Shallow Love

Thirteen years was three years more than ten, not to mention that I was in love with him for ten of those thirteen years. Thirteen years, and I had not even earned his trust. Thirteen ridiculous years.

I did not want to argue, so I answered hoarsely. "Leave."

Liam only paused for a second before opening the door and leaving without a word.

I was wheeled into an ambulance and taken to the hospital alone.

Liam had pushed me so hard and so suddenly that I not only sprained my ankle, but also broke my hand.

A week later, I dragged my exhausted body out of the hospital.

When I got home, I looked at where Liam and I had lived for ten years. We moved here after high school, which was also our first year of university. We selected and placed everything in the house together. Even the cross-stitched photo of us hanging on the wall was something we made together little by little in our spare time.

All of the wonderful memories in the past ten years had turned into a sharp knife piercing my heart.

I dragged out the two large boxes under the bed. Since my right hand was not fully healed, I could only clean the house with one hand. Liam had already moved out his belongings, making the cleaning process half as tiring.

Just as Liam had said, he did not return or meet with me in the next month. During this time, I moved into a small apartment my mother had bought for me when she was still alive. The house Liam and I had lived in was completely emptied. After hiring a cleaning service to clean the place up, all traces of our life together were gone.

Coincidentally, the hospital informed me that my father's condition had improved. I decided to take the doctor's advice and transfer him to a central hospital in another city.

I still wanted to see Liam one last time before leaving. I thought some things were better explained in person. I considered it a proper closure to our ten years together.

However, the moment I texted him, I realized that Liam had blocked me on WhatsApp. Having no choice, I opened Christine's social media. Previously, I had muted her posts. I knew Liam was likely with her. Sure enough, I spotted his silhouette in a post that Christine had uploaded just 30 minutes earlier.

I drove over to the bar and knocked on the door of a private room. The door opened from inside, and I instantly saw the couple sitting at the center of the room. They were passionately kissing amid the crowd's cheers. Once the kiss ended, a trace of saliva fell. Blushing, Christine buried her head in Liam's shoulder.

Seeing me, the two parted awkwardly.

Liam asked, "What are you doing here?"

I heard my voice trembling. "Liam, you're... brother and sister..."

Liam nonchalantly faked a smile. "We're not biological siblings, so what does it matter? What are you doing here? Didn't I say we wouldn't see each other for three years? Why do you come to me now?"

There was a momentary silence, and Christine's innocent eyes blinked. "You haven't run out of money, have you?"

I smiled wryly and suddenly felt that there was nothing wrong with leaving an incomplete ending. I left the bag of money I was holding and turned around to leave.

Early the next morning, I came to the hospital to escort my father. I discussed with the hospital to have the ambulance take him there while I follow them in a car. After wheeling my father into the ambulance, the doctor who had encouraged me that day stopped me.

I was so distracted that day that I did not see the doctor's tag pinned to his chest. Today, I saw it clearly. I did not know he was also a department head, and I certainly had no idea he was Andrew Jenkins, the neighbor I grew up with.

He smiled. "Evie, I wish you and Mr. Lancaster a new life."

The moment I left Oceania, I told myself I would, and every day that followed was a new life!