Chapter 3

"Let it cool down a bit before you drink it. It's a little hot," Levi said, sitting on the edge of the bed while holding my hand.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked, squeezing my fingers. "I swear I only did it because I thought Belinda looked pitiful. You're the only one in my heart."

I looked at him. Did he really mean that?

I then looked at the numbers above his head.

[198 days, 10 hours, 20 minutes.]

The time didn't increase.

His guilt and attempts to cheer me up didn't even add a single second to the time. I just closed my eyes and slid my hand out of his.

"I'm not mad."

His phone rang at that very moment. It was particularly jarring in the otherwise silent bedroom.

Levi froze at first. Then, he picked up the phone he'd left on the nightstand. The moment the screen lit up, I saw the caller ID on the screen. It was Belinda.

He glanced at me with a somewhat evasive look. However, he didn't decline the call. Instead, he answered it and put her on loudspeaker. He always used frank approaches like this to prove he had nothing to hide.

"Mr. Hammond…"

Belinda's tearful voice came through from the other end of the line.

"What's the matter?" Levi asked, his voice tensing immediately.

"M-My roommate just locked me out…"

Her voice sounded very shaky, and the sound of the pouring rain was very loud and clear in the background.

"I-I'd just showered and didn't bring a towel with me, so I came out in a bathrobe, but the wind slammed the door shut. My keys and phone are both inside the room. I only managed to call you after borrowing a phone from the convenience store staff.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Hammond, but I really don't know who else to call."

Levi jumped to his feet at once. "Wait at the convenience store for me, okay? Don't go anywhere!"

The urgency in his voice was literally impossible to hide as he added, "I'll be right there."

After hanging up, he turned around and went to grab his coat from the hangers.

"Anna, Linda's in some trouble, so I have to go over and help her for a bit," he said while putting on his coat.

I leaned back against the pillow and looked at him.

"It's still pouring outside."

"I know."

"I still have a fever."

Levi paused. Then, he walked back to the bed and reached out to touch my face.

"You just took some meds, so you'll be fine tomorrow once you get some sleep. But she's alone outside in just a bathrobe. She's going to be in huge trouble if I don't go."

His tone was filled with a strong sense of responsibility.

"Just wait for me at home, okay? I'll be right back."

Then, he turned and strode out of the bedroom, slamming the front door shut with a loud bang in his haste.

I looked at the steaming mug of honey lemon tea on the nightstand, then at the spot where he'd been standing earlier. I could almost still see the shadows of those red numbers jumping above his head.

[120 days, 8 hours, 15 minutes.]

"Okay. I'll wait."

My fever subsided the next day. However, my voice was still hoarse, and I could barely speak.

Levi never came home last night. He did send me a text message at 6:00 am, though.

"We couldn't get the landlord on the phone last night, so I got her a room at the Bayside Motel nearby. I just got back to the office. Don't forget to take your meds this morning."

I stared at the words on the screen.

A motel? Him, alone with another woman?

I didn't actually think that they'd slept together last night. I knew that Levi still had his principles. But the words were sharp and jarring nonetheless.

…

I dropped by Levi's company, Hammond Co., later that afternoon. My best friend, Melody Cordova, had borrowed my car the day before and would return it to me there. Levi had also asked me to drop off some documents that he'd left at home, so the trip made sense.

When I pushed open the glass door leading into the CEO office suite, it was very quiet there. As it turned out, Levi was in the middle of a meeting.

Belinda was sitting outside his office at the secretary's desk, typing away at her keyboard. She shot to her feet as soon as she saw me.

"Mrs. Hammond! What are you doing here? Have you recovered from your cold?"

She smiled very brightly at me, showing off her perfect row of pearly whites. She was also wearing a loose men's windbreaker. The sleeves were rolled up twice, but the jacket still looked far too large on her.

That was the coat that Levi had put on last night before going out.