Chapter 3
“Regarding cooking in the kitchen, it’s because she said she wanted my homemade chicken soup. Yesterday was because she .“%
“The cake looks nice and tastes good, thank you,” I said.
Patrick was momentarily speechless.
I lit the candles and made a wish, hoping this trip abroad would go smoothly.
“Thank you, sincerely,” I said again.
Patrick, “…Vallerie, are you listening to me?“N
“I heard you, and it’s fine. You two are childhood friends, it’s normal. chance,” Patrick said.
There was a flicker of panic in Patrick’s eyes.
nure before, it won’t happen again,” I said. “There is no
“Won’t you have a piece? This cake is really good. Their bakery has improved,” I said, cutting a piece for him.
“Vallerie, are you….really not angry? Not upset?“N
“Look at you, I said I’m not angry. Everyone has close friends, right?” I smiled.
Patrick looked at me strangely.
“Well, Vallerie, we have a class reunion tonight, and they asked us to bring our partners.“W
I was speechless. I stuffed a mouthful of cake into my mouth and slowly swallowed it.M
I remembered how I used to eagerly ask to attend his gatherings, but he never took me, always finding excuses to go with Samuel “I’ll pick you up tonight.“N
“That’s… not convenient. I have something tonight,” I said.
“Is there something wrong with the company?”
I nodded. I wasn’t going to tell him I had enrolled in a TOEFL class to avoid any more drama.@
“It’s fine and we can make it in time.“N
“No, I have a few projects and need to get data ready by tomorrow, I don’t know how late I’ll be working. Don’t let me delay your reunion, and besides, I don’t really like your circle,” I said.N
Patrick couldn’t believe I said that. I used to cling to him, eager to announce to the world that I was his girlfriend.
“But they’re all bringing their girlfriends.“N
“If I don’t finish, I won’t get my bonus this month,” I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin and getting up to change clothes.#
After a while, he said, “In that case, I’ll take Samuel. Don’t…”
I was already upstairs.
The sound of the door closing echoed.
I was unmoved.
My plan to go abroad
waş
already set. When my best friend Tina found out, she took a day off work and traveled by train to see me.
We went out for hotpot, and my phone rang–it was Samuel.
We had a group chat, and Samuel posted pictures of her and Patrick at the reunion, even posting on Twitter with the caption.W
[Tonight is a class reunion for childhood friends, and we could only bring our girlfriends.]
I silently liked her post. Patrick also liked it. I sneered, Patrick never liked or commented on my posts.
In the past, I would confronted him, demanding an explanation, or rushed to the venue to declare that I was his girlfriend.M
But now, I found it pointless. I left the group chat and set Samuel’s updates to invisible.
“What’s up? Can’t let go?” Tina asked.
“Pfft, can’t let go of what? He’s just a man, and a scumbag at that,” I said, silencing my phone, and we happily enjoyed our hotpot #
That night, I didn’t go home. Tina and I stayed up chatting until dawn.
When I woke up, I turned off the silent mode on my phone. It immediately rang–it was Patrick, sounding angry, “Why didn’t you reply to
calls?“W my messages or answer my
I looked at my phone and saw many missed calls and messages.
“Oh, Tina is here, I was with her. What’s up?”
“Well, I came home early last night.“8
“Ok,” I replied.
Anything else?” I asked.B
eri classes, I almost forgot about Patrick &
Ape
C
8.13 PM
my messages or answer my calls?
I looked at my phone and saw many missed calls and messages.
“Oh, Tina is here, I was with her. What’s up?“>
“Well, I came home early last night.”
“Ok,” I replied.
“Anything else?” I asked.
“No, just come home early.”
I was speechless.
These days my company was busy, and I am busy too, busy with going abroad, busy with TOEFL classes, I almost forgot about Patrick. Patrick called, “Vallerie, are you off work? It’s been a while since we had dinner together.“>
I calculated the time. It was time to have a talk.
“Yes, I’m not too busy today. I’ll come home.“}
“Great, don’t leave after work. I’ll pick you up.”
I was about to say something when Helen called me to her office to discuss my trip and some important points.}
By the time I finished, I took out my phone and found that Patrick had called me dozens of times. One WhatsApp message after another popped up.
[Dear, pick up the phone!]
[When did you move? Why didn’t I know?]}
[Are you still angry about what happened that day?]}
8:13 PM
