Semua Bab A Heart Broken by Time: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Freddie finally softened a little and texted to ask where I was.A glimmer of hope rose in me. I thought he might come to pick me up.However, the one who showed up was his good friend, Hugo Gilbert.Sitting in the car, Hugo showered me with concern. He kept hinting between the lines that Freddie was trying to set the two of us up.I forced a smile, though my heart felt like it was being ripped apart.For the past four years, Freddie had always kept a close watch on me.Whenever a guy appeared around me, he would go out of his way to dig up every detail about him. He'd then lecture me, telling me not to date too early.He knew Hugo liked me.Back then, he had been completely against it. He'd even warned Hugo that I was still too young. If Hugo had any thoughts about me, they could forget about being friends.Yet now, Freddie was the one pushing me toward Hugo.The thought nearly brought me to tears again.What was he so worried about? I wasn't going to cling to him.Besides

I stood in the kitchen, slowly chopping vegetables.Bianca shut the door behind her and suddenly hurled a wooden ladle at me with a sneer. "Do you really think you're here to cook?"I winced in pain and frowned. "Just say whatever you want to say."She didn't bother hiding her threat. "Fred and I are getting married. If you've got any shame left, pack up and get out. Stop clinging to him like a leech!"I thought of what the doctor had told me and shook my head. "I'll leave on my own when the time comes."What I was holding on to wasn't Freddie anymore. It was the camellia tree in the courtyard. Maybe I could finally leave in peace once it withered completely.But to Bianca, my veiled words meant something else entirely. She glared at me viciously. "Don't think that just because your eyes look a little like mine, you can win him over. Fred is mine!"My eyes indeed bore a slight resemblance to Bianca's.I remember the first time we met, both of us had been stunned briefly.A str

Freddie paused for a moment but didn't object.He then casually pulled out a set of keys and tossed them onto the table. "I've already bought you a place. You can move out in the next few days."I stared at the keys and smiled wryly within. So, he'd been planning to drive me away all along.Bianca looked thrilled. She didn't bother hiding the smugness in her eyes as she grinned at me.I picked up the keys and glanced toward the garden. "Can I move the white camellia in the courtyard to my new place?" Freddie frowned. "It's already March. The flowers will wither soon. There's no point moving it now. Besides, the flowers will all fall off during the transplant." I smiled faintly. "It'll bloom again next year."Even though I wouldn't be around to see it.Freddie looked at me deeply and said nothing more.However, Bianca suddenly chimed in, "Oh my, I've heard that camellias symbolize bad luck. The way they drop resembles a decapitation. Should we just dig it up? I want to plant

Time flew by, and my body grew increasingly weaker by the day.I could feel my body shutting down, slowly losing all function. Even my senses were starting to dull.Sometimes, I'd wake up to find my pillow soaked in blood.In the days leading up to Freddie's wedding, I almost couldn't get out of bed.Every tiny movement sent pain shooting from my bones, sharp enough to leave me drenched in cold sweat. Every night before closing my eyes, I wondered if I'd wake up the next day. And yet, I stubbornly held on. I wanted to stay alive until the day of his wedding.Perhaps then, I could finally let go.I thought that in my few remaining days, I would only be able to see Freddie through my phone. To my surprise, he came to see me the day before his wedding. He took one look at my frail appearance and frowned in annoyance. "Don't you know to see a doctor when you're sick? How did you let yourself fall apart like this?"My face was blank, and I remained silent.Even now, he still did

Life returned to peace.After dreaming of all that torment and illness, I'd become more concerned about my health.I set aside a day for a comprehensive medical checkup in the hospital. The report showed I was in perfect health. Even the doctors praised me repeatedly.During this time, Hugo still hadn't given up on me. He even declared that if he couldn't win me over, he'd remain single forever. Gradually, my heart began to waver. Not because I had fallen for him, but it felt like a voice in my mind persistently told me to forget Freddie and start a new life. Yet, at the same time, another voice deep in my heart told me I couldn't forget him. The two voices tangled, leaving me torn.But in the end, the one in my mind won.Just when I finally let go of the past and decided to accept Hugo's confession, I stumbled upon something in Freddie's belongings.I opened an old safe that had been sealed for years.There were only two things inside—a preserved camellia sealed inside