t know anyone in here and the places are too small and not very fa
Allison was caught off guard for several reasons.First, she did not expect to run into a former classmate in a city like this. Second, she did not expect to have a reunion with that same classmate with Matthew currently at her side.And third, she did not expect to run into Jane Winters, of all people.Back in high school, the popular girl was Reva Winters. She was a beautiful girl who came from a wealthy family, and she had it all: the beauty, the brains, and the talent. She was admired and envied by many.But while Reva was the popular one, her twin sister, Jane, was the opposite. The two were fraternal twins, with Reva having a soft, gentle beauty but an outspoken personality.Jane, however, had a fierce appearance compared to her sister, and she often exuded an intimidating aura. Although she looked ordinary at first glance, keeping her brown hair short and wearing glasses, she was known in school as a promising athlete. In fact, she had won several martial arts competitions in t
His words brought a smile to her face.The two of them were different in this way. At times, she preferred to be pragmatic and to stick to the cold, hard facts.Matthew, on the other hand, often preferred to think positively and see things in a different light. He knew that real life wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows, but he just believed that having a good mindset was a better way of navigating through life.He barely held any grudges towards anyone and rarely got angry. Although he had a tumultuous relationship with his parents, he was still polite towards them and made sure to fulfill his duties.“Remember when you used to read my stories?” she said softly. “I mentioned to you that I was going to pursue something that wasn’t my hobby or passion, but you encouraged me to write and enjoy what I liked. You also assured me that things would work out in the end.”Her gaze lowered.“I wonder, if I had decided to listen to you, would I have been happier in the past? But right now, even tho
Their little vacation went better than they had expected.Matthew took Allison’s hand as they walked down the main street of this small countryside town. They walked along the cobblestone sidewalks, seeing colorful storefronts and passing beautiful old buildings.They had been cooped up in the big city for so long that they enjoyed being in a much more peaceful area. They had already spent the morning wandering in and out of various shops, also stopping at a café for coffee and pastries.As the afternoon sun began to set, Matthew turned to Allison.“Do you want to hang out at Lake Mendel?” he offered. “We can relax and take in the surroundings.”Allison thought about it for a moment. “That sounds like a nice date, but isn’t it a little hot out for a picnic by the lake?”“Is it hot out?” Matthew looked up at the sun shining brightly on them. “I don’t think it’s that hot right now. But would you rather be indoors?”“Come to think of it, it is a nice day for a picnic,” Allison finally ag
Matthew sat down beside her on the grass. It was currently nighttime, and the garden was illuminated by the soft glowing outdoor lights, making it look like it came right out of a serene painting. The sky was beautiful, with a spray of stars across the dark expanse and the clouds drifting lazily across the bright crescent moon.He could feel Allison tensing beside him, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she continued to stare at the flowers as though they were the most fascinating thing in the world.She was pointedly not looking at him, which made him feel a bit sad. At this moment, even though they were physically close, it felt like there was an invisible wall between them, distancing them from each other.Finally, he heard her sigh softly before she turned to him with teary eyes. He didn’t say a word, just reached out and wiped the tears using his thumb, waiting for her to make the first move.Maybe she thought that he hated her now, but that was far from the truth. His love fo
When he opened his eyes, he felt much better. The headache was gone, and the unnatural tension in his chest faded into nothingness. His mind was clear as his vision slowly adjusted to his surroundings.He could hear Allison’s voice saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear it for a moment. Instead, he slowly turned his head to face her, unable to speak.Because what else could he say?This was such a strange phenomenon.It was as if he had awakened from a long dream, from a completely different life, and then suddenly jerked awake to realize that it was all a nightmare.Because it did seem like a nightmare. A terrible one, to be exact.“Why?” he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.Allison looked startled at this. “What?” She scooted closer to him, scrutinizing his expression. “Are you okay? Do you need some water?”He felt like his throat was a little dry, so he nodded. It would help if he could talk to her properly without any interruptions.She nodded and quickly took the pitcher f
[A rewind back to the original timeline…]-Matthew closed his eyes before Allison did. He took a deep breath, wondering why he was even doing this.But he was desperate. He wanted something at least, even a miracle. He couldn’t bear to see Allison suffer any longer. He just wanted to increase the possibility that she would be cured.So even if it was something ‘silly’ like this, it didn’t matter. At least he tried.Who knows, right?What if miracles really did exist?Matthew thought of it that way, but to his surprise, his real thoughts surfaced, and they were quite different from what he had expected.‘I wish… that I could turn back time.’He took a deep breath, still keeping his eyes closed.‘I wish I could go back to those days when we were in love. When she was still in love with me.’‘When things were still good between us.’He tried to suppress the emotions that surfaced in his heart.‘I wish I could have a second chance with her. I wish that we hadn’t wasted too much time.’‘B
Allison was devastated.How could she have let this happen? She had sworn to herself that she would look after Matthew, that she would make sure he didn’t suffer the way she had.But she failed. All she could do was stand there, frozen in shock, as he stumbled and fell to the ground. All she could do was scream and hold him in her arms, crying for him to wake up.She had never been so relieved to hear his heart beating steadily.She immediately called for help from passersby, who quickly entered the hospital and alerted the guards and nurses. In no time, Matthew was lifted from the ground and examined by the doctors.He just fainted, they said. A result of stress and mental exhaustion. Probably also from fatigue and hunger.Allison couldn’t bring herself to believe any of it. After all, Matthew’s symptoms were erratic. His headaches did not occur at reasonable times. He ate three times a day, exercised, and managed his stress. He was perfectly healthy.But even though she told the doc