Chapter 4
17
“Let’s break up.
Mia was wrong. The reason he stood up for me wasn’t because I wast special, but because there had been a time when I outshone him..
He saw me as a rival, one of his own.
So he couldn’t accept me being beaten by trash like my dad.
But my talent was limited. In my effort to catch up with Calvin, I worked hard to overcome my weaknesses, yet I barely made it into a top school’s average program.
There were many geniuses here, or rather, genius was just the entry
requirement.
Gold would shine, but here, everything was gold.
Naturally, I became just one of the crowd, and Calvin found new rivals.
to surpass.
He thrived in this atmosphere, while I became expendable.
I used to think that if I just stayed patient a little longer, one day he’d
notice.
After all, he was human, not a machine.
But I was tired.
Calvin pushed up his glasses, his always indifferent, calm gaze looking
11:50
down at me.
He just said, “Don’t regret it.”
He probably even pictured me regretting it and coming back to him, acting like nothing was wrong.
It wasn’t the first time.
He was sharp–tongued and hurtful with his words. One day, I got angry and left, giving him the cold shoulder for three days. During that time, I always worried that he’d get into trouble trying to find me.
But when I came back, he just looked up from a pile of documents and asked. “Could you prepare a meal?”
I was gone for three days, and no one reminded him, so he just focused on his research for three days without eating or drinking.
He didn’t even notice I was gone.
All my emotions ended up in silence, and in the end, I turned around and made him a spaghetti bolognese.
He always seemed so sure, as if he was convinced I’d never leave.
But I was not him.
I was human, I had feelings, not a machine.
For four years, I gave him my all, patiently waiting for him to come to
his senses.
In the end, all I got was his smug manipulation and threats.
I slowly stood up, holding back the stinging in my eyes.
“I won’t regret it.”
I didn’t look at his expression behind me as I walked out the door.
I didn’t remember how I made it downstairs: all I knew was that I couldn’t stop crying.
In my panic. I bumped into someone, and I ended up crying uncontrollably.
It startled the other person.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I wanted to tell him I was fine, but I ended up as a sobbing mess, looking pitiful and funny.
He couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly, handing me a tissue and trying to comfort me.
“It’s my fault. I’m sorry, okay? Don’t cry.
“Can you walk? Let me take you to the infirmary.”
I wasn’t hurt at all.
I was just too upset.
He sighed in relief when he found out.
“You left in a hurry earlier, and I didn’t get the chance to ask if you were okay this afternoon. You didn’t get hurt, did you?”
This afternoon?
I suddenly remembered the person I’d accidentally bumped into while rushing to confront Calvin.
I regretted it.
“I should be the one saying sorry.”
I looked up, and when I saw the person clearly, I forgot all about my
tears.
“Mike?”
Mike Wilson smiled helplessly.
“You finally remember me, Ashley.”
I couldn’t forget him, considering he was Calvin’s rival.
Of course, it was one–sided.
After all, this was the first time in years that Calvin had faced someone who could match him, or maybe even surpass him.
For this competition, Calvin had prepared almost obsessively, all for the sake of beating Mike.
