Chapter 7
Dominic grabbed my arm, his expression unhappy. “What are you still mad about? I’ve already explained everything.”
His grip was strong, making me stumble. My body was still weak.
Only then did Dominic notice something was wrong. I’d lost so much weight these past few days; even a gentle breeze could knock me over.
“What’s happened to you? Why have you lost so much weight?” he asked,
seemingly having completely forgotten about my near–drowning incident.
I pulled my arm from his grasp and said each word deliberately: “I got sick. After nearly drowning.”
His pupils contracted sharply. For a long moment, he couldn’t speak. When I
turned to leave again, he hurriedly said, “I didn’t know… I didn’t think it was that
serious…‘
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“How are you feeling now? I’ll call a doctor to examine you right away.”
Only now did he remember to care about me, but it was too late. I didn’t need his
concern anymore–not now, not ever again.
“Don’t bother. I want to rest.” The doctor had advised me to recover quietly for the
next few days. Even if I couldn’t sleep, I wanted to be alone.
I couldn’t stand being anywhere near Dominic, but I still had many possessions in this apartment that I needed to take with me.
Noticing my coldness, Dominic actually apologized—a rare occurrence. “I’m sorry, Sienna. I really didn’t know you were so seriously ill. Please don’t be angry. I’ll take good care of you these next few days. What would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you right away. How about some chicken soup?”
In the past, I would have been overjoyed, even convinced myself that Dominic truly
loved me.
But now that I’d let go, I could easily see the guilt in his eyes.
He’d spent the last few days having fun with Faye.
But whatever happened between him and Faye no longer concerned me. I went straight to the bedroom without another word.
Dominic didn’t get angry either. The next morning, he even prepared breakfast and
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waited for me. When he saw me, he smiled as if the events of the past few days had never happened.
“Sienna, are you awake? I made sandwiches—come eat.”
I glanced at them and noticed he’d added tomatoes–which I despised but Faye
loved.
“I’m not hungry. You eat.” I headed for the door. I needed to visit my professor’s office to fill out paperwork.
The Berlin arrangements were finalized, which gave me peace of mind.
At least in the future, I could pursue what I loved.
Perhaps someday, I’d see my designs in fashion magazines and become a renowned designer.
My continued coldness was unprecedented, and Dominic looked panicked.
“Sienna, are you still angry? I know I was wrong…”
He followed me to the door and grabbed my arm. “What’s wrong with you? Why
are you ”
I knew what he wanted to ask. He wanted to know why I was being so cold, why I
was ignoring him.
In the past, the slightest effort from him would earn my immediate forgiveness. Why was this time different?
I didn’t want to waste words with Dominic, but since I was leaving in a few days, I
wanted to avoid further incidents. “I’m going to campus,” I said.
He seemed relieved, quickly offering, “I’ll drive you. You’re not well, and it’s not
safe for you to go alone.”
He pulled me toward his car. I noticed the passenger seat had been completely transformed, even decorated with cute cartoon stickers.
Without comment, I sat in the back seat instead.
Dominic looked at my choice with surprise, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Halfway there, Dominic’s phone rang. He glanced at me, his expression hesitant.
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I knew it had to be Faye calling. This scenario had played out countless times— whenever Dominic was with me, Faye would suddenly have an emergency. Sometimes her lights would go out, or she’d be scared of thunder during a storm. Whatever the excuse, it always pulled Dominic away from me.
The worst incident was when Dominic actually left me stranded on the roadside to go to her, telling me to find my own way home.
He left a young woman alone at night on a dark street.
That time, I had a huge fight with him, accusing him of caring too much about
Faye and not enough about me.
But Dominic thought I was being unreasonable. He even said, “You’re fine, aren’t you? Nothing happened.”
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