Library
Search
Home / All / Fading Slowly but Surely / Chapter 5

Share

Chapter 5

Author: Milky Egg
last update Last Updated: 2025-01-10 17:30:54
As the two protagonists—Emmett and Isla—showed up, the crowd's laughter grew louder when they saw Isla get publicly humiliated.

Some of the onlookers were eager to stir things up. They deliberately asked her in a sarcastic tone, "You've confessed 99 times yet he's not fond of you at all, Isla. Aren't you supposed to work harder on it then?

"When's the next confession? We can all come watch and give you some pointers. How about it?"

Isla tightened her grip on the tattered love letters. Her knuckles turned white from the effort. She was about to speak up when she saw the mocking gazes from around her. She decided to hold her tongue.

She scoffed and raised the love letter high in her hand. She then declared loudly, "Fine, the 100th confession will be at the central square of the university, at 9:00 am on December 3rd. Everyone is welcome to come and watch!"

After that, Isla ignored everyone's reactions. With reddening eyes and gritted teeth, she left the scene with her head held high.

That day, she skipped her morning classes and headed home.

Water poured steadily from the faucet, filling the basin to the brim. Isla dunked her head into the water without a second thought.

She only got up when her lungs started to burn. She gripped the counter as she gasped for breath. The haze of anger clouding her mind finally started to lift.

Isla stared at her calm reflection. She then started ripping apart the entire stack of love letters. Then, she started burning them. Finally, she flushed them down the drain.

…

The club, which had been dormant for some time, suddenly announced a meetup over the weekend.

Isla decided to attend as she needed to submit her club withdrawal application.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Emmett, who never attended such activities, unexpectedly there. She pretended not to notice him and kept her gaze straight. She sat in a corner alone.

Sadie's best friends immediately slipped into their usual routine when they saw Isla.

One said, "How did you manage to get Emmett to come, Sades?"

Another replied, "It's definitely because Sades loves a lively crowd! After all, everyone knows that the campus heartthrob only listens to Sades."

Isla couldn't be bothered with their little tricks. She casually reached out for an orange and started peeling it.

Once everyone had arrived, the club president, Candice Draketon, announced the start of the game.

Isla was not interested at all, but she was dragged into it anyway. She could only force herself to play along with the dull truth-or-dare game.

Emmett finally lost after seven or eight rounds. The group erupted in excited cheers.

"Oh my!" someone exclaimed.

Another announced, "Emmett drew the card that requires him to kiss anyone of the opposite sex in the room for three minutes!"

Someone asked, "Hurry and tell us who you'll pick to take the punishment with you, Emmett!"

Isla knew Emmett would never pick her, and she was uninterested in who his choice was. She looked down and toyed with the dice in her hand.

As expected, he picked Sadie, but he requested for the lights to be turned off.

The room was pitch black, with only the sounds of heavy breathing and the occasional whispers from the members.

The lights went on after three minutes, and Emmett returned to his seat. Sadie stood stunned in place, looking pale. Her lipstick was still vibrant on her.

Emmett had not kissed her.

lsla briefly glanced at Sadie. When Candice announced the start of the next round, Isla tossed the three dice in her hand casually. Unfortunately, all three dice landed at one—the lowest possible score in the game.

She accepted her loss without a word and pulled out a card from the stack. It was the same card as before, with the exact same punishment.

Everyone present started getting excited at once. Their gazes flickered between Isla, Emmett, and Sadie.

Isla pretended not to notice it. She casually spun the game wheel, and the pointer landed on Adrian Greyson, a junior who was sitting across from her.

For a moment, everyone held their breaths, thinking that she was about to back out.

However, Isla got up without further ado and made her way to Adrian. She said nonchalantly, "Sorry in advance, Adrian."

Adrian was dumbstruck. Just as he was about to stand up, Emmett got up abruptly and kicked the coffee table away.

When everyone was confused, he coldly interrupted, "We've been playing for so long, I'm a little tired now. Don't you think it's time for a break?"

Emmett's roommates immediately agreed with him. Candice had no choice but to announce the halt of the punishment.
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Related chapters

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 6

    During their break, some of the women said that they were hungry. Emmett's roommates immediately dragged the other guys in the room downstairs to buy snacks.They were gone for 20 minutes. Seeing that they were still not back, Candice got tired of waiting and announced that the game would continue.Isla placed her phone down and looked around. She noticed that Adrian was now gone—or to be exact, all other guys except for Emmett were now gone.She knew this was another of his schemes, yet she refused to play along.As such, Isla picked up the 17-ounce wine glass and raised it. "Since my appointed partner left, I'll finish the drink as punishment according to the game rules."After that, she tilted her head up and easily finished the wine in her glass.Emmett's expression instantly darkened. He hadn't expected Isla to pick drinking over him. He stared at her face, which was flushing quickly, and tightened his grip on the dice.With half the group gone, the game lost its fun. As su

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 7

    Isla bumped into Emmett and Sadie in the underground parking lot on the day of her discharge.Upon seeing her, Emmett picked Sadie up from her wheelchair and carried her into the car.She poked her head out from the window and flashed Isla a fake smile. "I heard that you live just across Emmett, Sadie. How about we give you a lift?"Isla ignored her and got into her car without looking up.Once the car arrived at her apartment, she turned down her parents' help and made her way home with her crutches on her own.The elevator moved from the basement to the first floor. Emmett, who was supposed to send Sadie back home, suddenly walked in. Their eyes met, yet neither of them said a word.The elevator stopped at the 17th floor, but Emmett, who was by the exit, refused to leave. Isla could only move around him with her crutches and walk out of the elevator. Although she walked slowly, he was even slower behind her. She could feel his gaze constantly on her.She walked to her door a

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 8

    The apartment that had been on the market for half a month was finally sold three days before Isla's departure.The agent came over with an agreement. She readily signed it. "I'll clean this place up soon, and I'll move out in three days. The new tenant will be able to move in then."After the agent noted down the date, Isla walked him to the elevator.Emmett walked out with two bags as soon as the elevator door opened. He stared at the agent for a while before greeting him politely, "Hello, sir."Stunned, the agent greeted him back.Isla turned to leave once the elevator went down. However, Emmett called her and handed one of the bags over. "I happened to pass by the place and bought too much. Do you want to have some?"She glanced over and saw that it was her favorite dried fruit. The shop was located in the east of the city. It would take at least two hours for the round trip and an hour of waiting in line to get it.Emmett had gone out of his way to buy her favorite snack

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 9

    On the day of Isla's departure, she was woken up by the commotion across her room just as dawn broke.She opened her eyes groggily and grabbed her phone to check the time, only to notice the flurry of messages popping up on her notification bar. She stared at it for some time before realizing that they all came from a group chat with over 20 people.Isla had secretly joined the group chat a year ago in order to learn about Emmett's preferences. She had forgotten to leave, and he had no idea she was even in it.The ones chatting enthusiastically early in the morning were Emmett's roommates.One of them wrote: "You're awake so early, Emmett. Could it be that you were too excited to sleep last night?"Emmett replied: "Isn't that obvious? I've been tossing and turning on my bed since 11:00 pm last night."Someone else asked: "Are you really planning to accept Isla's confession this time?"Isla paused from her scrolling then. It was rare for Emmett to type such a long message in re

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 10

    Five minutes before 9:00 am, the square was packed to the point that security guards had shown up to keep things in order.Isla's roommates were left speechless seeing the sea of people below. They started discussing excitedly.One said, "With so many people here, I'm sure whatever happens next will spread across the entire campus in no time!"Another replied, "That's even better. This way, no one can gossip about Isla behind her back even when she leaves."They continued their excited chatters as the clock hit 8:59 am. The dorm leader, Tina Garnett, soon received news that Isla had safely arrived at the airport.She rolled up her sleeves and shouted, "Isla has reached the airport. Let's get to work, everyone! Those who are scattering the cards and those who are taking photos of the scene better get it together! Let's make sure she gets to see this spectacle before she boards the plane!"The 9:00 am alarm rang just as soon as Tina finished speaking. Carrie Wondell and Evelyn Stev

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 11

    Tina, Carrie, and Evelyn were ready to call it a day after throwing the last of the cardstock papers down.However, they heard a loud rumble coming from downstairs just as they neared the door. With the elevator running slow, they decided to walk down from the staircase.The three of them ran into Emmett just as they reached the 15th floor. He came running up with his friends, and they immediately blocked the pathway when they saw the young women.Shortly after, the huge crowd of onlookers caught up from behind.Tina, Carrie, and Evelyn did not show the slightest sign of fear when faced with a group of tall, imposing guys. They merely smirked coldly as they looked at Emmett.Tina said, "Oh, isn't this the campus heartthrob of Quintessa University? Didn't you say you're not fond of Isla? Why are you joining in this pointless hype now?"Emmett clenched his fists tight when he heard her sarcastic tone. His expression darkened instantly. "Did you guys decide to scatter these cards on

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 12

    Emmett's mind raced through his memories upon that realization. He had rushed over to campus by 8:30 am, gotten out of his apartment by 8:00 am, and selected his outfit by 7:30 am.He traced back his memories from this moment to the last time he saw Isla downstairs last night. Finally, he realized where the problem was.She had planned everything, so logically she should have left early to make preparations. However, there had been no sound coming from the apartment across the hall since last night.Either Isla left after Emmett, or she never intended to come to campus in the first place.She had put so much effort into getting back at him, yet she hadn't even bothered to witness it herself.Emmett couldn't figure out the reason behind it.He pressed his hand to his rapidly beating chest, feeling as if something within him was slipping away. He was anxious, yet powerless to stop it.…The security guards finally cleared everyone out at 10:00 am, dispersing the crowd blocking

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 13

    Emmett parked his car and walked to the apartment gate at 10:30 pm. The sanitization truck was cleaning the bins. Upon seeing that, Emmett inexplicably remembered how Isla knelt on the ground and burned something yesterday. He felt something was amiss with her but didn't ask about it. Just then, Emmett wanted to investigate what Isla had burnt. Alas, the sanitization truck had already placed emptied bins back onto the ground and drove off with the garbage. That left him with no choice but to go upstairs with the cardstock paper in hand.The elevator doors opened, only for several large suitcases to block Emmett's path.A young man nearby noticed that Emmett was unable to exit the elevator. He apologized and moved the suitcases at once.Emmett figured the young man was likely a new neighbor who had just moved in next door. He then remembered Isla's leg injury hadn't healed. So, he planned on using the excuse of reminding her to be careful when heading out the door to start a

    Last Updated : 2025-01-10

Latest chapter

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 25

    Once Emmett returned to the country, he contacted Isla through several people to send her a message. He asked if she was pretending to be in a relationship or if she genuinely liked her new boyfriend. However, Isla didn't respond.She had seen Emmett's true nature by now. Although Emmett claimed to have feelings for her, the truth was he only cared about himself. In his eyes, she was nothing more than an accessory to show off to others and fluff his ego until it was beyond normal.Emmett saw himself as a desirable figure with many suitors who willingly let him walk all over them. To him, he was almighty. It was a twisted mindset.No matter how much Isla explained and proved her innocence, Emmett would only think she was making up excuses. That was why Isla couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind, nor would she talk to him anymore. It wouldn't matter if he proved his devotion to her a hundred times or more. Isla would never spare him another glance again.She didn't need to was

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 24

    "Firstly, I want to remind you out of goodwill that the air is dry during winter. Extinguish all flames once your candlelight confession ends, lest you start trouble."Upon hearing that, Emmett looked up and saw one of the dead leaves swirling in the wind.Isla resumed, "Secondly, I have some good news. I'm dating someone again. My current boyfriend is hotter than the last one, so you can stop confessing now."Those simple sentences kept echoing in Emmett's mind.All at once, it felt like he had been cursed. Those words echoed in his mind so much that a sharp pain spread across his forehead. The immense pain left him devoid of any strength. With a loud thud, his phone fell and slammed onto the table.Unfortunately, Emmett had tied the candlesticks with thin threads to ensure an even distance between each. One candlestick fell, pulling on the threads and causing the others to fall over, too.Hot flames spread onto the dead leaves and feathers on the ground. It then traveled towa

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 23

    Emmett had been through so much that Isla's words no longer fazed him. He even regrouped himself and continued to confess his feelings to her. His confessions went on from the 50th to the 99th time, occurring over late summer to the middle of winter.Isla was unaffected by his spectacular floral arrangements, vibrant fireworks, and romantic messages spelled out in the sky with drones.Instead, she felt relieved that everyone around her had gotten used to addressing her by her Eldran name by now. Few knew that she was the Isla who often received romantic confessions from Emmett.At that rate, Emmett had run out of ways to express his love for Isla. He was becoming helpless since his 99 confessions had failed to move Isla. In the end, he came up with an idea after receiving a reminder from his friends.Emmett chose to confess in a small park at Isla's university. He set up an elaborate display of dominoes, which formed the scene of their first meeting. He also hung many fairy lights

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 22

    Emmett was down for the longest time because of that.He would get drunk at the bar alone, drinking himself silly every night without anyone to care about him. When he awoke every day, he would look at his barren environment and can't help but sink into intense sorrow.Emmett had left his home and was alone in this country with no family or friends. Plus, he had to endure the pain of an unreciprocated love. All those things formed a tight knot in his heart that couldn't be undone.Sometimes, when he got drunk, he felt the urge to ask Isla to break up with her boyfriend. Yet, he lost the courage to approach her whenever he saw her holding hands and beaming at her boyfriend.Emmett had known Isla for two years, but he had never seen Isla smile so happily before. That was because Isla's time with Emmett wasn't even considered average. To be precise, she had gone through so much hell during her days with Emmett that it was painful to even think about.Emmett was already in agony fro

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 21

    Isla thought Emmett would give up for good once she clarified everything to him. However, she quickly realized no amount of reasoning would get through to or work on Emmett. In the next few months, Isla would always see Emmett within a 65 feet radius of her whenever she left her apartment. Emmett would even show up with trinkets and gifts to confess his feelings to Isla every few days.Isla had lost count of how many times he did those things. That said, she remained unfazed by his obsessive and disturbing behavior. Isla pretended not to notice him to the best of her abilities.If she couldn't bring herself to ignore him, she would call for security and have them kick him out for disrupting the peace.After several instances, the entire university knew about Emmett in no time. They also learned about his stalking incidents. Hence, people gossiped about him wherever he went.Even so, Emmett was unbothered by it. He just focused on chasing after Isla. Emmett thought that he could o

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 20

    Emmett followed Isla's camping group to the outskirts. He was on the other side of the river from them and could see everything clearly. There were seven to eight foreign exchange students having a barbecue together. They seemed lively as they chatted, hung out, and played games.Emmett couldn't blend in with them, so he could only watch from afar. Yet, he felt more panicked as he watched them. That was because Wayne was always beside Isla, regardless of what she was doing. Wayne and Isla were never more than ten footsteps apart. In fact, they were getting closer by the minute.The way they were unusually close sparked jealousy in Emmett. He eagerly wanted to storm over and take Isla away. However, he knew that would only piss Isla off. Emmett didn't want his relationship with Isla to remain tense. He couldn't risk doing anything that would worsen the situation. So, he could only tolerate the complicated emotions that gnawed at his heart and tell himself to endure things.That

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 19

    Emmett had contacted many people before finally getting someone to bail him out. He roamed the streets aimlessly, not knowing where to go. Just the thought of everything that had happened these days left his chest burning in agony.Boundless regret suffocated him from the inside.He desperately wanted to return to when Isla confessed her feelings for the 99th time. He wished he had agreed to date her and revealed he felt the same way. None of the recent chaos would have happened if he had done that.Isla wouldn't have abandoned him, and they could have settled down together.Alas, the cold night's breeze and rain rudely snapped him out of his daydream. He gazed up at the endless drizzle and finally realized things had reached a point beyond repair.Even so, he refused to give up.Emmett had crushed on Isla for two years. He waited two years for her, so he refused to end up empty-handed. He swore to do everything to win Isla back. Similar to when Isla pursued him, he planned to

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 18

    Edoardo stumbled a few steps back from the force.Emmett shot a frosty glare at him before tugging at Isla's arm, wanting to leave.Edoardo held the wall to stabilize himself. When he saw Isla resisting Emmett, he immediately rushed to her once more and punched Emmett in the face. The two men then got into a physical altercation.Because of that, the once peaceful corner of the garden fell into chaos. The chairs and tables were flipped over, and food was scattered all over the ground. Even the flowerpots beside the three got knocked over.Many of the cafe's patrons were terrified of being implicated in the men's fight. So, they fled out the door.The cafe owner, who was on the second floor, phoned the police immediately.Since the cafe was in the city center, the police arrived soon after. They forced Emmett and Edoardo, who were both seeing red, apart. Then, they brought the two back to the police station.Emmett's gauze bandage had come off his forehead during the fight, revea

  • Fading Slowly but Surely   Chapter 17

    The weather was lovely on the weekend, which was rare.Isla happily met up with Edoardo at a garden-themed cafe. The two chatted as a flock of white doves flew from the lake. A feather landed on her hair just then. When Edoardo saw it, he smiled and stood, wanting to help her remove it. They were so close to each other that they looked like a couple from afar.Isla looked up at him with a cheery gaze. She had just uttered, "Thanks," when she noticed something from the corner of her eyes and stiffened.A haggard-looking man stood at the door with a gauze bandage around his head. Why did he seem so much like Emmett?Before Isla could get a better look, the man was already storming over to her.Emmett's bloodshot eyes lowered onto the table full of delectable desserts. His gaze flickered between Edoardo and Isla as he furiously questioned, "Who is he?"Only after hearing the man's familiar voice did Isla confirm he was Emmett. Although she was unsure why he knew her exact locati

You may also like

DMCA.com Protection Status