Chapter 5
599words
I ignored her question. Instead, I asked, "How did you find me here? Did you track me down just to gloat?"
Lina paused with her water glass halfway to her lips, then gave me a faint smile.
"Sylvia, what if I told you it was a coincidence? Would you believe me?"
Her eyes were a beautiful shape, and in this moment, they held genuinesincerity.
For some reason, Leo's ridiculous story popped into my head.
"She's not from this world."
"She's here to complete a mission. If I don't marry her, she'll die in the most painful way in front of me."
But then I dismissed it—just another of Leo's pathetic excuses for his betrayal.
Returning to the present, I met her gaze coldly.
"Does it matter whether it was intentional or not?"
"I only agreed to have lunch with you because I'm curious. How does someone he's known for less than six months destory an eight-year relationship?"
"But now I think I understand. Maybe Leo's feelings for me had already changed, and you just happened to come along at the right time."
"Or the wrong time, depending on how you look at it."
I gave a self-mocking smile before continuing, "I'm dying, Lina."
"So you can become his real girlfriend—his actual wife."
Lina's face showed none the shock or surprise I expected.
She just watched me calmly.
After a long moment, she finally spoke.
"But the doctor say your condition isn't untreatable."
"Sylvia, your life isn't just about Leo. You still have yourself."
Lina stood up slowly, her expression complex as she looked at me.
"Just because you lost someone like him, are you really going to give up on yourself?"
"What if you tried living for yourself, just this once?"
With those words, she turned to leave.
But her phrasing reminded me of those texts from the unknown number.
Suddenly, the pieces clicked together.
So the moment she stepped out, I urgently asked, "Was it you? Those texts?"
Lina paused, her back to me, remaining silent.
In the end, she didn't give me an answer before walking away.
On the way home, I kept opening my messages, rereading those anonymous texts.
If it really was Lina, why would she care about me?
She's the one who married Leo.
She's the reason our relationship ended.
If that's who she is, why seek me out?
And why use almost the exact same words as those messages?
The mystery consumed me,
Just as I decided to call the unknown number to confirm if it was really Lina, another unknown number called first, interrupting my thoughts.
I stopped walking, staring at the digits.
Finally, I answered.
"Hello…"
"You sold the penthouse?" Before I could even finish, Leo's voice came through the receiver.
I froze for a second, then responded coldly,
"The penthouse was transferred to my name. Whether I sell it or burn it down, it's none of your business."
"Sylvia, is that any way to talk to me?"
That sparked my anger.
I shouted, "How should I talk to you? On my knees?"
"Leo, we're done. Stop fucking bothering me!"
He seemed stunned into silence by my outburst.
Just as I was about to hang up, he finally spoke, "When did I ever agree to break up?"
"Sylvia, can you stop this? You know how busy I am every day—"
"Shut up! You're pathetic! I don't want to hear another word from you!"
I hung up mid-sentence and blocked the number without hesitation.
