Chapter 7: A Debt of Guilt

I feel like crying or screaming out of sheer frustration. I don’t even know why I suddenly agreed to his request to stay here in my apartment.

I suddenly lost my choice because of the pity I felt for him. I don’t want to kick him out, especially since he doesn’t remember anything, and who knows what might happen to him if I do. On top of that, he refuses to let me take him to the hospital or even the police station. I’m going crazy trying to figure out how to get him to leave.

"Erina, calm down. You’ll get through this. He did say that once his memory returns, he’ll leave," I told myself, letting out a deep sigh.

I’m here in the kitchen, cooking dinner for the two of us. Luckily, there was still half a portion of pork left in the fridge, so I decided to cook that instead. It would be embarrassing to serve him canned food—what if he doesn’t even eat that? Just by looking at his face, his appearance, and the way he dresses, it’s obvious that he comes from a wealthy life.

That’s another thing I have to worry about—what to feed him while he’s staying here.

"Do you need help?" I heard him say, and I immediately turned to look at him.

He was already wearing house clothes. I had bought those from a nearby clothing store since I didn’t have any oversized clothes that would fit him. I even had to take some money from my savings just to buy him something to wear.

"Uh, no need, I can handle this. Just rest for now—you might still be feeling sore," I replied and continued what I was doing.

"Also, sorry about the clothes I bought for you. That’s all I could afford within my budget," I added before glancing at him. But I caught him looking around, observing every corner of my apartment. However, there was no sign of disgust or anything like that on his face.

"It's alright, it fits me well. Thank you for buying this. Don't worry, I'll pay you back once I have money," he said as he turned his gaze back to me.

My god, this man is seriously handsome!

"Alright, if you insist, but honestly, it's fine with me if—"

"No, I insist. I will make it up to you for all the help you've given me," he cut me off. I just agreed to his request and gave him a small smile.

I went back to what I was doing, but I let out another deep sigh as my thoughts wandered. I didn’t regret helping him, but I never expected that doing so would turn him into my responsibility.

"You're brave…" he suddenly said, catching me off guard. But I didn’t look at him—I just kept chopping the ingredients for our meal.

"You jumped over the bridge without thinking about yourself just to save me. You could have drowned because of what you did, but you still chose to save me," he added.

"There was no one else around to help you at that moment, and that was the first thing that came to my mind to save you," I replied without looking at him.

"That was my first kiss," he said, shocking me even more.

Oh my god, he knows what I did earlier?!

This is so embarrassing! Now I don’t even want to face him.

But wait—that was his first kiss? FYI, that was my first kiss too!!

"You stole a kiss from me, but don't worry, I'll forgive you since I survived because of it," he said before I felt him walk away.

Is he seriously teasing me right now?!

Unbelievable. I was the one who helped him, and now he’s the one acting smug about it.

"Me? Seriously? What if I decide not to feed him?" I muttered to myself in frustration.

He hasn't even been here for a full day, but I can already tell—this is going to be chaos in my apartment.

*WAYNE LOUIE ANDERSON POV

This apartment is small, it’s just enough for one person, but it's clean and neat, probably because a woman lives here.

I don’t want to live here, but I need to stand by my decision and follow through with my plan. I'm not picky, I can live in this apartment. But this is the first time in my whole life that I'll live in a house with a woman I don't fully know.

Will I be able to endure staying here?

"Come on, let’s eat," she said when I returned to the kitchen. She had just finished cooking, and the food was already prepared on the table.

It smells good, but I don't know if it will suit my taste.

"If you don’t like what I cooked, just let me know. I can buy something else outside."

"No, it's fine, I eat that."

I looked at her while she was putting rice on the plate in front of me. I don’t know, but I was suddenly amazed by her when I remembered how she saved me earlier.

"Thank you for the food you cooked for me. I'll make it up to you." She didn't answer, instead, she just smiled at me and started eating.

"How many years have you been living here?" I asked just to break the silence covering the place. I don't know why I suddenly became talkative because of this woman.

I just want to know her, that's it.

"Six years .. and counting," she replied, but her face suddenly became sad.

Did I say something wrong?

"Are you still studying or already working?" I asked again, but she didn’t reply. She just continued eating and ignored what I said.

"Erina? A-Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about something. But to answer your question, I’m already working. I had to stop studying because I needed to, so I started working instead to support my daily needs."

She's such an amazing woman, even though she's not extremely beautiful, but she's pretty, hardworking, and kind.

I don't know where she got the strength to save me with such a small body. But I am truly amazed by her because of her bravery.