Chapter 9

"Ari!" That was when a familiar voice rang out from behind. I hadn't heard this voice in ages. It made my heart tremble, and various memories surfaced in my mind. I recalled him in a crisp, white blouse when he was younger, giving me a ride to school on his bike. Another memory was of him holding a sheet filled with calculations as he explained a mathematical question I struggled with. He also knew when I had my period one time and warmed up the drink I was craving before letting me have it. In the end, when Zane and I had to get married, Isaac had looked at me with reddened eyes. He asked if I could refuse the marriage. Those happy, sweet, and regretful moments of my past gradually crumbled into dust and blew away with the wind. By then, my heart had also settled down. Then, I turned toward Zane. The Hodgeson family had flawless genes. Zane and Isaac were so handsome that people couldn't keep their eyes off them. One was reserved and upright, while the other was gentle and elegant. In the three years of not meeting, Isaac seemed much more mature than before. Beneath his glasses were a pair of eyes with such a warm gaze that it could have melted snow. "Long time no see." Isaac approached, smiling and greeting me. I gazed at him calmly, returning his smile. "Indeed." In the past, Isaac and I could talk for ages. Yet, as we held each other's gazes now, I was surprisingly at a loss for words. The atmosphere between us slowly turned tense. It seemed that once some feelings went away, they could never come back. Likewise, we could never return to the perfect and pure mindsets we once had. Darcy's attention darted between me and Isaac. Eventually, she shot a terse smile at him. "Ari's single now. You should seize your chance!" Isaac's eyes looked in my direction immediately, his gaze penetrating me so deeply that I couldn't help panicking. I immediately spoke up before he could say anything. "I've got things to do, so I'll be on my way now." "Ari!" Isaac grabbed my hand at once. A wounded look marred his face. "Do you… not wish to see me that badly?" "No, that's not it." I didn't know how to explain it to him. Besides, he and I could never be together, even if I wasn't Zane's lover and I no longer had anything to do with Zane. I did have feelings for Isaac in the past, and it was the kind of crush where I was blinded by love. However, I knew things weren't the same anymore. Everything, whether it was my internal feelings or my physical self, had changed. Isaac stared longingly at me. "About your family's condition, I—" "It's fine. My family's doing okay now. Thanks for your concern, and please don't take what Darcy said seriously." Isaac lowered his gaze upon hearing my cold voice. He chuckled bitterly before saying, "I'll never have a chance with you, even if you and him are now divorced. Isn't that right?" I wanted to say, "yes", but my phone rang from inside my bag just then. My heart thumped hard when I saw the incoming caller ID, and I instinctively pulled away from Isaac's grasp. It was a call from Zane! Could he have returned home and realized I wasn't there? I froze, not daring to answer the call as I recalled Zane's sinister reaction. I waited until my phone stopped ringing before speedily calling Mary and asking her if Zane had returned home. A sigh of relief left my lips when Mary confirmed that Zane still hadn't returned. Isaac stared at me with a complicated look, the corner of his lips downturned with bitterness. "You and my brother have already gotten a divorce. Why do you seem to care a lot about him, still?" I pursed my lips. "Sorry, Isaac. You should just forget about me." After saying that, I made up an excuse to use the washroom. I refused to let Isaac remain hopeful about us since we could never be together. In this world, the most difficult thing to forget was the deep affection one used to feel for another person. I dialed Zane's number once I got to the washroom. Was he upset that I hadn't answered his call earlier?