Bloom Again, My Heart

I let out a bitter laugh.

Fabian even knew how much I loved him.

So did he really have to crush my feelings like this?

"Don't worry. I won't cling to you anymore, and I won't bother you. You can do whatever you want."

Fabian seemed a little stunned that I agreed so quickly.

I turned away and kept walking toward the gates. He reached out instinctively, but before he could say anything, a girl came flying at me like a firecracker.

The impact knocked me straight to the ground. My knee smashed against the doorway, and a sharp wave of pain shot through me.

Viola's expression shifted, and she quickly bent down, acting pitiful as she tried to help me up.

"I'm so sorry, Sonia. Please don't be mad. I didn't mean to bump into you."

Before I could speak, my grandmother's furious voice filled my mind.

"In every life, that girl either frames Sonia or pretends to cry and blames her. These dirty little tricks are all she's got. Only that idiot, Fabian, would believe her and even scold Sonia. She makes me so mad!"

As expected, the moment Fabian saw Viola's tears, he felt bad for her.

"Viola, it's alright, it was just a little accident. With me here, no one's going to blame you."

He gently helped Viola up, then turned to me with a hint of warning in his voice. "It was just a bump. You're not going to blame her, right?"

Blood trickled down my leg from the cut on my knee. I pushed through the pain and stood up.

Viola's eyes were filled with tears, her voice shaking. "Sonia, I'm really sorry. It was all my fault. I'll slap myself if that makes you feel better."

She actually raised her hand and swung hard toward her own face.

Fabian quickly grabbed her wrist and shot me a furious glare.

"Sonia, what the hell is wrong with you? Viola said she didn't do it on purpose. Why are you bullying her?"

My grandmother grew even angrier.

"What's wrong with him? Is he deaf or just plain stupid? Sonia didn't say a word. How is she bullying anyone?

"Gosh, I would've gotten a heart attack if I weren't dead already. I hope Sonia will show them what bullying really looks like and give the both of them two hard slaps!"

The moment she finished speaking, I raised my hand and delivered two loud, sharp slaps across Viola's face.

Then I looked straight at Fabian.

"See that? That's what bullying actually looks like."

Viola stood there, stunned and silent.

Fabian was just as shocked. "Sonia, you're going too far—"

I lifted my hand again and slapped him hard.

Then, remembering my grandmother's words, I followed immediately with another slap before he even recovered.

"That's what too far looks like."

Fabian stared at me, completely dumbfounded.

I had followed him around since childhood, always agreeing with everything he said. I had never even talked back to him, let alone hit him.

It took him a long moment to react. Then he glared at me, furious.

"Wow. You actually hit me! You'll regret this later. Viola, let's go to the clinic."

My grandmother snorted.

"Is he really trying to scare Sonia with that lame threat? What a joke. Oh, my poor baby. That fall must've hurt like hell!"

I lowered my eyes, looking at the blood seeping from my knee.

All the pain and all the buried frustration finally surged to the surface.

When we were little, if Fabian saw me hurt, he would cry from how much it broke his heart and take great care of me.