Chapter 4

It was a horrible dinner for Justin.

Yvie sat right opposite him, and he would be looking right at her as soon as he looked up.

She had just crushed what vestiges of hope he had in the bathroom when she refused to marry him. She didn't even come here with the intention to impede him and Lisa.

If anything, she never realized how thoroughly she hurt him, and was still under the impression that he was throwing a tantrum.

Why else would she say nonsense like that?

As their parents watched, Justin served Lisa food and even peeled shrimp for her. Lisa sat beside him, relishing his attentiveness and returning the favor.

Yvie had a knife and fork in hand, but somehow wasn't eating. She suddenly felt like she didn't want to stay.

It was the first time she felt this way.

When Martin and Monty started deciding when the engagement should be, she clenched her fists as her heart ached strangely.

"Is the food not to your taste, Ms. Rosberg?" Zoe asked when she noticed Yvie wasn't eating. "And you look pale. Are you ill?"

Justin had been avoiding Yvie's stare the whole time, but couldn't resist looking when he heard that.

Yvie simply shook her head. "No, the food is good. I guess I'm just feeling a little cold since I'm not wearing layers."

Zoe then told Justin, "Why don't you get a jacket from my closet? It's really cold these days, since it's been raining a lot here in Jorgen lately."

However, Lisa stood up before Justin could, saying, "She can use my jacket. We're the same size, so it'd suit her."

Zoe quickly nodded. "True. You young ones would have similar figures."

With that, Lisa reached for her jacket, though it looked more like a cape.

She walked behind Yvie, but before she could put it around Yvie's neck, Yvie sprang to her feet. "Sorry, I just remembered something important I must do. Apologies."

That was when Lisa released the cape and dropped it by Yvie's feet. Yvie didn't notice when she stepped on it.

"Ah!" Lisa shrieked right then. "My cape!"

Everyone turned toward her, while Yvie looked down and raised her foot.

Lisa picked up the cape, wounded as she murmured, "It's a new one, too… Why do you have to humiliate me like this? You could have just said you don't want to put it on."

Yvie was laughing inwardly. Was Justin going to marry this woman? Such crude antics were absolutely beneath her.

Hell, there was even a moment she had thought it was her fault…when Lisa accused her with such unwarranted prejudice.

Was she staging this for Justin's benefit?

Still, Yvie didn't point that out. She instead took out a stack of dollar bills, shoving it into Lisa's palm. "Buy another. I'm busy, so I'm going now."

With those words, she strode off, handbag in hand.

Everyone was scowling. Lisa burst into tears, still holding the money as her cheeks flushed.

Justin, however, was unsympathetic. He clearly saw how everything happened. Lisa deliberately let go when Yvie stood up.

Martin kicked Justin under the table. "What are you spacing out for, boy?"

At once, Lisa looked aggrieved and miserable. "I just bought this cape… My boss always said you can't wash off the filth."

Justin frowned ever so softly.

Filth, as in the footprint or Yvie?

Even if he resented Yvie a lot, he refused to let anyone slander her. "She paid you, didn't she? Just buy a new one."

With that, he stood up and returned the theater tickets to Monty. "I still have some reading to do tonight, Mr. Singer. Lisa should go with her friends."

Everyone around the table was staring at him in shock as he picked up his coat and left.

A long silence ensued, until Monty exploded. "Marty! Is this how you raised your son?!"

Martin promptly threw his hands up. "Just hold on. There has to be a misunderstanding. Justin's not himself…"

-

Justin couldn't care less about whatever quarrel was unfolding in the house.

Hopping in his car, he drove for a while until he realized he was heading to Yvie's.

He stopped by the curb, and rested his head on the steering wheel for a long while. His phone was ringing endlessly on the front passenger seat, but he wasn't in the mood to answer.

Now that he just snapped at the Singers, they wouldn't insist that he stick with Lisa, would they? While he felt sorry for his parents, he still refused to play nice when Lisa was twisting facts and Yvie never provoked her.

He let out a long sigh at the thought of how he loathed Yvie and yet would still side with her.

He couldn't help it. It was three years of genuine feelings, and he needed time even if he was going to forget.

Picking up his phone, he saw on screen that there were multiple missed calls from his mom.

As he hesitated, his phone rang again, but it wasn't Zoe.

He lowered the window to let the cold wind in as he answered, "Hello?"

"Are you really leaving?" Lisa sounded congested, likely having just cried her heart out.

Rubbing his brow in annoyance, Justin mustered his patience to tell her, "I don't think we're right for each other."

"Please, I know it's my fault," Lisa said urgently. "But it's all just a misunderstanding. I wasn't thinking."

Justin was silent.

To her credit, Lisa didn't ask why he lied about knowing who Yvie was. Instead, she asked, "Can you forgive me?"

Justin looked outside at the flowing traffic, his gaze gloomy.

After a couple of beats, Lisa continued, "I really like you. I hope we can take things further."

Justin sighed. "What's the point?"

There was a pause, and Lisa eventually asked carefully, "Are you upset? Wasn't Ms. Rosberg a friend of your patient's? Is there a different kind of relationship here?"

She was asking indirectly why he protected Yvie, and Justin could tell that much.

"You're getting the wrong idea. No matter who it is, I will defend them as long as they're being harassed when they're really innocent."

This time, it was Lisa's turn to stay silent.

Justin wasn't keen to continue the conversation, either. "That's all there is to it. I'm hanging up now."

Once he did, he slouched in his seat, spacing out.

Another call came at the very next moment.

Presuming that it was Lisa, Justin didn't look as he answered. "I've made myself very clear, Lisa."

"Hehe…" A familiar laughter rang from the other end. "Guess I've really ruined it for you."

Stumped, Justin quickly checked his phone to see that it was Yvie.

"Look outside."

Just like a puppet, Justin did as he was told. He found Yvie standing by the traffic lights on the opposite side of the road.

As he watched her skirt flutter in the cold breeze outside, he zoned out for a moment, suddenly returning to the days when they were still dating.

Yvie was still holding her phone to her ear, and waited until the lights turned green to make her way to his car.

Arching her back to look in, she said, "Crashed my car, and they're waiting on the tow truck. Can you give me a ride home?"