Chapter 5

The first time I realized my feelings for John had changed was during the second semester of my freshman year.

I heard from others that he was getting quite close with a sophomore girl recently.

The first thing I felt was the pain of betrayal.

That’s why my reaction was so intense; I confronted John, and we furiously blamed each other.

I couldn’t accept his fickleness and infidelity, but John said he never asked me to be completely devoted to him, so why should I have high expectations of him?

We parted ways in a very unpleasant manner, blocking and deleting each other completely. Occasionally, when we met at school, I would avoid him from afar.

I was really upset at that time, but most people in this world, as long as they are alive, will encounter various kinds of sadness.

I continued attending classes and working part-time, and apart from crying under the covers every night and losing a few pounds, I wasn’t too affected.

John still occasionally appeared in front of me; his aura was hard to ignore.

It took me about two months to go from gritting my teeth in anger to feeling indifferent.

Two months later, on my way back to school after a makeup class, I encountered a thug snatching a bag. I was forcibly dragged several meters by a motorcycle, and the abrasion on my left side extended from my calf to my thigh.

I reported it to the police and contacted my close friends.

But the first person to arrive was John.

I sat at the street corner, looking at him, thinking my expression was full of defiance, but John later told me my eyes were red, and it seemed that if he made even the slightest sound, my tears would fall in large drops.

So John just sighed helplessly, carefully avoiding my wounds as he picked me up and took me to the hospital.

He busied himself with registering me, getting my medication, and when the hydrogen peroxide stung me to the point of near convulsion, he held my head tightly and soothed my emotions.

After I was discharged, John arranged all my meals.

He couldn’t conveniently come to the girls’ dormitory, so he ordered four portions each time, asking my roommates to take extra care of me.

He never asked about my class schedule, but whenever I left the dormitory to attend classes, he would always be waiting downstairs for me.

Eventually, even my roommates turned against me, urging me to give John another chance.

We were ambiguous for a while, and half-heartedly, I reconciled with him.

I was still rational at that time, swearing it was the last chance between John and me.

But I certainly didn’t realize then that it was merely the beginning of a ten-year entanglement with John.