I felt he was the kindest person in the world.
But as I grew older and started elementary school, I began to understand what his actions truly meant. So the next time he tried to get into my bed, I fought back with a knife. He was severely injured.
In the end, it was ruled self–defense, and I was acquitted.
But the memory of that old man’s hideous face was seared into my mind. For more than a decade afterward, the sight of any stranger would send my heart racing. I craved warmth but couldn’t escape that vicious cycle, and my mental state deteriorated.
That’s why, when I saw the isolated, helpless Benjamin, I wanted to help him.
But I never imagined that my most painful secret had become gossip he used to entertain his little friend.
Panic seized me again. My first instinct was to run, to escape.
The voice on the other end of the line faltered. I heard Benjamin’s panicked, scolding tone.
“Cynthia, she didn’t mean it like that…”
I didn’t wait for him to finish. My hands were stiff as I hung up the phone.
Why did you say that? I told you never to bring that up!”
I grabbed my luggage and immediately checked into a hotel. I didn’t want to see either of them again.
2048
But the next morning, I found Benjamin waiting for me downstairs. He was holding a gift box, standing in the early autumn mist, looking at me with a cautious expression. “Cynthia, are you still mad?”
“Maya’s been spoiled since she was a kid. She’s always been blunt, but she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. Don’t hold it against her. If it bot- hers you, I’ll keep my distance from her from now on.”
I frowned. “How did you know where I was?”
“My family owns this hotel. I got a notification the moment you checked in.”
Benjamin looked away, a guilty expression on his face, and pushed the gift box into my hands. “I rented a new gown for you. Don’t worry, it’s not the old one. It’s the style you like the most. Try it on, and if it fits, we can have the engagement party tomorrow, okay?”
I laughed.
So he was capable of remembering my favorite style.
So he was capable of doing more than just fobbing me off with a plain dress.
He had done it before simply because he thought I wasn’t worthy.
Seeing my smile, Benjamin assumed everything was fine. He cheerfully pulled out a container of breakfast from his coat and handed it to me as if bestowing a great favor. “Cynthia, I made this myself. It used to be your favorite, remember? Eat up and stop making a fuss,”
For a moment, I was transported back in time.
Chapter 2
When Benjamin was young, his parents weren’t wealthy, so they didn’t pay his relatives much for his care. They neglected him, some even making him do all the housework. Cooking was what he did most.
As a result, he almost never cooked as an adult. I assumed he didn’t want to be reminded of his past humiliation, so I never pushed him. I did all the cooking in our relationship.
Until one time, when my psychological issues flared up, causing excruciating physical symptoms. He made me soup. It was the most delicious soup I had ever tasted.
Flared up agai
Afterward, whenever I craved it, I would beg him to make it again. But he would fly into a rage. “If you want it so badly, can’t you just learn to make it yourself? Do I have to do everything for you? Can’t you be a little more considerate?”
It was much later that I learned the truth.
He hated cooking because one day, when Maya came to visit him as a child, she had casually remarked on the smell of cooking oil on him.
A sharp, piercing pain spread through my chest. What did all my efforts, all the meals I had cooked, mean then? What did he feel when he smelled the cooking oil on me? Was he grateful for my hard work, or was he just glad that he was now clean, no longer tainted by a smell that reminded him of his shame?
Benjamin’s voice pulled me from my memories. “What are you thinking about, Cynthia? Your professor is coming to our company for a seminar tomorrow. You’ll be there too, right?”
His company had developed a new project integrating Al with psychological counseling. My professor and I were key participants.
Benjamin continued, his voice full of excitement. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
I placed the gift box and the breakfast on the ground. “Benjamin, we’re broken up,” I said, my voice firm. “I don’t want to see you again. And you don’t need to come.”
His face fell instantly, “You’re being ungrateful,” he muttered, then turned and left, his expression dark.
I thought that after being rejected so many times, he would finally leave me alone.
But the next morning, as I stepped out of the hotel, I saw his car
And standing next to it was Benjamin.
