LOGINWilla's eyes were blank as she stared outside.At some point, the sky had turned dark. Large drops of rain hammered against the airport's glass walls.Willa glanced at the pouring rain outside before turning back to face me."Stevie, it's raining again."I didn't bring an umbrella."I suddenly recalled a scene from five years ago. It had been a rainy day just like this one.Willa hadn't brought an umbrella either. She had stood helplessly at the entrance of the academic building. I had seen the rainwater running down the side of her face, and my heart had skipped a beat.I had opened my umbrella and invited her to walk with me to the building."Thanks. I'm Willa, a sophomore with a Finance major."Back then, I thought it must have been fate.But now, looking at the disheveled woman standing in front of me, I felt as if an entire lifetime had passed.I reached into the side pocket of my luggage and retrieved a black folding umbrella.I placed it in Willa's hand.Willa stare
We sat across from each other by the window.Willa remained silent, and her hands were clasped together on the table. Her lips moved several times, but she kept hesitating.I glanced at my watch and frowned slightly. My voice carried a hint of impatience."If you have something to say, just say it. I have somewhere to be."She finally spoke. Her voice was so soft at first that it was barely above a whisper."I'm sorry. You never replied to any of the messages I sent you."I know you still hate me for what I did. I deserve it. I blame myself too. I was an idiot!"She looked up at me. Her eyes were bloodshot. It looked like she had summoned all her courage to speak."After everything that happened, I finally understand that you're the only person in this world who ever truly cared about me. I was blinded before. I didn't know how lucky I was–"She suddenly leaned toward me and reached for the back of my hand. Her voice was humble and pleading."Stevie, can we start over? I prom
My phone screen kept lighting up. Willa bombarded me with messages like she had lost her mind.At first, her texts were filled with anger and accusations.[Why did you do this to me?][Stevie, are you crazy? You knew I was cheating on you, so why did you pretend you knew nothing?][You loved me so much. Why did you suddenly leave me? Did you fall in love with someone else?]After sending those messages, her tone changed completely. Her texts turned into humble confessions and desperate pleas.[Stevie, I'm sorry. I was just angry when I sent you those messages. Please come back. I really do know I was wrong.][We can still have children. I promise I'll be a good wife from now on. Let's stop fighting, okay?][I lost the company. I lost the baby. Hugo ran away. I only have you now. You're the only one who ever truly loved me! Stevie, please come back. I can't lose you too.]The glow of the screen flashed briefly in front of me.I stared at those messages as if I was watching a p
The whole thing became an enormous spectacle.The fact that a wedding had turned into a reveal party of a man sleeping with his stepdaughter was already shocking enough. To make matters worse, the Jenner family was one of the leading families in the area.A scandal like this involving a wealthy family perfectly satisfied the public's appetite for gossip.Normally, a scandal like this would have been locked down immediately. The family would have paid whatever hush money was necessary to bury it. Anyone who dared report on it would have received a lawyer's letter threatening legal action.But somehow, not one of the dozens of media outlets that had attended that day received a single hush payment.Their articles weren't taken down. Instead, they spread across the internet like a virus.Six or seven of the top ten trending searches were about the scandal.[Sleeping with her mother, then her? Photos of the Jenner family's patriarch and Jenner Corporation's CEO in bed are now expose
The entire room fell silent for several seconds."You animal! You're an absolute beast!"A furious roar shattered the silence.Willa's uncle Brandon, who was her mother's older brother, was the first to charge forward.He grabbed Willa by the collar and slammed his fist into her face."How dare you do this to your dead mother!"It hasn't even been six months since Miranda died, and you couldn't even leave your stepdad alone! You monster!"Brandon was trembling with rage. He picked up the photographs from the floor and hurled them straight into Willa's face.The punch sent Willa stumbling backward. Blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.She wanted to explain and argue, but as she looked at the obscene photographs scattered across the floor and the contemptuous, shocked, disgusted faces of her relatives and friends, every word became lodged in her throat. She couldn't get a single one out.At the same time, her aunt Samantha sprang into action.She rushed like a gust of w
Boom!The thunder outside was loud. It was followed by a blinding flash of lightning.I looked at Willa's fierce expression and the smug Hugo in her arms.I slowly shook my head and laughed.Willa froze."You–"I didn't give her a chance to say anything else. I calmly wiped the corner of my mouth.I then stood up, picked up my bag, pushed open the door of the villa, and walked out.I opened the umbrella I had refused to lend Willa and stepped into the rain.Half of my body was soaked within moments, and I shivered violently from the cold.Even then, my steps never wavered.Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.Willa suddenly jolted to her senses. Listening to the pouring rain outside, she realized she might have gone too far with what she had said.Besides, it was pouring outside, and I was sick.Panic suddenly filled her heart. She wanted to chase after me.But the moment she broke free, Hugo wrapped his arms around her again."Willa, don't go. It's thunder







