Chapter 285
Colin was silent when we made our way back to the ward. I was feeling anxious as well.
I had heard about depression. It was a mental illness, triggered by a
traumatizing event. In some serious cases, the patients might turn violent or take their own lives.
When I was studying at university, the sister of one of my coursemates had postpartum depression and jumped off a building, leaving behind a one- month–old baby.
If Felix took his life too, I…
I was too afraid to imagine further.
“Calm down, Colin. Maybe the diagnosis is wrong. The doctor only suspects it, doesn’t he? Perhaps Felix will return to normal tomorrow morning.”
Colin patted my head and pulled me into his embrace. He leaned in and
whispered into my ear, “Yes… Thank you, Lulu.”
The next afternoon, I came to the ward with the dinner Mom had prepared.
The ward door was ajar. I heard movement from the bed. Felix was sitting against the pillow with a stoic face.
Colin sat on a stool in front of him. They were having a serious talk.
“Felix, we all saw what you did to Lulu back then. You rejected her. You made her attend a university so far away from here. You owe her this. Our
family owes her this. I don’t know why you keep trying to bind her to you, but I’m telling you that you and Lulu are over.
“She’s my girlfriend now. To put it bluntly, you had it coming for all the
pain you’re feeling now. Don’t drag the innocent Lulu into this. Am I clear?”
Felix lowered his head and twiddled his thumbs. “Colin, I regret my
decision so much. I want her back.”
Colin tensed up. His grip on the edge of the bed tightened. Even from the outside, I could sense anger and defensiveness from him.
“Don’t you get it, Felix? Lulu is human. She has her feelings and free will. She can choose the kind of life she wants. She won’t dog behind you forever. She won’t wait until you come back to her when you’re sick of the girls out
there.
“No one will wait for you forever. Besides, you hurt her first. You think you deserve her forgiveness? Let me make this clear, Felix. Lulu is now my girlfriend. I won’t allow anyone to make her cry. Not even you.
“Please get over this. Lilac isn’t worth your time, and you’ll eventually find your true love. Stop pestering Lulu. She’s young, kind, and naive. I don’t want her to be upset, and I don’t want to put her in a difficult situation either.”
“That’s just your opinion, Colin,” uttered Felix stubbornly.
The food in my hands was heavy. Before I knew it, I already pushed open the door. Both brothers turned around and faced me, startled.
They tried to exclude me from this conversation, but I had overheard everything.
“Felix, I’ve already told you the last time. We’re not bound by anything anymore. I love Colin now, and I will spend my life with him. That won’t change at all.”
Felix fell silent. He looked at his fingers once again and blocked everything.
out.
The talk failed.
+15 BONUS
That night, I couldn’t fall asleep. The image of Felix staring at his fingers kept appearing in my mind.
I did not know how to describe him. He looked liberated but also crestfallen.
At around five in the morning, I was jolted awake by my ringing phone. I rubbed my pounding chest and picked up the call.