He smiled bitterly. “But how? I still can’t let go of this relationship after eight years of struggling.” Hearing that, she frowned a little, confused by what he meant.
He gently pushed her onto the couch. “Aren’t you curious about the reason behind my persistence? Jewel, we were together eight years ago, and your real name was Jean Louis. We were college mates and each other’s first love. My mom learned about the relationship and was against it. Still, we really tried our best to stay together. One day, my mom finally agreed to have a meal with us, but you told me last minute that you would be working overtime.”
He continued, “We waited until 7.30PM, but you didn’t show up nor pick up my calls. So, I sent my mom home and decided to pick you up from your office. That was when I saw you walking out of a motel with Damian Fenton, who was also pursuing you at that time. Not only that, but I could see hickies on your neck.
I got into a huge fight with you because I was too angry and drank myself into oblivion at Ruby Palace. The next day, I was suddenly sent on al business trip. You were gone after leaving me a letter when I returned from the trip.” While speaking, he handed her the navy envelope that he had been carrying in his pocket.
“This is the letter I mentioned. All these years, I have reread it multiple times. I found new insights every time I read it. At first, I had a lot of hatred for you; I despised how cruel you were to me and loathed your betrayal. As time passed, I calmed down and figured that there must have been some misunderstanding. How could I have believed right away that you went to the motel with another man while dating me? I looked into the matter before, but I had nowhere to start from because you went missing with Damian.”
“After eight long years, I thought that I had let go of you, but when Eugene sent me a photo of you and told me that he spotted you… Do you know that I stayed up for the entire night? I thought I had erased all the memories, but they flashed across my mind like a movie.
That was when I realized that I had feelings for you still. I lied to myself that I did not want a relationship with you out of pettiness. After seeing your photo, I couldn’t hold back from meeting up with you right away. I wanted to tell you to let bygones be bygones, and we will start over again. Yet, I did not expect you to forget about me…”
As he elaborated, he felt a stinging pain in his heart. However, she glanced at him blankly, feeling no emotional changes as if she was listening to others’ stories. She gingerly accepted the letter and stared at his reddened eyes. He must be in a lot of pain.
Her eyes rested on the letter that he had reread countless times. She felt that she was struck by lightning upon seeing the familiar handwriting.
‘Alex, this will be my last time calling your name. I’m sorry that your first love has to end with bad memories. Since you have seen everything, I believe there’s no point in explaining myself. Yes, I have fallen for another man. Perhaps our encounter was a mistake in the first place. Maybe God does not think we are destined for each other. I’ll leave now. Don’t look for me. I truly wish you happiness. Yours. dearly, Jean
She looked at him with vacant eyes. Although she had no memory of the event, she was sure that she had written the letter. Could he have told me the truth? Noticing the lost look on her face, he felt sorry for her and pulled her into an embrace.
“Don’t you worry. No matter what happens in the future, I won’t doubt you anymore. Since you’re back to me and not with Damian, that already disproved the contents of the letter. You must’ve lied to me in the letter due to some unspoken difficulties. Jean, don’t push me away anymore. Let’s start over. Alright?”
