Chapter 4

Jax once missed a major inter-university speech competition for her.

But I never wanted him and Aubrey to be together.

Because one day, I overheard Aubrey on the phone in the restroom.

"Meet me at the usual spot in a bit. I'll bring him. It's not a done deal yet, but almost. Just saying, I win this round."

"Are you kidding? There's no guy I can't handle."

"He's a brainy type, right? Haven't really dated one of those. Wanna see what it's like. If it doesn't work out, whatever, I'll just move on to the next. What's the big deal?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm 'love-deprived' – I just love watching guys fall head over heels for me, driving themselves insane."

"Wanna bet again? See how far he'll go for me?"

I just didn't want to see him get ruined.

So that day, I fell down the stairs, and in a daze, I clung to his hand, refusing to let him go.

He was the one who changed my fate.

I naively thought, this time, it was my turn to change his.

He later went to explain things to Aubrey, but she already had a boyfriend.

I initially thought that after that incident, Jax and I would still be friends, even if we couldn't be lovers. Later, I realized how naive I was.

I never imagined there'd come a day he’d hate me. Aubrey became a mountain standing between us.

Aubrey had said she'd wait for him that day. If he showed up, it meant he agreed to be with her.

If he didn't, it meant they weren't meant to be, and she wouldn't try to hold onto him.

After I married Jax, I once asked him why he used to be so good to me.

Jax said it was because he felt sorry for me.

"Then what about that kiss?"

His expression stiffened then. He must have thought I was asleep at the time.

"That was just foolishness from our younger days, nothing more."

His tone was cold and indifferent.

"And besides, Claire, would you be where you are today without me? You’re asking for too much."

Jax became a true rising star in the world of physics.

Despite multiple offers from top-tier international universities, he adamantly chose to stay in the country.

He taught at a premier institution, had his own lab, and was revered by the industry.

His research projects never lacked funding.

Speeches, exclusive interviews, magazine covers – for a time, he was unstoppable.

Meanwhile, I, after getting married, became pregnant, and with a delicate pregnancy, I had to stop my own research work.

I was left alone in an empty room, enduring his icy silence.

Our marriage was practically an arrangement, forced upon us to fulfill the dying wish of Jax's critically ill mother.

It wasn't until that moment that I finally understood.

When the captain veers off course, it's not your job to steer him back.

It's about finding your own ship, becoming your own captain.

In this life, I didn't let myself fall down the stairs.

And he and Aubrey got their wish, ending up together.

I'm incredibly curious about his future. I want to see what kind of man he'll become.