Chapter 2

Sinead was woken up by a barrage of messages from Nelson.

He had sent dozens in a row, all asking when she was coming over. All she could feel was bitterness in her heart. 'Nelson, do you have any idea how cruel you are?'

Her hand trembled as she typed a single line: [I'm not feeling well today. I'm not coming.]

A short while later, Jackson and Liana knocked on her door.

"Sinead, even if you're mad at Nelson, this isn't the time for that," Liana said.

"Hurry up and get changed, then go over to his home. You have no idea how seriously he's taking this date. He has liked that girl from the Johnson family for years. As soon as he heard she was back in the country, he went straight to me and asked me to make the introduction," Liana continued.

"That's right," Jackson added. "She studied piano with me for a while, so I personally went over there to set this meeting up. Everything's quite formal, from what I heard, whether it's the dinner or the gifts. He asked you to go over so you can liven things up and make her feel less awkward. Nelson is serious this time. How can you not help him when you two are so close?"

So, when Nelson realized she was not going, he had actually called her parents?!

Listening to their earnest words, Sinead could only choke back her tears, wash up, and go downstairs.

The two families lived close to each other. Ten minutes later, she was already standing at the Lanes' front door, opening the shoe cabinet by the entrance.

It was empty. Her little bunny slippers were gone. She searched for them several times before finally finding them in the trash can outside the door. Along with the slippers were a mug, a toothbrush, a towel, pajamas... All of them belonged to her.

"Ms. Green, Mr. Nelson threw all of these out," the maid said. "Please use these disposable slippers for now."

Sinead stared at the trash can for a long time without a word. The Greens and the Lanes had been close for generations, and she had come over almost every day growing up, often staying the night.

Nelson had set up a bedroom just for her and bought her all the everyday items, carefully picking out the little bunny designs she liked. He had told her that this was her home too, and she did not need to worry about formalities.

Behind both families' backs, they had hugged and kissed at the front door, held hands together under the dining table, and even made love in the study.

Now that Irene was back, he was worried the girl he had secretly liked for years would get the wrong idea. So, he had thrown away everything that had to do with her.

It took Sinead such a long time to steady herself before she finally slipped on the slippers.

As soon as she walked in, she saw Nelson peeling fruit for Irene, with the two of them talking and laughing. He sat on the sofa in a custom satin suit, hair carefully styled, with a trace of cologne on him. He was alluring in a cool way… proper on the outside, a little mischievous on the inside.

Back in school, Sinead had heard plenty of girls say he was so handsome he would look good even if he were poorly dressed, and if he ever bothered to dress up, the pretty-boy celebrities in the entertainment industry could all go home.

But by nature, Nelson was wild and careless. On normal days, he simply threw on a T-shirt and never bothered to dress up.

So… he didn't mind dressing to impress when he was in front of the person he liked.

The man who had been wrapped up in bed with her just yesterday now acted as though he had never met her. He glanced at her once, then looked away and focused entirely on Irene.

He kept the conversation going without pause, from hobbies to the weather, from work to jewelry brands, from childhood stories to their school days.

Sinead lowered her eyes, quietly mocking herself in her mind as she watched Nelson tirelessly search for topics to talk with Irene on and on. So, he could be this proactive in front of the person he liked.

"It was quite a coincidence back in high school," Irene said with a laugh. "You were a year above me, and we weren't even in the same building, but we kept running into each other at school. It really felt like fate."

Hearing her bring up the past, Sinead looked at Nelson's reddening ears and let out a quiet smile.

Fate?

Nelson was behind every single one of those coincidences.

She used to follow him around, watching him try everything for the girl he liked, and it made her heart ache. Later, when Irene had gone abroad, she had thought she had finally gotten what she wanted.

But looking at things now, it was Nelson who had gotten his wish.

While Sinead was lost in thought, she suddenly heard her name being called. "I heard back in high school that you had a childhood sweetheart you were really close to. That must be Ms. Green, right?"

Sinead paused for a moment, and when she raised her head, she met Irene's probing gaze. Before she could answer, Nelson's parents, Kenny and Opal Lane, cheerfully cut in.

"They're very close," Kenny said. "Those two have been inseparable since they were little. We even thought about arranging a match for them when they were kids..."

Nelson's face darkened halfway through, and he cut them off. "Dad, Mom, let's not joke about that anymore. No matter who I like, it won't ever be Sinead."

Sinead lowered her eyes to hide the disappointment in them and forced a smile. "Same here. No matter who I end up with, it won't ever be Nelson."

At that, Nelson's expression froze for a second, then quickly returned to normal. He then extended his arm over her shoulders the way he would with a good friend and said, "Exactly. We're just friends."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the living room eased.

Sinead laughed along with them, and she heard Nelson let out a quiet sigh of relief and a soft thank you. "Not bad. Thanks for making things less awkward for me."

She said nothing as she just shifted a few steps to the side, putting some distance between them.

Making things less awkward?

No.

Every word she had just said was the truth.