11. Out of City Service

You are like a cup of coffee in my life, a perfect blend of bitterness, sweetness, and addiction.

***

Emily received a warm welcome from all the teaching staff who were in the room. She received numerous congratulations on her marriage for the second time. Their enthusiasm playfully embarrassed Emily, causing her cheeks to turn red.

Among her colleagues, Emily was known as a friendly, kind, and humorous teacher. Wherever Emily was, laughter was sure to follow. Her three-day leave had made her fellow teachers miss the cheerful figure. Furthermore, Emily was the only teacher who was still single, so when she announced that she was about to get married, they were thrilled. Especially because during her year of teaching, Emily had never been seen with a boyfriend.

Teaching was Emily's way of diverting the sadness and disappointment that Rama, her fRyancé who unilaterally canceled their wedding two days before the ceremony, had inflicted on her. What made it even more heartbreaking was