Gary abided by his promise and left the following morning.
Before he left, he said goodbye to Celeste. The two of them were just like old friends. There was a still-like peace between them, there wasn't a hint of anger or annoyance.
Even Celeste was surprised by this.
She watched him leave at the door. When he walked out, he paused and turned around to look at Celeste for a moment, but in the end, they didn't even hug each other goodbye.
As she watched Gary leave the villa, Celeste felt her spirits returning.
Perhaps the pressure Gary brought upon her was just too much for her to bear.
She was unsure about the feelings she had. She felt like she could finally have her own space and freedom after he left, and she no longer had to allow the fear of losing him to keep her on her toes.
She took a shower, changed her clothes, tied up her hair, and went to school.
Meanwhile, Gary, who had just returned to Boston, seemed much more reserved.
He was quiet. He didn't attend school nor did he go to the laboratory. Instead, he holed up at home for the whole day.
The next day, Janice called him. "Gary, can we meet up?"
"You want to meet up with me?" Gary frowned. He didn't reject her immediately this time around. Instead, he said, "Alright, where we should meet?"
"Let's meet at the cafe near the school. I think we should have a face-to-face conversation," Janice said this in a serious but calm tone. "Would you give me a chance?"
"Sure, I'm on my way," Gary agreed. "I'll be there in half an hour."
When he stepped out of the apartment, he noticed that there was still blood on the ground, even though there was only a little trace of it.
His heart ached even more.
The bloodstain had been there for more than a week.
Every time he passed by that corner, he couldn't help feeling distressed at the sight of it.
It was Celeste's blood.
Every time he saw it, he felt conflicted.
By the time Gary arrived at the cafe, Janice was already there.
Upon seeing him enter, she immediately waved at him.
Gary walked towards her. His face was blank. He took a seat opposite from her and raised his head. His stare was calm and indifferent as he looked at her. "Tell me, what's the matter?"
"Have a cup of coffee. We can talk while we drink." Janice ordered a cup of coffee for him.
Gary remained silent. He looked very approachable, but his face was exceptionally still.
Janice was very shocked. Gary was no longer the Gary she once knew. It was as if he had changed completely after the incident.
He seemed distant and reserved, as though he was a man without a soul.
Janice took a deep breath and said to Gary, "Frankly, I'd like to apologize."
"Save it." Gary's tone was cold.
"I must apologize. I'm really sorry for Celeste's miscarriage." Janice said softly, "I'm really sorry, Gary."
Gary replied coldly, "Miscarriage. Hah - Janice, why don't you just stab me in the back with a knife again?"
Janice froze. "Stab you in the back with a knife?" Gary's gaze sank to the ground.
Janice was stunned. She forced out a smile and said, "Sorry, I might have to stab you several times more."
Gary frowned.
Janice continued, "Gary, perhaps you're not aware, but I've secretly been in love with you for the past few years. From the moment I met you, my feelings for you have never changed. I don't have a romantic relationship with Lowell. I can't seem to forget you, and this is because I really like you. That's also one of the reasons why I can't help but want to get closer to you."
He had always assumed that it was just a coincidence. Turns out, it had been Janice's plot the whole time. Who could have seen it coming?
He had initially thought that it didn't matter, but Celeste was upset for an entire month. She was in a bad mood and hadn't made a single phone call. She was already in such poor health and kept herself busy, which caused her condition to worsen every day to the point that she couldn't keep her baby.
Ultimately, it all boiled down to the naked truth: he was too smug.
He had the audacity to assume that Celeste was too narrow- minded, he didn't really try to understand her, so there were a lot of misunderstandings between them, which seemed to be nothing serious at the time. But when these misunderstandings were heaped together, they might crush her.
Losing the baby was his responsibility to bear.
Gary stayed calm. He knew that it had nothing to do with Janice. The root of the problem was that he wasn't firm enough in his stance towards Janice. And this caused the downfall of his relationship with Celeste.
After hearing what Janice said, he was really enlightened.
The corners of his mouth twitched and then he laughed at himself.
Janice felt even more bitter when she saw his smile.
Her face was pale as she looked up at Gary. "I'm really going to give up on this. It's something that I just can't have, and it's time to end things between us. There are plenty of fish in the sea, I'm quite a good catch if I do say so myself. Why do I have to waste all my time and effort on you? That's why I decided to give up my feelings for you, Gary."
Gary stayed silent. Without saying a word, his heart and mind had already drifted towards Celeste.
He wants to offer thousands of apologies to Celeste.
He could never make it up to her.
He suddenly felt hopeless.
The word 'regret' hadn't existed in his dictionary until now. It was a rare occurrence.
"That is all I have to say, Gary. I wonder if we can still be friends."
Gary, on the other hand, started to laugh a little anxiously. After a while, he asked, "Friends? Why do you still want to be friends with me? Do you think I'm out of my mind? Do you think I'd want to continue being friends with a girl who is obsessed with me?"
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