Chapter 5

Before I could utter a word, Yvonne ended the call.

I sat beside the hospital bed, my hands tightly clasped. As I struggled to suppress the turmoil rising inside me, my expression became pained.

I didn't see this coming. I never imagined that Yvonne would turn out like this.

The woman who had looked at me with teary eyes and told me she loved me, who had said she would develop a robot for me no matter the cost, who had promised that she would make sure I lived a long life, was now asking me, "Is it really worth getting this worked up over?"

I shook my head, desperately attempting to clear the jumble of thoughts from my mind. Then, I rose to my feet, gathered my belongings, and walked out of the hospital room.

The moment I stepped out of the hospital room, I spotted Yvonne's back. At the moment, she was cautiously supporting Michael. Even though I couldn't see her face, I could tell how concerned she was about Michael.

Perhaps sensing my eyes on her, she abruptly turned around and met my gaze. The moment she saw me, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes. I ignored her, turned around, and walked toward the exit.

To my surprise, Yvonne chased after me and grasped my hand from behind. Her eyes were filled with mockery as she asked, "What, you followed me all the way to the hospital, and yet you're planning to leave without saying a word? Aren't you here to ask about the robotics project?

"Let me say this one more time. I want you to hand over the project to Michael. As for you… the security guard at the entrance had a family emergency recently. You can cover his shift."

When I remained silent, a hint of helplessness flashed through her eyes. "Samson, you've been awfully irritable lately. Don't tell me you're upset because of Michael.

"You really don't need to be. Michael and I have a strictly professional relationship. I just felt sorry for him because he was here all by himself, so I thought I'd look after him a bit. What, is it wrong for a boss to care about her employee now?"

Looking at the self-righteous woman in front of me, I couldn't even remember when she had become like this. It probably began on the day Michael joined the company. Everything had subtly changed since then.

"Yeah, you're doing the right thing," I responded half-heartedly, wanting nothing more than to get away from this place as quickly as possible.

After hearing that, she released her grip and eyed me skeptically. "Do you really think so?"

When I nodded, the tension in her expression eased, and she looked at me with satisfaction. "That's more like it. You should stop overthinking every little thing. Anyway, I've got to go. I need to take care of Michael. Head home and wait for me. There's something I need to talk to you about."

With that, she went back to the ward without sparing me another glance.

On my way home, I watched the scenery blur past the window. An indescribable ache welled up from deep within me, surging violently into my chest until it became almost unbearable.

After arriving home, I collapsed onto the couch without a care in the world. However, a diary in the corner nearby caught my eye.

Curious, I picked it up and began flipping through the pages absentmindedly. Yet, as I read, I gradually straightened up.

All these years, Yvonne had never allowed me to read her diary. She told me that it was where she recorded our love story, so it would be easy for us to reminisce about the good old days when we grew old.

However, as I stared at the lengthy entry before me, I no longer had the courage to keep reading.

"The other day, Samson asked me what I'd do if I met a better guy who also liked me. I wanted to tell him I'd only love him for the rest of my life. Yet, at that moment, Michael's face surfaced in my mind."