Chapter 6

That day, Christian and Stella didn’t show up until school let out.

In the evening, a drizzle began to fall.

Did Christian make it home? Did he get caught in the rain?

I instinctively started to worry.

I picked up my phone and called him, but it rang for a long time with no answer.

Classmates gradually started heading home, their gazes towards me filled with a hint of pity.

“Ellie, do you need a ride home?”

Chloe, a girl I was usually friendly with, walked over and asked cautiously.

It was a kind gesture, but I inexplicably twisted up inside.

“No, thank you. My driver will pick me up.”

I wore a polite smile.

As if doing so could protect my ridiculous pride.

As if doing so could hide the fact that Christian had abandoned me.

But I was wrong.

“Ms. Vance, I’m on my way to pick up Mr. Hayes now. Aren’t you two together?”

“I’m sorry, it seems Stella had an accident. Mr. Hayes is in a hurry, so please wait at school for now.”

The sky gradually darkened, and the school lights went out.

The blanket on my legs couldn’t ward off the damp chill, and my body began to shiver slightly.

The darkness made me uneasy.

I started trying to push my wheelchair.

Cold rainwater splashed on me, and a biting cold swept through.

But I didn’t want to wait anymore.

Was I so reliant on Christian that I couldn’t even get home without him?

The wheelchair, slick with water, became incredibly difficult to move.

The blanket on me, soaked through, felt heavy.

I wanted to pick it up and throw it away.

But the wheelchair suddenly slid, and I fell clumsily to the ground.

“Ah!”

I cried out in pain, trying to stand up, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate.

“Eleanor Vance!”

The girl I had refused returned and found me fallen in the schoolyard.

I could no longer tell if it was tears or rain on my face…

In the end, it was Chloe who took me home.

“Oh, dear! Ms. Vance, what happened to you? Quick, get some hot water ready for Ms. Vance!”

Maria anxiously picked me up and thanked the girl who had brought me home.

But I just turned my head away, unable to utter a single word the entire time.

By the time I had cleaned up the scrapes on my arms and face and was lying in bed, Christian and Stella finally came home.

“Christian, I’m scared. Can you stay with me a little longer?”

Stella’s tearful plea reached my ears, and I suddenly felt utterly disgusted.

Maria spoke up to remind him, “Mr. Hayes, Ms. Vance is injured.”

“Christian…”

“If you’re hurt, rest up. I’m not a doctor.”

Christian dropped that sentence and didn’t linger outside my door for another step.

Even when it was later confirmed that those rumors about Stella hadn’t been spread by me, I never received an apology from Christian or Stella.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait at school? Why did you have to act tough? You fell and hurt yourself like this…”

“Stella is just a bit insecure. Her way of handling things is inappropriate, but try to understand her.”

“Besides, if you were more tolerant towards her, would she have suspected you?”

“Ellie, Stella has it hard enough. Do you really have to be so petty with her?”

It felt like from that day on, I slowly lost all my emotions regarding Christian.

No desire to question, no more jealousy.