Too Much to Bear, My Love novel Chapter 896

Chapter 896 Guarded

“Go ahead and eat. This might be the last time you get to eat this.” Eva felt much better after airing her thoughts. She was even in the mood to joke.

James fixed his intense gaze on the woman and felt increasingly frustrated. It was as if he had lost something that was his all along.

Eva passed a fork to the man and said, “Finish it as a favor to me. Our boss wants me to go to Hawen to train the new batch of employees, and the training will last two years. As that place is currently a restricted area, we won’t be able to contact anyone other than during the festive seasons. Previously, I was still unable to decide if I should go, but this is now the perfect opportunity for me to forget you.”

James took over the fork. Looking at the sumptuous food in the lunchbox, which had instantly become unappetizing, he started eating.

Just earlier, he had been telling Eva to get lost. However, now that she was finally going away, he found himself feeling even more uncomfortable. However, he tried to rationalize internally that it was because of the abrupt nature of the woman’s departure that resulted in his discomfort and that the feeling would be gone after a while. As such, he should be happy that he had finally gotten rid of a nuisance.

Soon, James finished all of the food in the lunch box.

Eva took the fork from him and cleaned up before saying, “I shan’t disturb you any further. I’m going off now. I’m not sure if we will see each other again after I leave for Hawen, so I shall give you my blessings in advance. I hope that you will find the woman of your dreams soon. From now on, I won’t be pestering you anymore.”

James looked at Eva with a complicated expression.

“What’s wrong? Are you missing me already? If you ask me to stay, I might change my mind and not leave,” Eva said with a cheeky wink.

Even though she sounded casual, she was, in fact, feeling extremely nervous. She was fervently hoping that James would suddenly realize his feelings for her and ask her not to go. However, that was obviously just her wishful thinking.

“Going to Hawen sounds like a good opportunity for you. I hope that you will find true love soon. We will be friends forever,” James said, pretending to be relieved.

The smile on Eva’s face faded slightly when she heard that.

“Sure. The next time you see me come looking for you is when I’ve found someone I want to marry. I’ll get going now.” Eva picked up the lunchbox and waved goodbye to James blithely before she quickly left his office.

As James stared at the woman’s departing figure, he could not help but feel an immense sense of emptiness in his heart. He was unable to make sense of the discomfort that he was feeling. However, he shook it off quickly, thinking that his mind was just playing tricks on him.

When Eva went back to the neighborhood where Amelia was staying, she returned the lunchbox, which she had already washed, to her cousin.

“Amelia, I intend on heading to Hawen to train the new batch of employees. I’ll be there for two years, but I’ll be back to visit you during my vacation time.”

“You’re going to Hawen? What about James…” Amelia asked, feeling slightly shocked.

“I’ve already laid it out with him at the hospital just now. He doesn’t love me and asked me to get lost. I don’t want him to end up hating me, so I’ve decided to let go and stop pestering him. I’ve been pursuing him for two years, but he still has not fallen in love with me. That means it’s impossible between us. I’ve already agreed to relocate to Hawen. Busying myself with work might help me forget James. After all, life still goes on without him,” Eva replied softly.

Amelia patted her cousin’s head and said, “I’m glad that you were able to come to a decision.”

“I already booked my air ticket on the way back just now. My flight is at five p.m. this evening, so I should leave now. I can get my daily necessities in Hawen when I’m there.”

“Eva, you don’t have to be in such a rush.”

“Amelia, I’m worried that I would change my mind if I don’t leave soon. It took me a lot of determination to decide to let him go. That’s why it’s better for me to leave as soon as possible.”

Hearing that, Amelia stopped talking.

She personally drove Eva to the airport. When they arrived, Eva hugged her cousin with tears in her eyes and said, “Amelia, take care of yourself. I’ve given you a lot of trouble in the past, but I’ve grown up now, and I’ll take care of myself. I’ll call you when I’m free.”

Amelia returned Eva’s hug, feeling reluctant to part with her cousin.

After one year apart, she realized that Eva had matured a lot, and it was the result of the woman’s unrequited love. Suddenly, she found herself missing the confident and quirky girl who was always dressed in punk fashion. However, that girl had disappeared forever.

Amelia sighed silently. Most people would mature with the passage of time. However, there would always be some who lived in a carefree manner regardless of their age. Those were the people who were well-protected from life’s harsh realities.

If it was possible, Amelia hoped that Eva would also meet a man who would shield her from life’s perils.

“Take care of yourself while you are there. Come back here to work after you’ve recovered from your pain. If you like training others, I’ll ask Oscar to make arrangements for you to be a trainer.”

“All right. Amelia, when I return, I’ll introduce my boyfriend to you. When that day comes, you and Oscar have to help with my wedding arrangements, yeah?”

“I’ll be waiting for that day.”

The two women chatted for a while longer before Eva went through the airport security check. Shaking her head, Amelia turned around and left. Unexpectedly, she saw James outside the airport.

“Oh, James, you’re here.”

The man walked over and said, “Amelia, it’s been a while. I heard that you and Oscar had gotten back together again. Congrats!”

Amelia let out a chuckle before replying, “Thanks! I have to go now as I have something to attend to. You should hurry in if you’re here to send someone off.”

James stopped Amelia from leaving and gazed at her with a complicated look in his eyes.

“Amelia, don’t you blame me?”

“Why would I blame you? Perhaps, you and Eva are just not fated to be together. It might not be a bad thing that Eva is going to Hawen. At least it’ll be easier for her to start anew there. You don’t have to feel guilty about it.”

James could not help but laugh out loud when he heard that.

“Amelia, you’re indeed different from everyone else. I found it a pity that you and Oscar got divorced previously. As such, it was a surprise to know that the two of you still ended up together. It feels almost too surreal.”

“I think so too.” Amelia looked at James and continued, “James, you’re actually here to send Eva off, aren’t you? I don’t think you really dislike her that much. Sometimes, it’s better for us to come to terms with our own feelings. Don’t wait until it’s too late for regrets. Eva is a wonderful girl. Other than the fact that she can be too carefree sometimes, she doesn’t have any major flaws. Besides, she loves you wholeheartedly. It’s such a pity that you were unable to reciprocate her love, even going so far as to stomp on it. Forget it. It’s all in the past now. It doesn’t matter what your feelings for her are; I just hope that you won’t appear in her life again. I see her as my younger sister and hope to protect her from getting hurt. You are not good enough for her. She deserves a man who loves her wholeheartedly too.”

When James heard that, there was a slight change in his expression as his eyes darkened.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he caught up with Amelia and stopped her from leaving.

“Amelia, please apologize to Eva on my behalf. Even though we can’t be lovers, we can still be friends.”

“James, you have nothing to apologize to her for. From now on, both of you will lead your own separate lives and never cross paths again. I just hope that you don’t bother her again.”

James hesitated for a second before he agreed to that.

Nodding politely, Amelia got into her car and drove off.

James pressed his lips together after Amelia sped off into the distance. There was a slight uneasiness in his heart. In truth, he did not know why he came to the airport. He just could not help but come here after receiving Eva’s text, telling him that she was leaving. However, he did not go into the departure hall in the end.

James felt a sense of loss, knowing that Eva had finally left. However, he tried to comfort himself that he was feeling that way because he was not used to the woman’s absence after having her chattering around him for so long.

When Amelia returned home, Oscar was already back.

“I’m home,” Amelia said smilingly while walking toward the man.

Oscar wrapped her in his arms before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

With a gentle gaze in his eyes, he explained, “Recently, someone has been spreading rumors, trying to defame Clinton Corporations’ products. As such, the company’s upper management had gathered for a meeting which only just ended.”

Amelia frowned when she heard that. However, she had faith in Oscar’s abilities. The fact that he had shared the situation with her meant that it wasn’t a difficult issue for him to handle.