Chapter 11

A cold, automated voice came from her phone, "Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service, please check the number and try again later…" Mayra let out a sigh of relief, glad that the number was unreachable. It seems like Anderson had canceled it. When a person was truly done with someone, despite knowing they'll never be able to reach them again, it won't cause them too much sadness or heartache. This outcome was one Mayra had long predicted. Was she hesitant to let go? Frankly speaking, she wasn't too affected by it. With the tragic end she faced in her past life, there wasn't much she couldn't let go of now. She had been by Anderson's side ever since she was five years old. This year marked the eleventh year by his side. Perhaps this was for the best. From now on, she wouldn't have to worry about Anderson finding out about what happened between her and Gordon. Anderson had always been very strict with her. Not only did he take on the role of her brother, but he also assumed the role of a parental figure. When she wholeheartedly relied on him, she seemed to have overlooked the fact that Anderson was never solely hers… At 8:30 p.m., in a rundown and cramped rented room, a desk lamp was still dimly lit. Mayra picked up a pen and was just about to start on her homework when she noticed her phone, which she had silenced, light up with an incoming call. It was from a number that she could never forget. Even if she were in danger at this very moment, as long as she dialed this number, he would appear before her no matter where he was. Mayra failed to notice the faint smile that tugged at her lips when she saw the incoming call from this familiar number. As the ringing was about to come to a stop, Mayra finally answered the call. As soon as the call connected, a clear breathing sound could be heard through the phone. Mayra absentmindedly scribbled on a piece of scratch paper and asked, "Gordon? Why aren't you speaking?" Only after she broke the silence did she hear his voice coming from the other end. "I know everything." Mayra asked in confusion, "What do you know?" Right at that moment, a sudden realization dawned upon her. Her hand, which was previously busy scribbling, came to a halt and her face instantly heated up. She paused and then quickly tried to explain, "Who asked you to look into these matters? It has nothing to do with you. I just blanked out during the exam and accidentally wrote the wrong name. Don't bring this up again, do you hear me?" Gordon's stern yet hesitant face came to mind. She asked, "Why did you call?" Gordon replied, "You don't have to write your apology letter." Mayra paused before asking, "Why? You didn't happen to write one for me, did you?" Gordon didn't deny it. "Don't worry about anyone finding out. I copied your handwriting. I'll bring it over to you tomorrow." Mayra lowered her head and smiled, her innocent face reflected in the mirror. Gordan was still as kind as ever. "It isn't even your fault. You didn't have to do this for me." Gordon simply remained quiet. The both of them fell into silence once again. Mayra reached her a math workbook nearby and asked, "Gordan, can you help me with my math exercises? I promised my teacher that I would make it into the top ten in the upcoming mock exam. Do you mind tutoring me?" Gordon replied without any hesitation, "Sure." Mayra was aware of Gordan's family hardships. He would have to spend most of his time doing part-time jobs to earn money for his mother's medical expenses. "Gordon, I'll pay you for tutoring me." Gordon refused, "I don't want your money." Mayra told him the math problem she was struggling with, and he patiently guided her through it. Gordon was right. Mayra had a solid foundation. By applying a few formulas, she was able to easily tackle the question. In her past life, the reason she was able to get into the University of Belchester was because of Gordon's support. This time, she wanted to test her own abilities and see if she could succeed without relying on Gordan. Gordon's explanations were clear and easy to understand. After working through the question and confirming her answer with Gordan, Mayra finally managed to solve the problem. Mayra exclaimed, her face breaking into a smile, "Gordan, I solved the question. It's not as hard as I thought." Gordon replied softly, "I told you, you have a solid foundation. You must study hard, Mayra…" Why was he still so concerned about her? She had merely crossed paths with him a few times. Why was he treating her so kindly? "Okay, I will." With that, she continued asking him about other math questions. It was unclear how much time had passed, but Mayra gradually grew tired and let out a soft yawn. Upon hearing this, Gordon stopped explaining and said, "I'll quickly wrap this question up and then you can go rest." Mayra lazily responded, "Okay. What about you?" Hearing the loud background noise from his end, it wasn't hard to guess that he was still busy. Gordon simply replied, "Rest well." "Wait!" Gordon paused. "Goodnight, Gordon." After a moment of silence, Mayra finally heard Gordan reply, "Goodnight." After hanging up, Mayra put away her books and turned off her phone. She placed it on the bedside table to charge, leaving a lamp on before going to sleep. The minute her head hit the pillow, she immediately drifted off to sleep. Surprisingly, she didn't have a single nightmare and slept soundly until dawn. When her alarm rang, Mayra took a few minutes to wash up and headed out just as the sky was beginning to brighten. As per usual, Mayra boarded the bus and sat in her usual seat. There weren't as many passengers today. After two stops, she spotted Gordan, who was also dressed in his school uniform, waiting at the bus stop ahead. Mayra leaned against the window with her chin resting on her hand. Without a hint of bashfulness, she studied Gordan from head to toe. She couldn't understand why Gordan, who was now only 18, could look so plain, yet become so attractive when he reached his thirties. His features were sharply defined and his skin had a healthy tan hue. He exuded masculinity. As the bus came to a halt, Gordon stepped on, his tall figure standing out in the crowd. Mayra took the initiative to scoot over to the window seat, placing her bag in her arms. However, Gordan ignored her as usual and chose not to sit beside her. Instead, he stood in front of her, gripping the handrail firmly. It was rare to see people from the same school here. Gordon had a firm grip on the handrail, his hands rough and calloused. Even if he applied hand cream, those callouses wouldn't go away. In her past life, whenever Gordan touched her skin, Mayra always found his hand rough and uncomfortable. Gordon took out a piece of folded white paper from his bag and handed it to her. "Here." "Is this another love letter you wrote for me?" Mayra joked. With a smile in her eyes, she glanced at his ears. Despite how calm he looked, Gordan's flushed ears gave him away. How could someone be so shy yet so secretive about it? Gordon remained silent. Mayra unfolded the piece of paper. It was an 800-word apology letter that looked as if she had personally written herself. She asked, slightly taken aback, "Did you write this?" Examining the handwriting on it, Mayra noticed that it was identical to her own. She had seen Gordan's handwriting before, and it didn't look like this at all. Being able to imitate someone's handwriting and so accurately at that was not something that could be achieved overnight. Just how many things had Gordan done behind her back that she was unaware of?