All Chapters of Left to Drown In the Rain: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Charlotte Henderson’s brows drew tightly together, her index finger tapping impatiently against the doorframe.“So what if we can't go? Can't we just do it another day? Why are you giving me that attitude?”My shirt was soaked through and clinging coldly to my skin. I could not stop myself from shivering.Truthfully, I only wanted her to remember that today was the one and only date we had scheduled in three months.I had reminded her so many times. I stuck a note on her refrigerator, I texted her, and I even reminded her in person two nights ago.However, she still forgot about it.“Gideon Ashby, when are you going to grow up?”Charlotte looked at me, apparently about to say something else. Just then, Hugh Fenwick leaned halfway out of the apartment.“Ms. Henderson, what took you so long?”Then he saw me and paused in confusion. “Mr. Ashby? What happened to you?”His eyes dropped to the wet clothes hanging off my body and dripping on the ground. Suddenly, he snorted with lau

Chapter 2

After drying my hair, I walked back out and saw Charlotte and Hugh on the living-room couch.Charlotte was lying down, tearing open a bag of chips. Hugh was leaning in close, his mouth already open as he waited for her to feed him one.There was not even a fist’s worth of space between them.I stood there, my feet freezing cold.When we were kids, her father, Mr. Henderson, would lock Charlotte in a dark room whenever she misbehaved. Mrs. Henderson was even stricter, never allowing her to make the slightest mistake.That was why I had never held any of her ‘boundaries’ against her.She saved my contact under my full name. She never posted me on social media. Whenever we ate together, she always sat across from me instead of beside me.I accepted all of it, believing that restraint and distance were simply the way she showed her love.That was until today, when everything finally spiraled out of control.Hugh suddenly looked up.“Ms. Henderson, the rain's stopped! We have work

Chapter 3

When I finally got home, I stopped dead in the doorway.Something felt different. The entire apartment was nothing like it used to be.There was a makeshift ashtray on the coffee table. A blue fabric cover had been thrown over the couch. A game controller sat beside the TV stand, sticking out like a sore thumb.Charlotte had always been a neat freak. She would frown at even the slightest intrusion into her personal space.Last year, I suggested getting a little pothos plant. She said it was too much trouble and would attract bugs.Everything was different now.I had no idea how long I stood there before I finally sat down on the couch.My phone screen lit up.Hugh had posted a new update.In the photo, he was flashing a peace sign at the camera. Behind him, Charlotte was busy cooking in his kitchen.The caption read: [I’m not afraid of anything with you here.]I set my phone down. At some point, I fell asleep.When I woke up, the sky was already bright. Charlotte had not co

Chapter 4

The rain started coming down again.South City's relief center had been set up at an elementary school near the entrance to the village. A few makeshift tents had been put up across the playground.Charlotte crouched beside a supply crate, tearing open the packaging while Hugh leaned over to help.She immediately raised a hand to stop him. “Don’t touch the sharp edges. You’ll cut yourself.”I stood ten feet away, gripping a bottle of water and not moving.I did not know how much time passed before my phone buzzed and startled me out of my dazed state.It was a local news alert.[South City Meteorological Bureau has issued a geological disaster weather warning. Mudslides may occur in some areas over the next three hours.]My heart skipped a beat. I hurried over.“Ms. Henderson, there’s a risk of mudslides in this area. We need to evacuate everyone and find somewhere safe—”Before I could finish my sentence, Hugh suddenly cried out.Charlotte immediately rose to her feet. “Wha

Chapter 5

When the helicopter landed in Harbor City, Charlotte was the first to jump out.She turned around and reached for Hugh, grabbing his hand and rushing him toward the medical station in the arrivals hall.“Doctor, he has asthma. He’s been feeling unwell ever since we got off the helicopter. Please give him a thorough examination and make sure there aren’t any underlying problems.”The doctor flipped through the medical report, then looked up at Hugh. His brows slowly drew together.“He doesn't have asthma.”It took Charlotte a moment to process what he had said. “What?”“I said this gentleman’s vitals are all normal. He has no history of asthma.”The doctor handed the report back to her, his tone certain. “He’s perfectly healthy. There’s nothing wrong with him.”Charlotte turned around. Hugh's lips were pressed into a thin line, guilt written all over his face.Charlotte opened her mouth, about to say something. Then her phone suddenly rang. She looked down.It was a news ale

Chapter 6

The whole room fell silent.Someone sucked in a sharp breath. Then, all at once, the crowd erupted.“Ms. Henderson has lost it, right? What did she just say? Gideon is her boyfriend?”“Did I hear that wrong? Since when has she ever treated him that well?”“Isn’t she always making things difficult for him? Last time, she chewed him out in front of the entire team for a full twenty minutes. And now she’s saying he’s her boyfriend?”Charlotte stood frozen where she was.They were talking about ‘that’ incident. Gideon had accidentally used a comma instead of a semicolon. In front of everyone, she kicked him out of the conference room and reprimanded him for twenty straight minutes.She wanted him to learn his lesson, and she wanted him to stop making mistakes in front of management. Moreover, she wanted to make sure no one had anything they could hold against him when the time came for his promotion.After that, Gideon lost all authority within the team.His subordinates treated h

Chapter 7

During my first week in Malborne, I did so many things I never would have imagined doing before.I got up at five-thirty in the morning to watch the sunrise.Seagulls circled overhead, and an elderly local woman beside me handed me a cup of hot coffee. I could not understand the local accent well, but I thanked her with a clumsy mix of gestures and a smile.Suddenly, I realized that kindness from a stranger could be this beautiful.I did not have to spend all night staring at my phone, waiting for a message. I also did not have to memorize someone else’s dietary restrictions, habits, likes, and dislikes. Moreover, I did not have to be ready to apologize the second that person frowned.It was such a relief.Over the next few days, I visited the Great Seaside Road and Philosopher’s Island to watch the penguins come home at dusk.I sat on benches in the botanical gardens, soaking up the sun.Everywhere I went, I met all kinds of people—people from different places, backgroun

Chapter 8

Charlotte stood beneath the streetlight. The sea breeze billowed her clothes around her.I had no idea how long she had been waiting. It was obvious this was not a coincidence.She lost a lot of weight. Her eyes were sunken, dark circles hollowing out the skin beneath them.I walked toward her with my arm linked through Lavinia’s.She instinctively took half a step forward. Her voice was painfully hoarse.“Gideon, why didn’t you tell me you were coming here for work? None of them would tell me where you went.“I was so worried about you. There’s been a misunderstanding between us. Can you please just talk to me?”I came to a stop.The sea breeze swept in from the side as I looked at the woman standing before me.Years ago, I could have waited all night just to hear from her. I knew every food she could not eat, every little habit, every change in her expression.Now, standing in front of her, I felt nothing at all.“No, Charlotte. I spent so long waiting to hear you say that

Chapter 9

That night, Lavinia confessed her feelings to me again.She leaned against the doorframe of my apartment.“Gideon, think about it. I’m serious. Do you know, the moment I first saw you, I felt like we were a perfect match?“You don’t have to worry about me changing. All these years, you’re the only person who’s ever made me feel like I was falling in love. No one else has.“And I believe in you. You’re strong, Gideon. You deserve every good thing life has to offer.”I looked at her. I thought about all the roads we had walked together.She always walked on the side closest to the street, and she always remembered to bring me a bottle of water.I said yes.She froze for three seconds before throwing herself into my arms.The landlady’s two cats were so startled that they practically launched themselves off the couch.For a long time afterward, Charlotte kept finding ways to appear in my life.Somehow, she managed to convince my landlady to help her, and she started leaving hom

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