Chapter 4

Sheila's POV

But this time, Henry wouldn't even give me a proper apology.

I took a deep breath and replied, "If you really want to apologize, apologize to my mom in person."

Henry spent a long time typing out a reply.

Finally, he did. The text read, "Okay, I'll visit Isla at 8:00 pm tonight."

…

At 8:00 pm, I was sitting in the hospital room and looking at my phone.

Henry never showed up.

Mina had updated her X account with a new post. "The trip for two I've been looking forward to for so long. What makes her think she can compare to me?"

The post had a photo of two plane tickets to Soria.

I gave the post a like. Then, I texted Henry, asking, "Are you still coming over?"

Ten minutes later, he replied, "Maybe next time. Mina's birthday is coming soon. She wants to go to Soria, so I'll take her there first."

"What about my mom?" I asked.

He replied, "Isla has been waiting for so long. What's a little longer?"

I stared at his text. I refused to reply to that. It was pointless anyway.

When he returned from Soria a week later, Mom and I would also have gone home.

I simply replied, "Okay", then turned my phone off.

Noticing something was wrong, Mom asked me, "What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth, but I didn't know what to say.

She asked again, "Did you and Henry have a fight?"

I nodded, then shook my head. This wasn't a fight, but an actual breakup.

"Mom, if… if Henry and I break up, will you be upset?" I asked tentatively.

Mom was taken aback by my question. She asked, "Why would you break up?"

I replied, "He treats you badly."

Mom smiled and gently shook her head. "I don't mind."

"He threw away the tamales you made him," I finally said truthfully.

A hint of hurt appeared in Mom's eyes, but she shook her head and said nonchalantly, "They're just tamales. It's okay. I'll just make more for him next time."

I continued, "He also bullies me. He always makes me wait."

Mom's smile stiffened. She asked, "When did this start?"

"He's always been this way," I said softly.

This was the first time I had said anything bad about Henry to Mom.

I thought she'd try to persuade me to forgive him, but she remained silent for a while. Then, she burst into tears and asked me, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't want you to worry," I replied.

Mom was furious. But then, she sobbed, "You didn't want me to feel sorry for you? How dare he treat my daughter like this!"

I had said the same thing earlier, except I'd said those words to Henry, who still hadn't apologized. Mom, on the other hand, was mad that I had kept this from her. But her concern for me came before her anger.

That night, I didn't sleep a wink. I sat in the corridor as I slowly ate the warmed-up tamales.

During that time, Henry called me and asked again, "Sheila, Isla isn't mad anymore, right? After all, I'm coming back next week."

"No."

He said, "Put in a good word for me. When I come back, I'll bring you two gifts."

"No need for—" I tried to say.

But he simply continued, "And didn't you mention you want to get married? I've thought about it, and it should be time."

He chuckled at his words, his voice filled with anticipation.

I pursed my lips and decided to tell him the truth. "Henry, actually, I—"

"I can't talk anymore. Mina's urging me to get my ticket checked. I promised to spend the week with her. We'll talk when I get back. Bye."

Then, he hung up the phone. I quietly finished my sentence as I listened to the busy tone. "Actually, I don't love you anymore."

I sighed and ate the last of the tamales. Then, I patted my hands clean and went back to the ward.

A week later, I helped Mom complete the transfer procedures. Then, we returned to our hometown together.

…

Third-Person POV

Just as the high-speed train Sheila and Isla were on departed, Henry and Mina's flight landed. He turned on his phone, and the first thing he did was send Sheila a message.

"Sheila, I'm back. Have you thought about marriage? How's Isla? Should I pick you up from the hospital?"

As soon as he sent the text, the message remained undelivered, a silent confirmation that his number had been blocked.