Leah wasn't sure why Ernest had suddenly appeared, but her heart was beating wildly.
Leah's heartbeat intensified as she spotted Ernest's eyes on her, and it was about to leap out of her chest. Anticipation filled her entire body.
After Leah sat down at the dining table, she lowered her gaze and didn't even look at Ernest.
Ernest fixed Leah with a complicated look for some time. Then, he closed the door and walked inside.
He looked down at Leah only to find that she had lowered her head, not daring to look at him. Hence, Ernest felt a strong sense of regret.
Ernest sat down opposite Leah after some thought, and he locked eyes with her.
Leah had no choice but to look to Ernest.
Their eyes met in an instant. Leah subconsciously shifted her gaze away and asked, "Why did you suddenly come back?"
"You're the reason why." Ernest replied.
His voice was low, and it was filled with guilt. Leah was shaken by the tone of his voice.
Leah had lived in a fantasy once before, but no longer.
"There's no need to do that." Leah stared at Ernest as she spoke.
Ernest returned her stare silently, not looking away.
He had a lot of emotions swirling in his eyes. However, he didn't say a word.
Leah was baffled at what she saw in Ernest's eyes. Why was there so much guilt in his gaze?
This was way too odd.
"Why are you looking at me like that? If you have something to say, just say it." Leah didn't have much patience to wait around.
Ernest pursed his lips, took a deep breath and said, "How are you? Are you recovering well?"
Ernest actually asked about her health, which surprised Leah. She wondered if Ernest thought she was affected by them breaking up.
She quickly decided that was the case and answered, "I'm doing fine, thanks. However, there's no need to worry about me." "Of course I need to worry about you! I did this to you, I hurt you, Leah! Me!"
"Ernest, you're confusing me. It was my own choice, and I have to bear the consequences on my own. It has nothing to do with you." Leah smiled.
To Ernest, this smile was one of abject bitterness, and his heart ached as he looked at Leah. In the end, he said, "I'm sorry, Leah."
"You don't have to apologize. We've already said what needed to be said. It's been so long, and your sudden apology is weird. I think we should definitely just yell at one another to get it out of our systems and get it over it. Why dwell on things that are in the past? We should be more decisive about things."
She didn't think it was necessary if Ernest was just here to apologize.
After all, they'd broken up so long ago. It was nearly two months after Christmas.
Over the past two months, the two of them essentially had no contact. She still remembered what Ernest said on the call after she'd returned home from London.
Leah's heart hurt as if a million twisting knives had pierced into her chest at the thought of that.
Leah had thought of cutting off all contact with Ernest. Even if it killed her, at least she would preserve her dignity.
Now that Ernest was acting like this, paired with what he said to the class monitor yesterday made Leah very confused. Furthermore, Ernest had suddenly showed up at her apartment today.
She didn't understand what Ernest was trying to do on this trip back home. Was he trying to get back with her?
Leah was a very straightforward person, and she comforted the guilty Ernest. "It's been so long. You don't need to be so sorry. Honestly, it's making me feel bad."
Ernest replied in a pained tone, "Leah, I'm so sorry. I never thought it'd end up like this. I hurt you a lot."
"No, you didn't, Ernest. There's no need for you to apologize to me, okay? Didn't we say we'd part ways amicably?" Leah shook her head and she comforted Ernest again. "To be honest, I agree wholeheartedly to what you said last time. We should never see each other again after we break up."
Ernest recalled what he said before and took a deep breath. These words were so harsh that he felt like his heart was being cut by a knife.
He really didn't understand why he said those words.
Furthermore, he'd said it to a girl. It was super inappropriate of him.
"I'm so sorry, Leah." Ernest apologized again even though he knew a verbal apology wouldn't do much.
"Ernest, I already said that you really don't have to apologize." Leah shook her head.
Leah was even more embarrassed.
Her face was red from the tips of her ears down to her neck, and she smiled sheepishly at Ernest. "Don't get it wrong. I was just joking with my class rep. We weren't talking about you."
"You said what you said. Since when did Leah Winston take back what she said?"
Leah kicked herself internally for saying that when Ernest asked her this question. Frustrated, she had to admit it.
"Yeah, I said it. That's all because you suddenly told the class rep I was your girlfriend. I was mad at being humiliated, so I said you were a psycho."
Leah thought that it was humiliating to be his girlfriend?
Ernest frowned and asked, "Do you think it's that bad being my girlfriend?"
"Now that we've broken up, I'm no longer using you, Mr. Jones," Leah replied.
She lowered her head, dispirited.
Her emotions were largely beyond her control.
Leah remembered what Ernest had said, and she would never come back to him again.
She had to remind herself all the time not to think too much.
"Leah, aren't you humiliating me by saying that?" Ernest asked.
Leah was so astonished her eyes widened into the side of saucers. She felt like she'd said something wrong.
Ernest had never said anything like that, but she kept bringing it up. Obviously, it bothered her a lot.
Leah understood what it sounded like, and she smiled sheepishly at Ernest once more. She looked away as she said, "Don't take it to heart. I don't mean it that way, I'm just venting."
"Are you venting because you're still mad at me?"
Ernest asked.
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