Home / A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of A Collection of Twenty-Seven Farewells: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Joel, I don't think my dad can be left alone in this condition," Wendy Chance said in a low voice while standing in front of me.I said nothing as I wiped away the water stains on the back of Josiah Chance's hand slowly with a warm towel. He was lying in bed, making gurgling noises from his throat and gripping my sleeve. Wendy looked apologetic. I'm supposed to show you off at the celebration party today, but I'll have to take Evan with me instead since you can't make it anymore. I promise I'll bring you back your favorite dessert later, all right?"I looked at her and was suddenly reminded of that winter three years ago, when she was suffering from a high fever and could hardly stand, yet she forced herself out of bed to feed me hot soup, blowing tenderly on every spoonful to make sure I was not burned.The woman who once could not stand for me to suffer through anything was using the gentlest methods to take everything from me. I pulled my hand away from hers and avoided her to

Chapter 2

Wendy was tipsy, and she was wearing Evan's coat.Evan glanced at the washcloth in my hand and the apron I was wearing. "Wendy had a little too much to drink tonight, Joel. It's cold outside, so I let her have my coat." He raised his eyebrow slightly. "It's not easy for Wendy at work. Since you don't need to work, you need to focus more on taking care of the family. "You wouldn't hold such a small thing against us, would you, Joel?"I did not reply to his question. Wendy fell into my arms naturally. "I've had a really tiring day. Let me lean on you for a while." She pushed the cake into my hand. "I queued for thirty minutes to get that for you. I made sure to hold it as steady as possible so it wouldn’t get smudged.”Evan had his hand on his stomach while frowning. "I haven't had anything to eat tonight. My stomach doesn't feel so good."Josiah had been pretending to be asleep. When he heard Evan's words, he suddenly appeared, walking out of the room with his cane. He made unin

Chapter 3

I quickly put my phone away and placed it face down on the table. "I was just looking at some necessities for the house."Wendy did not doubt me, and she wrapped her arms around my neck intimately. "My dad is going for his regular checkup at the hospital, and Eli volunteered to accompany him. I've cleared my work schedule today to accompany you."Come on, let's go try on that suit you bought for the engagement party. You've been looking forward to putting it on for six months."An hour later, we were waiting in the lobby of the bespoke tailor. The staff approached us with embarrassment after checking the records. "I'm so sorry. Mr. Sterling called yesterday to cancel the purchase of the suit. The payment has been cleared with the deposit."Wendy gently tidied my collar and took out a watch from her purse to hold against my wrist. "What's with this tantrum? I've even bought a matching watch for the suit. I told you before that you'll have what everyone has."Wendy looked at me unha

Chapter 4

There were still six hours until my train left for the South, but Wendy returned home earlier than expected. "I've cleared my schedule tomorrow, Joel. I've made all the arrangements for the trip tomorrow to make things up to you."She hugged me from behind the moment she walked through the door and rested her chin on my shoulder, nuzzling me gently. "I'll cook for you tonight."She spent a long time in the kitchen making traditional bouillabaisse. It was my late mother's best dish, and I had not eaten it since my parents' passing.Wendy wiped her hands dry and said, "I sent some people to your parents' hometown to ask the neighbors for the recipe. It took me a month, but I finally mastered it. Even if your parents aren't around anymore, I'll make this for you every day in the future, Joel."I was close to tearing up. Wendy seemed to really love me. She loved me so much that she was willing to spend so much effort to make my wish come true. However, the doorbell rang before I could

Chapter 5

The train sped smoothly on the tracks, and the view outside the window flew past quickly. I leaned back in my seat as I stared at my phone. Wendy was calling me, but I did not pick up. She had given me thirty missed calls. She must have realized things had spun out of control when I did not return home. I checked my texts and found that she had texted me incessantly as well.Wendy: [Stop throwing a tantrum, Joel. I've prepared dinner.}Wendy: [I admit that my attitude was problematic. Just come back so I can apologize to you.]Wendy: [It's really late now. Where are you? Pick up my call!]Wendy: [I'll be really mad at you if you don't pick up my call, Joel!]Her texts started with a haughty tone that gradually turned into impatience. I read her texts, feeling suffocated. I did not feel pain, only a heavy weight on my chest.My fingers started tapping away to block Wendy's number.Four hours later, my train arrived at a historic town in the South. It was the first stop in my

Chapter 6

The rainy season in town came suddenly. It had been raining continuously for a week, and the number of guests at the inn had decreased significantly. I sat on a bench at the front desk, head lowered as I went through the monthly accounts.Ding!It was the windchime at the front door. I did not look up as I said, out of habit, "Welcome! Do you have a reservation with us?"There was no reply, only the sound of heavy footsteps. The footsteps came up to me slowly until they stopped right at the front desk. I looked up, and in my shock, my pen scratched across the accounting sheet, drawing a long line through it.Wendy stood before me with dark circles under her eyes. She was wearing her usual beige coat, looking disheveled. The bottom of the coat was wet and covered with dirt. "I finally found you, Joel." She reached out, trying to grab my wrist with the front desk between us, but I quickly took a step back while staring calmly at her. "Are you looking for accommodation, Miss?" Wen

Chapter 7

"Joel…" Wendy's tone softened. She was almost pleading with me. "Please don't say such things out of anger. I know you're still mad about me trying to give Evan that journal." She was still anxiously trying to explain things. "It was just an improvised solution to make Evan happy because he helped me snag a big project. The only person I love is you." Wendy pushed the journal covered in cellophane tape toward me. "Come home with me." I looked at her, thinking about how pitiful and laughable her attempts to lie to herself were. An improvised solution? She has used that same excuse for three years.Whenever she used this excuse, I was expected to take the hit for the greater good, and every time she sided with someone else, it was because she took it for granted that I should know better."Don't you understand English, Wendy?" I pushed the journal back to her. "I've already started a new life here. Over here, no one needs me to deliver any hangover remedies, and no one demands that

Chapter 8

The storm continued the entire night, but Wendy did not leave. She curled up outside the inn, under the leaking roof.When the next morning came, the owner of the store next to our inn told us that a young woman had spent the entire night in the storm and ended up with a 106-degree fever, which induced acute pneumonia. She had coughed up a lot of blood while sitting on the steps.The town's ambulance had stopped at the cross-section of the street with its siren blaring loudly, but Wendy refused to get into it. Several paramedics tried to drag her into the ambulance, but it was to no avail.Her eyes had turned red from the burning fever, and she stumbled, falling right outside the door, wanting to see me one more time.When I heard the commotion, I walked out the door with a washcloth in my hand, looking stoic. Wendy was a mess, kneeling in a puddle while clutching the corner of my shirt. Tears streamed down along with the cold sweat from her fever."I feel horrible… It’s just like

Chapter 9

A dead silence fell in the inn. The arrogant expression on Evan's face disappeared as he reflexively took a step back. "Wendy, w-when did you leave the hospital?"He sounded guilty, but she ignored him and headed straight to the front desk, staring down at the check for $500,000. She grabbed it and tore it to pieces in front of Evan, the bits falling all over the ground like snowflakes."Wendy!" Evan got anxious. "I'm doing this for your own good. Look at how cold he is to you! He doesn't care if you live or die!""Shut up!" Wendy was heaving as she pointed at Evan's nose. "You were the one who gave my dad the idea to pretend to be sick, and you were the one who taught Eli to say all those disgusting things! All of you worked together to force Joel out of my life!"Evan turned pale as he made a last-ditch effort to save his dignity. "It doesn't matter if I came up with the idea. You were the one who made the final decision, weren't you?" He sneered. "You were the one who though

Chapter 10

The rain finally stopped, and the sun once again shone down on the stone path, but Wendy did not leave. She continued showing up for two weeks straight, always at the same time.Wendy could hardly lift a water bucket, but she gritted her teeth to help move baskets of vegetables into the inn, and she would clumsily clean up the guests’ leftover food.She even ignored her delicate manicure and got her hands dirty, sitting quietly on the ice-cold steps to help me peel potatoes for the next day. She even changed into a cheap T-shirt worth a few dollars and worked until her soft hands were covered with bloody blisters.That evening, there were no guests at the inn, and I sat at the front desk, going through the accounts. Wendy came over to me, looking a little anxious as she rubbed her hands together, and she looked at me cautiously."Joel," her voice was soft and trembled slightly as she pleaded. "I'm bankrupt. Evan tried to protect himself by running away with the company's money and

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