Colin soon found a local inn. The owner, upon hearing the sound of the car, came out to give us a warm welcome. He engaged in a friendly conversation with Colin as though they had been friends for many years."Colin, it's been a long time since you've come. Did you finally have a girlfriend? That's great; now I don't have to worry about you.""No, mister. That's not it. I'm Luna, and he's my older brother," I quickly replied before Colin could say anything, feeling a bit embarrassed about being mistaken for his girlfriend."A sister from another mother? Colin, she's even more beautiful than the scenery here. Keep it up!" The owner's eyes contained a hint of encouragement.When Colin shook hands with the owner, his grip was strong—as if they had made some kind of agreement.The owner laughed heartily, telling us to make ourselves at home and that he would take care of our meals and accommodations.For dinner, we had typical northern farmhouse dishes. It was surprisingly delicious,
"No, you're just making me happy. I'm nothing compared to you."Colin tickled me because of my words.Terrified, I screamed and ran around the yard. Cooperating with me, Colin chased after me. He was neither quick nor slow. He accompanied me to have fun.When I was around Colin, I was always treasured. It was as if I was still the innocent girl I was back then.For two consecutive days, both of us had gone to every corner of this place. I had imprinted these beautiful landscapes in my mind and taken many pictures.When I returned to the dormitory, I wanted to sketch out these landscapes I couldn't get enough of with my pencil. In that way, they could last forever.Good times always passed quickly. Colin helped me fasten my seatbelt. When he was taking me back to the dormitory, I looked out to see the lakes and mountains. I didn't want to leave this place.I couldn't help but wipe away my tears. Colin also used his sleeve to wipe away my tears. "If you like it here, I'll bring yo
Jasmine was pretty and gentle. Colin wouldn't kick her, right? If he did that, she would definitely cry."Of course, I know this. You just need to pass this letter to him. I'll take care of the rest. I'm sure I can make him fall in love with me."When I was holding the love letter in my hand, I felt as if I were carrying a heavy item. I felt tired.I didn't want to pass the letter to Colin, but I was afraid that Jasmine would be sad. So, I had no choice but to agree to it.Queenie saw me enter with my right hand raised. She thought something was wrong with me and asked, "Why are you raising your hand? You look funny."I glared at her. Ignoring her, I placed the love letter on the table. It depended on Jasmine's luck whether or not Colin would see it."Have you gotten a love letter? Let me see who's so affectionate!""Don't touch it." I slapped her hand away. "Jasmine wrote this for Colin."Queenie's jaw dropped. Trembling, she pointed her finger at me. "Ah… Luna, how are you so
"Colin, I have two gifts for you, as good things come in pairs. I have prepared one of them for a long time. The other is the icing on the cake."With a smile, Colin nodded. His gaze was gentle. "What gifts have you prepared for me?"I laughed dumbly while holding onto my purse. Dotingly, Colin rubbed my neck.Because Colin liked to ruffle my hair, I had been embarrassed many times in school as my hair was messy. After I was ridiculed by my schoolmates, I told him to change this habit.Colin couldn't refuse me. After gaining my permission, he changed from ruffling my hair to rubbing my neck.For some reason, I realized Colin liked rubbing my neck more than ruffling my hair."Alright, Lulu, don't leave us hanging. Hurry up and take them out. Don't you see that Colt is staring at your purse?"While making a beat with my mouth, I took out a rectangular box with a red ribbon. As if it were a treasure, I handed it to Colin. "Happy birthday, Colin. I hope you can live a long life and
Everyone cheered again. All of them were saying that Colin wanted to read the love letter alone because he wanted to take his time to appreciate it. He didn't want them to know what was written inside.Colin didn't refute. Happily, he looked at me. The stars in his eyes shone. His smile was extremely beautiful.While everyone was happy, someone ruined the mood.Queenie sighed. She shook her head and said, "I advise you to look at it now. If you look at it later, you may be upset.""What do you mean? Is it…" Hector walked over to Queenie. The latter exchanged glances with him.Queenie shrugged her shoulders and glanced at me.Standing next to Colin, I suddenly remembered Queenie's words that night. I realized that his birthday might not be a good time to give him the love letter. I felt regretful.Unfortunately, it was too late. Colin noticed my uneasiness or seemed to have thought of something. He let go of my hand and pulled out the love letter. He opened it and read it.All o
Zoey was worse. She didn't look at me at all. She kept talking to Aaron about me. Her disdainful gaze angered me.At critical moments, my best friends were useless.I felt sad. It felt as if everyone was targeting me. What did I do wrong? Could someone give me a hint?Even if a criminal received a death sentence, he would know which law he broke. It didn't make sense that I offended everyone just by passing a love letter. What did I do wrong?Confused, I returned to my seat. Staring at the table full of food, I didn't have any appetite.Colin remained silent with a straight face. He continued to drink alcohol and did not stop.Everyone pretended to be busy eating. The atmosphere at the table became heavy and uncanny.Bravely, Eden brought up topics to lighten the atmosphere. However, he was stunned by Colin's gaze. In the end, he pretended to be mute and focused on eating.During the meal, Colin didn't even spare me a glance.I knew Colin was angry at me. It was the first time
I couldn't do anything about other people ignoring me, but I was sure Colin couldn't continue to ignore me.The texts were sent one after another."Colin, were you happy today?"Colin, do you think my gift was too cheap? Is that why you don't like it? I'll buy an expensive one for you tomorrow. What do you want?"Colin, that restaurant's food is delicious. I want to eat there on my birthday, too."Colin, why are you angry? Can't you tell me the reason? I'm too stupid. I can't think of it."Colin, why didn't you want to go karaoke? I practiced songs for you."…I sent more than ten messages, but I didn't receive a single reply.Since he didn't want to reply to my messages, I could only call him.When I called him, I realized his phone was turned off.It seemed that Colin was extremely angry this time. But I didn't do anything I shouldn't do.I thought about it until 11:00 pm, but I still didn't know how I angered him. Maybe he was on his period, so his mood wasn't stable. I
At that moment, I panicked. Pulling out my phone, I called several people. I called everyone close to Colin whose numbers I knew, but no one picked up my call.Not wanting to give up, I called Aaron and Eden repeatedly. But none of them picked up.Were they pretending to be missing?Did something happen to Collin?At once, I ran to the studio in the research institute, passing through corridors and gardens.When I arrived, I realized the door to the studio was closed. No matter how many times I knocked, no one responded.I couldn't find Colin anywhere.My world was crushed.Defeatedly, I returned to the dormitory. Without eating anything, I went to sleep.There were no classes in the afternoon, so I slept until 5:00 pm. When I woke up, my stomach was rumbling.Colin said that he wanted me to gain weight and that I shouldn't skip any meals.I admitted that I was doing it on purpose. I wanted to starve myself. Since Colin wanted me to gain weight, he would do something if he k
Luna furiously scolded me, asserting that I didn't deserve Queenie's love and that Queenie had been blind to my true colors all those years. Driven mad by desperation, I chased after Queenie, determined to tell her I was wrong and plead for another chance to prove myself. However, the young man intervened, delivering a swift and punishing combination of punches and kicks that knocked me to the ground. Humiliated, I struggled to get up and fight back, unwilling to lose to another man.Despite his youthful appearance, the look in his eyes as he glanced at Queenie was undeniable. It was a blend of love, desire, and possessiveness only a man could understand.I was consumed by the thought that he wasn't worthy of my precious Queenie's love.Nevertheless, my body felt heavy and powerless. It was as if the strength had been drained from me. The blows rained down on me, bringing with them a strange sense of relief amidst the pain. Part of me yearned for him to kick me harder, inflict
I wanted nothing more than to run to Queenie, to hold her tightly and tell her how much I missed her during those endless days apart. I wanted to kiss her deeply and feel the warmth of her embrace. I called out, "Queenie, I'm here."Seeing me seemed to jolt Queenie from her joyous state, replacing it with a vacant expression. Mere moments before, she had been smiling brightly, her eyes aglow with happiness. Now, she appeared lost, her initial elation dissipating into a blank, unresponsive gaze.I couldn't understand why she had turned so distant upon seeing me. The love and joy that once shone in her eyes were nowhere to be found. As I observed her, I wondered if our time apart had caused her to forget. Or perhaps the events of the past had wounded her so profoundly that she had stopped waiting for me.The thoughts terrified me, and I dared not ask for fear of confirming my suspicions. All I wanted was to hold her, kiss her, and tell her how much I missed her. Yet, it seemed tha
I had no interest in Daniela's pregnancy, so I kicked her out of the house. My friends came to console me, each expressing their sympathies with a drink because they didn't know how else to comfort me.The money I had sent to Queenie's account was quickly returned as the account had been closed. Her phone number became unreachable, and when I sought her at her parents' home, I found the elderly couple waiting anxiously for their daughter's return. I lost not only Queenie but any connection to her. I grew disinterested in everything, neglecting my company and spending my days in a drunken haze.Then, my uncle came. We drank through the night as he shared tales of his hardships, the painful memories of his mother, and the years he spent alone, suffering.He said, "Everyone has their fate, Flynn. And choosing one thing often means losing another. Just as you've chosen to fight for the family business, you've sacrificed a part of yourself. But you must rise and fight me with all you'v
Queenie would then jump off the cliff, leaving me to jolt awake in a cold sweat. I endured each twilight in my hopeless vigil, counting down the days.On the 75th day, the door finally unlocked. I stepped outside and realized that this was the neighborhood where Queenie and I lived. All this time, we had been mere yards apart.My mom truly knew how to break a person's spirit. All I had to do was lift my head to see the pomegranate tree planted in our yard.I stumbled toward our home, my wounds screaming as I desperately called for Queenie. But the immaculate house stood eerily silent, echoing my footsteps like thunder.Except for Queenie, every possession remained meticulously in place—the exquisite clothes, expensive jewelry, and designer cosmetics.Queenie was gone, and the thought of losing her drove me into a frenzy.I collapsed in the middle of the room, sobbing uncontrollably. Regret consumed me. I should have never let my family's threats manipulate me and left Queenie to
I clenched my fists, barely resisting the urge to rush over to Queenie's side. All I wanted was to embrace her and whisper assurances that I would protect her, always. But I knew I had no right to do so.My dad's threat hung heavy in my mind, and the stares of Daniela and her mother bore into Queenie like daggers. One wrong move or word and those blades would descend upon Queenie, cutting her to shreds.The pain was unbearable. I felt sorry for Queenie. I was powerless and couldn't help her. With all my heart, I wished for her to stay strong and survive. She deserved better than me. Daniela's mother slapped Queenie, calling her a whore and a homewrecker, accusing her of seducing other people's boyfriends.Queenie stood rigidly, her gaze filled with humiliation. Her lips trembled, and the light in her eyes gradually faded.I winced in agony but held myself together, picking up Daniela and walking away.Countless times afterward, I berated myself for choosing to take Daniela away
We both knew the truth—neither of us could cross the chasm that had formed between our hearts.After that, I went home almost every day. We managed to maintain a semblance of normalcy in our day-to-day lives. We prepared sumptuous dinners and tended to our garden. I even considered adopting a pet to keep Queenie company while I was away.However, no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't rekindle the warmth we had once shared. Queenie hardly smiled anymore. No matter what I did to cheer her up, she would only give a half-hearted smile, her eyes remaining cold and distant.I knew something had transpired during our separation, but she refused to discuss it. My attempts to uncover the truth through private investigators were in vain. Any evidence had been meticulously erased.Eventually, I realized Queenie was simply biding her time, waiting for the moment when she would be forced to relinquish all hope and leave.A month later, my mother joyfully told me that Daniela was pregnant an
I grabbed a brush from the bathroom and scrubbed myself furiously, desperate to wash away the overwhelming sense of filth. Even as the rough bristles tore into my skin, drawing blood and causing searing pain, I felt no closer to feeling clean.My mind was consumed with thoughts of Queenie and the nearly five years we had spent together—the happy moments, the arguments, every single memory.At that moment, I realized I was terrified. Never before had I experienced such abject fear. Knowing Queenie's uncompromising stance on love and fidelity, I knew she would never forgive me once she discovered my transgression.She would undoubtedly turn and leave, heedless of any pleas I might make. I probably wouldn't even have the courage to ask for her forgiveness in the face of her justified anger.I regretted everything. If I had listened to my friends and taken Queenie away from all this, none of this would have happened. But I had hesitated. Even now, I couldn't be certain if my hesitati
Yesterday afternoon, my dad called and demanded that I make a decision within two days, or they would take action.I felt cornered because I genuinely didn't know how to talk to Queenie about this. The mere idea of her packing her belongings and leaving, accompanied by the unspeakable anguish it would inflict upon me, was a burden too heavy to bear.I wasn't sure if I could ever have a semblance of normality in my life again after that.So, I gathered some friends to drink with me. I drank heavily because I had made a decision—a disgraceful, heartless decision. The thought of what I would have to face the next day made life seem hopeless, so I drank even more.Before losing consciousness, I handed my car keys to my assistant, using my last bit of clarity to tell him to take me home no matter what state I was in.Even if it meant returning to the Hayes family's residence, he should not leave me out on the streets. Despite the imminent breakup, I wanted to part ways with Queenie in
My mom proved to be even more ruthless than my dad. She found me, dropped to her knees without a word, and begged me. She reminded me of the years they had spent raising me, pleading that I ensure they wouldn't be left without a sense of security in their old age.In essence, they were pressuring me to abandon everything. I was to pursue money and power for their sake, secure the Hayes family's head position, and ensure our grip on wealth and influence. Their priority was maintaining their luxurious, elevated lifestyle. My happiness, my desires—whether I even wanted those things—meant nothing to them. Sometimes, it felt like I was nothing more than a tool for achieving their ambitions.My dad told me bluntly that he would go after Queenie if I didn't comply. He said, "You're right. I'm incapable of outmaneuvering your uncle. But no matter how incompetent I am, I can easily make Queenie's life in Harveyton unbearable."To be honest, that day was the coldest my heart had ever felt