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Chapter 3

Autor: Dawn Truman
I quickly put my phone away and placed it face down on the table. "I was just looking at some necessities for the house."

Wendy did not doubt me, and she wrapped her arms around my neck intimately. "My dad is going for his regular checkup at the hospital, and Eli volunteered to accompany him. I've cleared my work schedule today to accompany you.

"Come on, let's go try on that suit you bought for the engagement party. You've been looking forward to putting it on for six months."

An hour later, we were waiting in the lobby of the bespoke tailor. The staff approached us with embarrassment after checking the records. "I'm so sorry. Mr. Sterling called yesterday to cancel the purchase of the suit. The payment has been cleared with the deposit."

Wendy gently tidied my collar and took out a watch from her purse to hold against my wrist. "What's with this tantrum? I've even bought a matching watch for the suit. I told you before that you'll have what everyone has."

Wendy looked at me unhappily as I remained stoic. "I know you lost your parents at a young age, Joel, so you’ve always been insecure and worried that someone will take everything from you. But Evan is just my secretary.

"He has connections and resources from powerful families, and I take care of him for my business' sake." Wendy's fingers gently caressed the frown between my eyes.

"You're an orphan with no family or connections to protect you. I'm the only one who can protect you, which is why I need you to have a bigger heart.

"Don't act like a spoiled child and hold every minor thing against me when I'm just trying to keep up appearances for my business. I don't blame you for not understanding the rules of the real world, but I'm getting tired of it.

"Just get inside and try on your suit, and we'll pretend nothing happened yesterday."

Just as she was about to kiss me, someone pushed the doors open, and Wendy's assistant dashed in with great panic. "Miss Chance, something horrible has happened! A few suppliers are demanding they get paid and making a scene! They have Evan surrounded!"

Wendy turned to run out of the door without hesitation, but she had forgotten that the metal clasp of the watch was entangled with the clasp on my cufflink. When she pulled away, it tugged hard on my cufflink, and the solid metal scratched the inside of my wrist, leaving behind a bright red mark.

"Ow!" I turned pale from the pain, but Wendy did not even look at me, nor did she notice my pain. "Try on the suit first. I'll return right after I take care of this."

The glass doors slammed in front of me, leaving me with a bloody scratch on my wrist and the watch dangling from my sleeve.

I pushed the door open and walked into the rain. When I turned the corner to hide from the rain, I spotted a familiar white sedan parked at the side of the road. It was Eli's car, and the passenger seat had the window rolled down halfway.

Josiah was sitting in the passenger seat, even though he was supposed to be at the hospital for a checkup. He was chatting happily inside the car with Eli, speaking very clearly.

"That was smart of Evan. He got Wendy to leave so easily. Now she doesn't need to waste time trying on some silly suit with that chump.

"You should come to my house for dinner tonight, Eli!"

Eli's hands were on the steering wheel as he agreed with a laugh. "You're so right, Mr. Chance! A man like Joel, who only knows how to cook and clean, isn’t good enough for Wendy anymore."

They chatted happily in the car, not realizing that I was standing in the rain right outside the car, hearing every word they were saying. The rain drenched my hair and dripped down my neck. It was so cold, but my mind had never been clearer.

When I got home, my phone vibrated right after I took off my wet coat. It was a text from Wendy. "I'll be a little late tonight, Joel. Get that journal out. I'm taking a day off tomorrow to take you to that historic town you've always wanted to visit."

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  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 10

    The rain finally stopped, and the sun once again shone down on the stone path, but Wendy did not leave. She continued showing up for two weeks straight, always at the same time.Wendy could hardly lift a water bucket, but she gritted her teeth to help move baskets of vegetables into the inn, and she would clumsily clean up the guests’ leftover food.She even ignored her delicate manicure and got her hands dirty, sitting quietly on the ice-cold steps to help me peel potatoes for the next day. She even changed into a cheap T-shirt worth a few dollars and worked until her soft hands were covered with bloody blisters.That evening, there were no guests at the inn, and I sat at the front desk, going through the accounts. Wendy came over to me, looking a little anxious as she rubbed her hands together, and she looked at me cautiously."Joel," her voice was soft and trembled slightly as she pleaded. "I'm bankrupt. Evan tried to protect himself by running away with the company's money and

  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 9

    A dead silence fell in the inn. The arrogant expression on Evan's face disappeared as he reflexively took a step back. "Wendy, w-when did you leave the hospital?"He sounded guilty, but she ignored him and headed straight to the front desk, staring down at the check for $500,000. She grabbed it and tore it to pieces in front of Evan, the bits falling all over the ground like snowflakes."Wendy!" Evan got anxious. "I'm doing this for your own good. Look at how cold he is to you! He doesn't care if you live or die!""Shut up!" Wendy was heaving as she pointed at Evan's nose. "You were the one who gave my dad the idea to pretend to be sick, and you were the one who taught Eli to say all those disgusting things! All of you worked together to force Joel out of my life!"Evan turned pale as he made a last-ditch effort to save his dignity. "It doesn't matter if I came up with the idea. You were the one who made the final decision, weren't you?" He sneered. "You were the one who though

  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 8

    The storm continued the entire night, but Wendy did not leave. She curled up outside the inn, under the leaking roof.When the next morning came, the owner of the store next to our inn told us that a young woman had spent the entire night in the storm and ended up with a 106-degree fever, which induced acute pneumonia. She had coughed up a lot of blood while sitting on the steps.The town's ambulance had stopped at the cross-section of the street with its siren blaring loudly, but Wendy refused to get into it. Several paramedics tried to drag her into the ambulance, but it was to no avail.Her eyes had turned red from the burning fever, and she stumbled, falling right outside the door, wanting to see me one more time.When I heard the commotion, I walked out the door with a washcloth in my hand, looking stoic. Wendy was a mess, kneeling in a puddle while clutching the corner of my shirt. Tears streamed down along with the cold sweat from her fever."I feel horrible… It’s just like

  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 7

    "Joel…" Wendy's tone softened. She was almost pleading with me. "Please don't say such things out of anger. I know you're still mad about me trying to give Evan that journal." She was still anxiously trying to explain things. "It was just an improvised solution to make Evan happy because he helped me snag a big project. The only person I love is you." Wendy pushed the journal covered in cellophane tape toward me. "Come home with me." I looked at her, thinking about how pitiful and laughable her attempts to lie to herself were. An improvised solution? She has used that same excuse for three years.Whenever she used this excuse, I was expected to take the hit for the greater good, and every time she sided with someone else, it was because she took it for granted that I should know better."Don't you understand English, Wendy?" I pushed the journal back to her. "I've already started a new life here. Over here, no one needs me to deliver any hangover remedies, and no one demands that

  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 6

    The rainy season in town came suddenly. It had been raining continuously for a week, and the number of guests at the inn had decreased significantly. I sat on a bench at the front desk, head lowered as I went through the monthly accounts.Ding!It was the windchime at the front door. I did not look up as I said, out of habit, "Welcome! Do you have a reservation with us?"There was no reply, only the sound of heavy footsteps. The footsteps came up to me slowly until they stopped right at the front desk. I looked up, and in my shock, my pen scratched across the accounting sheet, drawing a long line through it.Wendy stood before me with dark circles under her eyes. She was wearing her usual beige coat, looking disheveled. The bottom of the coat was wet and covered with dirt. "I finally found you, Joel." She reached out, trying to grab my wrist with the front desk between us, but I quickly took a step back while staring calmly at her. "Are you looking for accommodation, Miss?" Wen

  • A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells   Chapter 5

    The train sped smoothly on the tracks, and the view outside the window flew past quickly. I leaned back in my seat as I stared at my phone. Wendy was calling me, but I did not pick up. She had given me thirty missed calls. She must have realized things had spun out of control when I did not return home. I checked my texts and found that she had texted me incessantly as well.Wendy: [Stop throwing a tantrum, Joel. I've prepared dinner.}Wendy: [I admit that my attitude was problematic. Just come back so I can apologize to you.]Wendy: [It's really late now. Where are you? Pick up my call!]Wendy: [I'll be really mad at you if you don't pick up my call, Joel!]Her texts started with a haughty tone that gradually turned into impatience. I read her texts, feeling suffocated. I did not feel pain, only a heavy weight on my chest.My fingers started tapping away to block Wendy's number.Four hours later, my train arrived at a historic town in the South. It was the first stop in my

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