Chapter 4

That night, Sheldon opened a travel app and looked up direct flights from Sudbury to Paldonia. He had just paid for his ticket when Caroline showed up with Oliver.

"Sheldo, guess what? Oliver agreed to be my boyfriend!" she said eagerly. "See? I'm a good friend. You're the first person I told."

Sheldon glanced at their intertwined fingers and nodded.

"Congrats," he replied in a flat voice.

Oliver's face lit up with happiness, and a shy smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks. Mrs. Graham told me you were badly hurt. How are you feeling now? I brought you some seafood chowder. Have some."

Then he urged Caroline to pour Sheldon a bowl.

Sheldon paused, stunned by how readily Caroline did as Oliver asked. A beat later, he returned to his senses and said, "Thanks, but I'll pass."

Caroline's expression darkened at once.

"Oliver made that chowder himself! I didn't even want to give you any. I only agreed to bring you some because he was worried about you. Why are you being so ungrateful?" she snapped, glaring at him.

As she spoke, Caroline poured Sheldon a bowl of chowder and shoved it into his hands, insisting that he drink it right away.

He tried to explain, but she pinned his wrist down. In the struggle, the bowl overturned, and hot chowder spilled all over his wounds.

Sheldon yelped, cold sweat beading on his forehead. His face contorted with pain, and he went as pale as a sheet.

Oliver was startled. Guilt flashed across his face as he hurriedly pulled out some tissues and reached over to help Sheldon wipe the chowder off.

But Caroline was afraid he'd get burned. She quickly pulled him behind her and said, "Oliver, this isn't your fault. Sheldon's always been pretty tough. He'll be fine, so don't blame yourself."

Sheldon's hand trembled as he held the tissue. His chest tightened painfully.

Just then, Lewis walked in. The moment he saw blood seeping through Sheldon's bandages again, he panicked and called for a nurse.

Diana was beside herself with worry, but she patiently set the chowder aside and explained, "Oliver, Sheldon's allergic to seafood, so he can't eat this. It's very thoughtful of you to bring it, though. We appreciate it."

Caroline stood rooted to the spot, looking visibly uncomfortable.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked.

Sheldon looked at the bloodstained bandages, bitterness welling up inside him.

Caroline used to remember exactly what he couldn't eat. Whenever they went out to eat, she always made a point of telling the server to leave out the seafood, onions, and cilantro.

But now that Oliver was in her life, she had eyes only for him. It was no wonder she'd forgotten something as simple as what Sheldon couldn't eat.

A heart had room for only one person, and Oliver was the one Caroline loved.

After a long silence, Sheldon forced a smile and answered, "You never even gave me a chance to speak."

The room fell deathly silent. Guilt was written all over Oliver's face, and he looked like he might cry.

Feeling sorry for Oliver, Caroline said nothing and led him away.

…

The wound infection kept Sheldon in the hospital for another three days before he was discharged.

As their move abroad drew closer, the Grahams were busy packing. Lewis and Diana couldn't get away, so they put together a generous gift and sent Sheldon to the Reed residence in their place.

As soon as Sheldon stepped inside, Edmund and Helen took his hands and began apologizing profusely.

"We're so sorry, Sheldon. You and Caroline have been close for years, but when that accident happened, she only thought about protecting Oliver.

"She didn't even stop to think about you, and you ended up seriously injured. We feel awful about what happened. We'll make sure she apologizes to you."

Sheldon shook his head and gently reassured them, "Mr. Campbell is Caroline's boyfriend. Of course she'd want to protect him. I'm fine, really. It's nothing to worry about, Mr. and Mrs. Reed."

Seeing that he hadn't taken it to heart, Edmund and Helen finally stopped worrying.

After chatting for a while, Sheldon finally told them his family was moving abroad.

Edmund and Helen were taken aback. "This is so unexpected!"

"The company is making some changes, so we've been preparing for the move for about six months. We only finalized the plans recently. My parents wanted me to stop by and let you know."

The thought of their old friends leaving made Edmund and Helen sad. Reluctance tinged their voices as they asked, "Will you ever come back?"

Sheldon smiled. In the quiet living room, his words sounded unusually clear.

"We won't be coming back after we leave."

At that moment, Caroline returned home. She pushed open the door and frowned at them. "Who's not coming back?"