The Wrong Season for Love

His Concern for His First Love

The voice was painfully familiar to me. It belonged to Zendaya Filgen, Howard's unforgettable first love.

Ever since she returned to the country, Howard had become a completely different person.

His phone now rang at all hours, day and night. It didn't matter how late it was, as he would rush over to Zendaya without hesitation if she rang him up.

Each time I confronted him about it, our arguments would end the same way. He would snap at me with growing irritation, "Zendaya is all alone and helpless in Primrose. What's wrong with me helping her out? Why do you always have to stir up trouble?"

We started a cold war, and the cold war became his excuse to avoid coming home often.

In those days when he was never around, I tried to find proof that he was cheating on me. Alas, it didn't matter how many stones I unturned as it turned out that he really was just helping her tirelessly, night and day.

Still, over time, he grew more irritable and impatient with me.

In the past, he would always call to inform me about his plans, no matter how busy he was. If something urgent came up, he would send me a message on Snapchat.

Now, weeks, sometimes even a whole month, would pass without a single call from him. When I did call, he was either too busy, about to get busy, or he would just hang up on me.

This time, he didn't just hang up the phone. Rather, he had hung up on my last shred of hope.

I stared at my mutilated body on the ground and felt a wave of bitterness wash over me. 'If Howard knows that saving Zendaya, the woman with a mere scratch on her arm, has cost me my life, would he feel guilty? Will he come to regret it?'

I shook my head in self-mockery. 'Probably not. My death will only clear the way for him to be with her. But…'

I glanced down at my abdomen, where I had carefully protected it. My heart aches terribly. 'If he learns that, in the process, he has also unintentionally killed the child he longs for, will that break him?'

My breath hitched in my throat as I struggled to stand, only to realize my body had started to float.

I didn't know how long I floated like that, but somehow, I ended up near Howard.

He was cradling Zendaya in his arms as he made a run for the emergency room. "Make way, please! Move aside!"

The patients waiting outside the emergency room shot him cold, irritated looks, and one of them muttered, "What's the rush? She won't die with such a minor surgery. Look at those people in front of her who are covered in blood."

Howard's face hardened as he glared back and justified his actions. "She was injured outdoors, and she could get tetanus. If you have no knowledge about this, refrain from talking crap."

The patient hadn't expected him to argue back. The patient's eyes were wide with disbelief as he raised his voice. "That's barely a scratch! By the time you get here, it'll probably be healed then! Do you think it's okay to waste public resources like this?"

Howard's face faltered slightly as if the words were hitting him hard, echoing the very things he had once told me. He said nothing more and quietly moved to the back of the line.

Zendaya leaned gently against his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "It's alright, really. You can just bandage it for me when we get home."

"But I don't have any supplies at my place," she added coyly, "Maybe I could go to your house instead?"

He stiffened, his face flushing a deep red. "That's…fine."

"Do you think Wendy will mind?"

At the mention of my name, his tone turned sharp. "Don't worry about her. I'll take you home now."

I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh as I watched the two of them glued to each other like they couldn't bear to be apart. 'I'm curious to see how they plan to bandage her wound in my house,' I thought bitterly.

...

Howard drove recklessly, the car speeding down streets. The journey, which should have taken twenty minutes, took just ten. He hurriedly opened the door, scooped Zendaya up into his arms, and raced up the stairs.

The moment the front door clicked open, the frail Zendaya suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and tore at his clothes with wild desperation. Her voice dripped with lust. "Howard, I miss you…"