All Chapters of The Man Who Forgot How to Feel: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Anthony genuinely hadn't expected that, three years later, his old childhood friend would still hate him this much over what happened back then.Still, it didn't matter either way—he'd already lost every last one of his emotions, and even trying to empathize with her now was simply beyond him.To her, maybe getting tangled up with the son of a murderer had always been something disgusting in itself. It was just that the old Chloe had been too kind for her own good, playing the role of the understanding childhood friend for as long as she possibly could, right up until she couldn't stand it anymore.The way Anthony saw it, Chloe probably hadn't expected the two of them to be saddled with a connection this stubborn, this hard to shake. Even three years apart, here they were, thrown into the very same class.She probably assumed he was here to sabotage whatever plan she had to win her boyfriend back.Which explained why she'd taken the stage earlier and, in her own roundabout way, wa

There was a knock at the door."Come in."Once he had Gerald's permission, Anthony stepped into the office and greeted him politely. "Vice Dean Walker, hello. My name is Anthony Seymour, a freshman just admitted into the Semiconductor Engineering program this year. I'm sorry to intrude—please forgive me."Across the desk, the elderly man sitting there looked sharp and full of energy, currently bent over some papers, glasses on, marking something up. At the sound of Anthony's greeting, he looked up and studied the young man in front of him for a moment.Too thin. Too worn down, honestly.That was Gerald's first impression on seeing Anthony—not a physical thinness, but something about the young man's overall bearing and presence that struck him as spiritually threadbare, worn down to almost nothing.Worse, there seemed to be a deep vein of self-loathing buried somewhere inside him.That kind of look only came from having your dignity and sense of self shredded to pieces, over and

Anthony hadn't expected that his attempt to draw a clean line between himself and Vice Dean Walker would get caught so easily.Then again, it made sense. Vice Dean Walker was sharp and perceptive—of course, he'd see right through it.Still, Anthony found himself puzzled after that. What exactly was Vice Dean Walker so worked up about?Was it because he'd refused the dinner invitation? Or because of the way he'd tried to distance himself?If it was the second one... then why?Anthony genuinely didn't think there was anything wrong with what he'd done.He'd taken Vanessa's reputation into account, and Vice Dean Walker's academic standing too—he'd been thinking of both of them, in his own way.Cutting ties with someone like the son of a murderer should have been a purely beneficial move, with no downside at all.So Anthony was confused. He'd thought he'd accounted for everyone involved.Having lost every one of his emotions long ago, he no longer had the capacity to simply accept

As Anthony stepped out of the administration building, he spotted a familiar figure standing beside a row of rental bikes parked along the asphalt path."Are you following me?"Anthony frowned slightly.At that, Jake, who'd been pretending with great effort to study a grad-school prep flyer taped to one of the bikes, looked up and forced an unconvincing look of surprise onto his face."Oh, hey, Anthony! What a coincidence running into you here!" He clapped a hand on Anthony's shoulder, brushing right past the question. "So, what's next on the agenda?"Anthony took a small step to the side, dodging the overly familiar gesture.When Anthony didn't answer, Jake's gaze drifted down to the sheet of paper in his hand instead."Is that a club application form?" Jake blinked in surprise for a moment, then a flicker of something like delight passed briefly through his eyes. "You're joining a club? Didn't peg you for the type."Anthony still didn't say anything, just watching him steadil

Had Anthony seen through his intentions?Jake's expression froze for a beat before quickly sliding back into his usual easygoing grin. "What are you talking about, Anthony? I have no idea what you mean."At that, Anthony didn't bother responding further.Truth be told, ever since Jake had latched onto him like an old friend on the very first day of registration, Anthony had already found the whole thing a little suspicious.There'd been so many other new students in that classroom. Why would Jake skip all of them and strike up conversation with someone as tight-lipped and unsociable as him, of all people?Anthony had a fair amount of confidence in his own read on social dynamics—there was no reason anyone would want to go out of their way to befriend someone like him.What's more, Anthony had studied him carefully during the moments Jake wasn't talking.And he'd caught a familiar look on his face. A certain kind of detached, faintly condescending gaze.He'd seen something very