Chapter 15: I'M COMING TO PICK YOU UP

What Charles hadn't noticed, however, was how upset Sarah was to learn of this, nor did he appear to have cared about her at all from the beginning of their relationship. Upon realizing this, Sarah was overwhelmed by a deep feeling of envy. Why has God been so kind to that girl? She was beautiful, smart, good at studying, and was even deeply loved by an excellent man! She too lost her parents when she was born, which Sarah identified with, but Sarah was tasked with looking after her little sister and was always a loser in love. Why? Why was her fate so miserable? She could ignore fate; after all, fate was out of her control, and not everyone can have a good destiny. However, Charles was her beloved man, and he simply shouldn't love another woman. She was so jealous of this girl whom she had never met before. Although she felt so sad, she still kept calm and asked, "Now that we've established that you love each other, why do you still date me?" Charles seemed to recognize the gravity of her question. He turned around and looked at Sarah, "We love each other, but our relationship is impossible. I thought we could be together in spite of the objections from others, but we failed because of our parents." Charles turned around again, pushed his hair away, and looked into the distance, "My parents are traditional, our family is high-profile so everything I do can be reported by the media. Such a scandal must not be allowed to occur in our family. They were strongly against it and prevented it in many ways. I have always been rebellious so I could ignore them. Even if I needed to leave my home without anything, I'd have had no problem doing it, but Emma couldn't. She has always been an obedient child from a young age. At last, she compromised because my father became ill. She ended our relationship, knelt down in front of my parents, and swore that she would never love me again." "What about you and your family?" Sarah asked inquisitively. "It happened three years ago. The relationship between my family and me didn't improved since Emma came to find me and asked me to go back home when she was twenty and was going to study abroad." Charles began to smoke again. Sarah figured it out in her head, Charles was 31, while his sister was just 21. It had been more than one year since she had studied abroad. She couldn't help but ask, "How are things now with you and your sister?" Charles took a drag of his cigarette, "How are they? She refused me, and I can't do anything. She is my sister." Sarah asked, coldly, "Charles, have you ever loved anyone except your sister? Why did you date so many women?" "I told you what I had with Emma was impossible!" Charles explained and turned around. He noticed that Sarah had backed away from him and realized something was wrong. He held Sarah's shoulder and said, "Sarah, what's wrong with you? Although it's true, I deeply loved my sister, and I've dated many women, it's all over now. I want to be with you. Things with Emma will never be the way they were and I'm not willing to disturb her any further. I really want a new life with you." Sarah's voice was still cold, "Charles, I'm just a substitute, a tool to help you to forget about your sister!" She looked at Charles and tried to fight back her tears. She had waited for him for a long time and watched him date so many women. She was just a secretary at his beck and call. Finally, he showed his love for her, but there was still another woman in his heart. He regarded her as a tool to forget his beloved woman. Charles seemed to feel her sorrow, hugged her suddenly, and put her head on his shoulder. Then, he whispered into her ear, "Sarah, you can trust me. I won't ever be with her. You are different from all those other women. I really want to be with you. If I didn't, then I wouldn't have cut off relationships with all other women. Don't you believe me now?" Sarah sobbed gently, "If you have accepted that it's over with her, why do you still keep her photo in your wallet? Why do you still miss her? Don't you see how it's hurting me?" "She is my sister, of course, I miss her. But you should know that she and I can't be together even if I miss her sometimes. You are the one for me!" Sarah was still sad and asked, "You date me because you and your sister are incompatible. But one day, if your sister finds you and wants to be with you at any cost, what would you do?" Charles stopped for a long time, then answered, "That's impossible. Emma swore she wouldn't be with me. She is sensible." Sarah leaned on his shoulder and sobbed. Charles hugged her and comforted her. He seemed to enjoy a moment of tranquility. Though sad, they were unwilling to say anything, and both kept quiet. However, who knew her words would come true many years later. It was eleven o'clock when they got back to Sarah's home. Charles hugged her and wished her a good night. Suddenly, Charles's phone started to ring. He answered, "Hello," then remained silent for a long time. He looked a little shocked, then confused. Sarah didn't know whom he was speaking to, and she just looked at him. At last, she heard, "Emma, you did come back. Are you at the airport now? Okay, I'm coming to pick you up!"