Chapter 4

Twenty minutes after I sent the message, Samuel finally called.

"Yvonne, what exactly are you making such a fuss about?"

There wasn't a trace of panic in his voice. Instead, there was only irritation.

"I've already explained everything. We were just–"

"Samuel."

I had no interest in hearing another excuse.

I only wanted to tell him one thing.

"It's okay. You can keep pretending, or maybe turn your act into reality.

"I'm the one who wants to break up. That's all."

There was silence between us.

On the other end of the line, Samuel's breathing grew heavier and heavier. Finally, he snorted.

"Suit yourself. Yvonne, I don't have endless energy to keep coaxing you.

"You always make simple things ridiculously complicated. Today it's this. Tomorrow it's something else.

"When are you ever going to be as open and straightforward as Tina?"

He hung up right after that.

I lowered my phone and laughed bitterly at myself.

Conrad had just invited me to meet up. This time, I accepted without hesitation.

At the same time, I booked a flight overseas for the following day.

What I hadn't expected was that, on the very last day of the holiday, Grandma's health suddenly took a turn for the worse. She had always adored me, but now she was nearing the end of her life.

The ward was filled with relatives. I sat beside her bed and cried uncontrollably while holding her hand. Suddenly, I felt her trace a single word on my palm.

[Samuel.]

My heart raced. I looked up and saw the hopeful look in Grandma's eyes.

Out of everyone, only Grandma had once caught Samuel and me embracing in the backyard. She was the only one who knew about our relationship.

I understood immediately. For her granddaughter's sake, she wanted to see Samuel one last time before she died. She wanted to say a few final words to him.

I quickly retrieved my phone and called Samuel, but not a single call went through.

He even ignored my messages.

'Samuel, I'm begging you, please pick up.' I prayed through my tears.

The light in Grandma's eyes slowly faded away. Just before she passed away, she squeezed my hand with all the strength she had left.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, I sat numbly amid the family's sobs. My gaze remained fixed on the empty doorway.

Samuel didn't arrive until evening.

He was dressed in a tailored suit with a lapel flower on it.

"Tina's grandmother is getting old. Yesterday, she said she was afraid she wouldn't live long enough to see Tina get engaged."

He stood before me and spoke calmly.

"So, just to make her happy, I agreed to go back with Tina and stage a fake engagement ceremony.

"My phone was turned off during the ceremony. That's why I missed your calls."

He looked me over. Displeasure creeped into his eyes.

"There were only a few missed calls. Did you actually make up a story about your grandmother dying just to trick me?

"I visited her at the hospital yesterday. If you're going to lie, at least come up with a more believable excuse."

I looked at him without saying a word.

He looked handsome in that suit.

It was exactly the way I had once imagined he would look while standing beside me on our wedding day.

But in reality, he wore that suit on the day my grandmother died. When I needed him the most, he was holding an engagement ceremony with another woman.

I smiled before chuckling wearily.

I felt dead on the inside.

"Alright. If you're not feeling well, get some rest." Seeing how pale I looked, a trace of concern flickered across his eyes.

"If you catch a cold, take some medicine. We still have to fly back to campus together tomorrow for the graduation ceremony."

He left soon after that.

Five minutes later, my mom Sylvia quietly entered my room and sat beside me.

She asked whether Samuel and I had been dating.

My eyes welled up with tears. I looked at her and nodded.

"Yvonne. A man like him isn't worth waiting for."

She looked at me gently. Concern filled her eyes.

I smiled reassuringly. I then placed my flight ticket in front of her.

I would never wait for him again.

Samuel and I would never walk the same path again for the rest of my life.

The next morning, Samuel appeared at my front door.

He had called me more than a dozen times. He had also sent countless messages. None had received a reply.

He still assumed I was giving him the silent treatment over what had happened yesterday. Left with no other choice, he brought Tina with him and knocked on our door.

"Mrs. Gunther, is Yvonne ready yet? If we wait any longer, we'll miss our flight back–"

"Flight?"

Sylvia smiled as she looked at the two of them.

"Yvonne doesn't need to catch that flight anymore.

"She's going overseas for graduate school. She left before dawn. She's out of the country now."

The color drained from Samuel's face in an instant.