Chapter 44: Beautiful Memories
As soon as the sun came up, Chloe opened her eyes. She hadn’t rested well that night. The first thing she did was call Adam.
When Adam picked up, he was still half asleep, barely awake until he heard Chloe’s voice and managed to pull himself together.
“How’s your stomach these days? Need me to make anything for you?” Chloe asked.
Hearing Chloe’s concern, Adam felt a spark of hope and sat up quickly, running a hand through his hair.
“Chloe, the food you made last time was so good, I’ve been craving it ever since. I’ve just been so busy with work. If it’s not too much trouble, could you make it again?”
Chloe didn’t respond immediately. After a brief pause, she gave him a time to come by and then hung up.
She already knew from last time that the food wasn’t for Adam–it was all for Julian. But this was the only way she could still do something for him, even if that was the extent of it.
Julian had been recovering at home for several days now, and Layla had visited him every day, always bringing homemade congee. But each time, Julian would ask her to leave it on the side, making excuses that he’d eat it later or wasn’t hungry yet. In truth, he never touched it, but Julian didn’t care what happened to it.
Seeing that Julian’s condition had improved, Layla finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried sick the past few days.
“Julian, you have no idea how scared I was. I’m just so glad you’re okay. If anything had happened to you, I would’ve been beside myself,” she said.
Julian only gave a light laugh in response. Layla had been spending long hours at the villa lately, clearly not busy with school. But Julian knew she couldn’t be completely free.
“Don’t you have anything else to do? You’ve been coming here every day. Aren’t you afraid it’ll interfere with your own life?” he asked.
Layla smiled and held his hand. “What could be more important than you? As long as you get better, nothing else matters. If I weren’t still in school, I’d spend every day by your side, cooking for you and taking care of you.”
Her words triggered a memory for Julian, one from when he and Chloe had first started dating. Back then, he always wanted to take Chloe out, to go on dates and have fun. But Chloe was always busy with her studies, and their time together was limited. He had even suggested that Chloe skip a class just to be with him, promising it would only be once.
They both knew that skipping class once would lead to more, but Chloe stood her ground and refused, no matter how much Julian pushed. In the end, Julian had gotten angry and ignored Chloe for days. And yet, it was he who had eventually caved, apologizing profusely and making things right between them.
After that, their “dates” became something else entirely. Julian would accompany Chloe to her classes, sitting beside her while she listened attentively, Julian didn’t understand a word, but just watching Chloe so focused, doing nothing but being near her, made him feel content.
He remembered those times fondly now. There were so many beautiful memories from their time together as students, even after they had graduated. How had they ended up here, with all those memories but no longer together?
Julian’s gaze became distant, filled with confusion as he thought about the past. Layla noticed his distracted expression and felt a sense of unease creeping in.
“Julian, what are you thinking about?” she asked cautiously.
Julian snapped out of it. “Nothing. I’m almost fully recovered now, so I’ll need to get back to work. You don’t need to keep coming here every day. Focus on your studies at school.”
“I’ve been resting at home for days, and the company needs me back. I won’t have time to see you.”
Layla hesitated at first but then nodded reluctantly. “Alright, I understand. Just take care of yourself. If you don’t, I’ll be really worried.”
As Layla left the villa, she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had been growing inside her. Something had changed in Julian. He was more distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere, and that had never been the case before.
.
Not knowing what else to do, she called William. Of all of Julian’s friends, William was the one she knew best. He was the only one who gave her any insight into what was going on with Julian, though she couldn’t say he did so out of kindness.
When William answered, Layla wasted no time. “William, I visited Julian today, and something felt off. Did something happen recently? Did Chloe do something again?”
William, busy with his own affairs, responded dismissively. “Chloe hasn’t come around, so it’s not about her. He just can’t get her out of his head. I mean, she did cook for him a couple of times, after all.”
With that, William hung up, leaving Layla gripping her phone in frustration. She had suspected it all along- this was about Chloe.
Taking a deep breath, Layla resolved that she couldn’t let things continue like this. If she didn’t act soon, Chloe would take everything she had.
The next morning, Layla arrived early and waited for Chloe outside the library. Chloe, deep in thought about the books and materials she had been studying, didn’t notice Layla right away.
When she finally did, Layla wasted no time, speaking with a mix of frustration and jealousy.
“Chloe, you need to get this straight: Julian is my boyfriend now. You two have broken up, and you have no place in his life anymore. Stop doing things that create misunderstandings. It’s not good for me, and it’s not fair to him either.”
Enjoy Ad Free Reading>>
