Fiona looked at Leona with a hint of anger. She had told her about everything except her marriage to Spencer. It was something she already had trouble telling herself, what more if it involved other people? But as she glanced at Sophia, she couldn’t help but feel guilty.
Leona glared at her and shouted, "I don't believe you! You’re lying. That’s it! I don't want to stay here anymore!" She turned her back to them and rushed out,
slamming the door shut. Fiona flinched.
Sophia and Ella stayed still, having no intention of catching up to her.
"Will she be all right?" Fiona mumbled.
"Leave her alone.
Let her think it through for now." Ella rolled her eyes before turning to Fiona. "Are we really friends, though? Why didn’t you tell us that you and Mr. Cheng have long known each other? If you did, I would have talked to him and gotten a much easier time during military training!"
"Yeah, I didn’t know that you knew him in person too," Sophia chimed in.
Fiona gave them a small smile. "Well, the military training’s over now. There’s no point talking about it anymore. I’m going to the library."
"Oh, let me go with you," Sophia said. "Leona got on my nerves just now. I feel too agitated to rest."
"The library?" Ella pouted at her friends. "Are you both sure you don’t want to go shopping?"
Fiona smiled faintly. "I’m not particularly up for it."
"I don’t really want to go either," Sophia sighed. "The library just seems much more refreshing right now."
"You two are so boring! Fine, I’ll go ask someone else to go with me." Ella began to change.
Sophia and Fiona packed their things and walked to the library together.
"Fiona," Sophia hesitantly called out of the blue. "Leona said that Mr. Cheng carried you on his shoulder and held your waist. Was that true?"
Fiona stopped walking and looked at her friend. She pointed at an empty bench near the small lake. "Take a seat."
Sophia looked at her in confusion. "Okay."
They sat beside each other, and for a moment there was complete silence. Fiona kept her head down, unable to say anything.
"Did you turn Ryan down because of Mr. Cheng?" Sophia finally spoke. "I get that Mr. Cheng’s quite handsome, but how could you let Ryan go that easily? He’s one of the kindest people I know!"
"I’m married," Fiona said honestly.
"I really don’t—Wait, what?" Sophia’s eyes got bigger and bigger until she finally jumped out of her seat and screamed, "You’re married?!"
"Shh!" Fiona held her wrist and pressed her back down on the bench, covering her mouth. "Do you want the whole school to find out about it? I’ll go nuts!"
Her friend shook her head.
Although she didn’t feel confident enough to let her go, Sophia nevertheless managed to break free. She looked far away with a dazed expression.
"You're married! Was it Mr. Cheng? Did you marry him?" Sophia asked, her lips trembling.
"Yes," Fiona mumbled.
Sophia covered her mouth and stifled a scream. Although Fiona was worried about her friend accidentally biting her tongue and whatnot,
she didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry at her reaction. "Sorry, it just sounds so unreal!
When did you two tie the knot?" Sophia continued to ask.
"We got our marriage certificates on the night of the newcomers welcoming party. As for the wedding...well, we had the ceremony yesterday."
Sophia took a deep breath and clenched her fists. "Oh my God, Fiona, I can't believe it! Seriously, I can’t stress how surprised I am right now!"
"If it weren’t for Leona, I wouldn’t have told anyone." Fiona looked at her dear friend guiltily. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you."
"Oh, who cares! All I really want to know now is how you two got together!" Sophia’s eyes twinkled with immense curiosity. "Please tell me!"
Fiona thought about it for a while, and then said, "I will, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Especially Ryan. Don’t tell him."
Sophia straightened her back. "I swear, I will never tell anyone about this! Not even my father, and especially not Ryan!"
Fiona nodded, finally calming down. "Well, his name is Spencer..."
She didn’t know how much time had passed until she finally finished the whole story. Sophia sat there quietly, stunned.
"That’s everything." Even though Fiona was narrating from her own experiences, it felt like she was telling another person’s story. Of course, she didn’t mention Celine.
Sophia held her hand. "Damn it! Fiona, why are you enduring this much? Let’s go find his grandpa and tell him everything he’s done, then ask for help in punishing him."
"Grandpa is old. I shouldn’t bother him with such things." Fiona smiled. "But I have to say that I do feel better after talking to you. It’s been hard keeping these things to myself."
"Fiona..." All of a sudden, Sophia wrapped her arms around her. "For now, I’m going to the library with you to study. And when I become a junior student, I’m going to the Royal Art School with you so that you can stay away from that devil."
Fiona’s eyes were red. "Okay."
"Are you going to divorce him eventually?" Sophia asked.
"If that opportunity comes along," Fiona said, looking far away, "I will."
"That's good, then!" Sophia stood up straight and looked at Fiona. "Then you and Ryan can be together again!"
She smiled somberly. "No, I won’t. Like you said, he’s a good person. Do you really think someone like me deserves him?"
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