Chapter 5
In the next moment, someone outside the room called for Elijah. He kissed Kendail several times, as if to reassure her, then stumbled
out.
After watching him disappear through the door, Kendall quietly got up and headed to the washroom, standing there alone for a long
while.
It wasn’t until her legs went numb and she heard footsteps outside that she snapped back to reality.[
Just as she was about to push the door open, she heard her name.[]
“Where’s Kendall? Did she just leave? Tiffany, maybe she’s jealous because Elijah was blocking so much alcohol for you?“]]
“Who knows? Why bother with her? I know Elijah. He wouldn’t like that old lady.“[]
J
Kendall clenched her fists at Tiffany’s dismissive tone. The people outside had no idea she was right there, casually judging her.]
“I heard that she isn’t just the best friend of Elijah’s sister, but also his girlfriend over the years. But don’t worry, Tiffany, he’s only with her for some practice in dating. That old lady is just trying to score with a younger guy. Pathetic, right?“]
“Of course, I know. Remember when Elijah got stabbed while protecting me? He almost died, and the first thing he did when he woke up was to comfort me. He loves me that much, so what’s that old woman to him?“[]
“What do you think? I heard Elijah took you home last night and then discussed throwing you a birthday party with his friends. If he confesses at the party, will you say yes?“]
With a haughty tone, Tiffany replied, “Let’s see how he acts.”
After a sound of running water, the two of them laughed and walked away.
Looking at the deep nail marks on her palms, Kendall forced a smile that felt utterly painful.
Once she left the bar, Kendall hailed a cab to head home.[]
After a night of rest, she went into the office to resign.[]
Her manager was surprised by her reason for leaving. “Going home? Didn’t you say you were going to settle down and marry your boyfriend in Northland? What’s with the sudden change of heart?“[]
Kendall looked down, awkwardly coming up with an excuse, her mind a jumbled mess.
She reflected on her time in Northland, four years of college, three years of work, and five years of dating.[]
In all that time, she could have gone back to Sunterland numerous times.[]
But to stay close to Elijah, she gave it all up.[]
Now, it was time to move on.[]
She would give back the girlfriend title, returning everything to its rightful place.[]
For the next three days, Elijah seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving no news behind.[]
But through photos and videos shared by his friends, Kendall knew he was with Tiffany.[]
27.1%
Chapters
They hung wish cards for each other at a temple, walked hand in hand on the beach avoiding crowds, and held onto each other tightly on a roller coaster.[]
In every photo, the two of them unconsciously leaned closer to one another.[]
It wasn’t that close of a relationship, like lovers–but there was an undeniable air of mutual affection.[]
After scrolling through the images expressionlessly, Kendall closed her phone and pulled out a suitcase.[]
After quickly packing some essentials, just as she was about to leave for dinner, she got a call from one of Elijah’s friends.
“Kendall, you need to get to the hospital. Elijah’s in trouble.“[]
Kendall hesitated for a long moment, but ultimately grabbed her keys.[]
After all, he was Haley’s brother, and since Haley was traveling abroad, she couldn’t just ignore him.[]
When she rushed into the emergency room, she saw Elijah and Tiffany, both covered in blood, lying on gurneys as the doctors worked frantically to save them.]
Several of their friends were in a panic, struggling to explain. “We were supposed to watch the sunset on the mountain tonight. Tiffany said she hadn’t driven in a while and wanted to try it. Elijah let her take the wheel, but she pressed the gas instead of the brake. The car lost control and hit the mountain. Both of them got impaled by metal bars, and now we need to get those out.”
“But the bar is near his heart. There’s only one doctor in the city who can perform this surgery, and we can’t get another one, no matter how much we pay. Elijah is seriously injured in the passenger seat, while Tiffany is okay for now. We tried to convince him to go first, but he won’t listen. You have to help, please.“[]
Hearing this made Kendall’s heart tremble.
She rushed to Elijah’s side, looking at his pale face and the gruesome wound still oozing blood. Trembling, she spoke, “Elijah, you need to get into that operating room right now.“[]
He weakly opened his eyes, shaking his head a little, forcing out some barely audible words.]
“Save Tiffany first. I don’t want her to be in trouble.”
Kendall lost control of her emotions. “Are you crazy? She can wait for her surgery. If you don’t get that surgery, you’ll die. What about your parents? What about me?“[]
“I’m fine. As long as Tiffany is safe, I can hold on.”
The lights in the emergency room turned on, and a nurse brought in a postponement notice for treatment.[]
Seeing Kendall hesitate, Elijah mustered what strength he had left to grab the pen and sign his name.[]
“For Tiffany, is he really ready to sacrifice his own life?” Kendall wondered.[]
Kendall couldn’t believe it as she reached for the paper, but Elijah’s bloodied hand caught her sleeve.[]
“You’re not my family. You don’t have the right to interfere with my choice.“[]
