When Love Fades Like a Dream Chapter 4

As soon as Charlotte spoke, Kenneth's hold around Freya's shoulder tightened abruptly.

Freya, however, remained calm, her expression unchanged. "Is that so? Fate must have brought us together."

Seeing how the atmosphere seemed to dampen, people around them immediately began to liven things up.

A group of familiar faces gathered to drink and play games, making a lot of noise.

Since Freya didn't know anyone and wasn't interested in joining the commotion, she sat quietly on the couch.

Although Kenneth stayed by her side, his gaze kept drifting toward the table on the left.

Freya followed his line of sight and immediately saw Charlotte, who was causing the most noise.

At first, Kenneth tried to hold himself back, but when Charlotte picked up her drink, he couldn't sit still anymore. He suddenly stood up, snatched the glass from her hand, and spoke with clear displeasure.

"Why are you drinking when you're allergic to alcohol? Are you crazy?"

His tone was so agitated that the entire hall went quiet and turned to look at them.

Charlotte casually fiddled with the dice in her hand, a mischievous smile curling on her lips.

"You still remember that after all these years?"

Before Kenneth could respond, a few of his drunken friends stumbled over and loudly chimed in, "How could Ken forget? Back when you two were dating, he was completely obsessed with you!"

Upon hearing this, Kenneth instinctively glanced at Freya, and his expression darkened immediately. He snapped, "If you've had too much to drink, go sober up and stop talking nonsense!"

Realizing that Freya was present, the group of men paled and quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Slow down on the drinks, man. The game isn't over yet!"

"Next round!"

The tense atmosphere finally returned to normal as the group continued their game.

Suppressing the emotions surging in his chest, Kenneth returned to the couch and handed a glass of juice to Freya.

Freya said nothing, nor did she ask any questions. She took the glass and sipped it calmly.

Her composed demeanor, however, only made Kenneth more uneasy.

He intended to explain but was interrupted by an uproar behind him.

"Charlotte lost! I'll draw the question!"

"Let's see... It's a 'truth!' If you had the chance, would you get back together with your ex-boyfriend?"

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Charlotte's gaze shifted to Kenneth. With a faint smile, she emphasized, "Never."

That one-word reply made the air in the room drop to freezing point. No one dared to speak.

Charlotte, however, acted as if she hadn't noticed and cheerfully suggested starting a new game.

The group reluctantly humored her, their eyes darting nervously to Kenneth, whose dark expression seemed ready to tear the room apart.

As the new round began, Charlotte lost again.

This time, as she was about to accept her punishment, Kenneth finally snapped. Grabbing her wrist, he stormed out of the room with her in tow.

It was as if everyone had anticipated this scene. No one asked questions; they simply continued their games, pretending not to notice.

But Freya, seated by the window, could see the two figures outside through the floor-to-ceiling glass. They were engaged in a heated argument, their gestures animated and voices inaudible through the thick panes.

As Freya watched the scene unfold, a flicker of complex emotion crossed her eyes.

Freya knew Kenneth as someone who seemed indifferent to everything. His face was perpetually adorned with a lazy, nonchalant smile.

In the eight years she had known him, this was the first time she had seen him so utterly out of control.

And it was all because of Charlotte's "never".

It turned out that when one was unloved, the pain was universally the same.

The argument outside escalated until Kenneth, visibly furious, stormed off without looking back.

When Charlotte returned alone, the mood shifted. Everyone seemed to realize the party had ended. One by one, they found excuses to leave.

Freya, the forgotten protagonist of the evening, quietly got up amidst the commotion.

Before leaving, she detoured to the bathroom.

Through the closed door, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Moments later, the voice of one of the women who had been most boisterous at the table rang out.

"Charlotte, you obviously still like Kenneth. You even came back to Javerton for him. Why did you say something like that earlier and make him so angry? How are you supposed to reconcile now?"

After the sound of running water, Charlotte chuckled and replied, "If we didn't argue, how would I make him remember what happened eight years ago? I want him to recall the heart-wrenching pain of our breakup and that feeling of loving someone but not being able to have them. This way, I will stay on his mind."

"But seriously, it's been eight years. How much more do you want him to miss you? Just look at the girlfriends he's had since then. Every single one of them resembles you. Even though he and the one he brought today have been together for a while, that woman clearly isn't someone he's serious about. It's her birthday today, but Kenneth's attention was on you the whole time. She might as well have been invisible. It's hilarious."

Hearing her friend's teasing, Charlotte chuckled softly before replying with a touch of melancholy, "You don't get it. The Deakin family is one of Javerton's elite families, and Kenneth is exceptional in every way—temperament, looks, everything. Someone like me, with a common background, would never be accepted by his family. They'll eventually marry him off to someone who matches their status perfectly.

"This is the only way to make his heart completely mine. Sure, we fought today, but after a few days, when his anger subsides, I'll give him an opening. He'll definitely come back to me, no hard feelings."

The moment the words left her mouth, the bathroom door suddenly swung open.

Standing not far away, Freya met their stunned gazes head-on.