Chapter 5

"Why? Why am I being treated like this?" I let the rain pour on me as I vented to my heart's content. I was determined to become a new person when I woke up tomorrow. By the time I was done venting, my clothes were drenched, and I was feeling a little dizzy. Drying my tears, I picked up my luggage to find a place to stay temporarily. As soon as I turned around, I found a familiar man standing in the distance. He was holding an umbrella and looking at me coldly. It was Alex. I felt slightly depressed and ashamed to have him see me so pathetic. I looked down and pretended not to have seen him. If Alex was perceptive, he would do the same. Alas, Alex was not. When I walked past him, he reached out and stopped me. "You're really useless," he uttered through gritted teeth as if he was mad about something. "How could you make yourself end up in such a pathetic state just for a man?" he continued. Not backing away, I glared at his hand that was grabbing mine and asked coldly, "What does that have to do with you? If you find me embarrassing, then you should just ignore me." Alex gave my hand a slight tug and brought me closer to him to share the umbrella. There was not much room under the umbrella. I almost bumped into him, but he helped me up. We were so close to each other that his breath fell on my face. I instinctively backed away, but he warned coldly, "Don't move. Don't you know you're having a fever?" As he said that, he touched my forehead gently. His cool hand felt nice on my forehead. Frowning, Alex said, "You're burning up. Why would you do so much for that dude from the Blakes when he doesn't even care about you?" Alex's questions made me feel anguished, but I refused to show my emotions. However, my dizziness was worsening. I needed to find a place to stay. Hence, I said nothing and tried to free myself from Alex again. "I'll take you to the hospital." Alex grabbed my hand, stopping me from leaving. I had just taken a step forward when my vision went dark and all my energy disappeared. … By the time I regained consciousness, my throat felt like it was on fire. I swallowed with difficulty. Just then, a spoon touched my mouth, and a mildly sweet liquid flowed into my throat. Feeling a little more energized, I slowly opened my eyes to find myself looking at Alex. He was still in his usual neat suit. He sat by the bed while feeding me some water. Shocked, my eyes flew open, and I took a look at the time. It was already the next afternoon. "I was out for a day," I muttered softly. Seeing I was awake, Alex put the cup down and picked up his watch. "Take it. I kept it for you when you left it in the hospital last time," I explained hoarsely. Alex studied the watch and frowned. "Did you break it?" he asked. "That's impossible." I fought to sit up, but I didn't have any energy to do so. I gave up and asked, "Are you trying to blackmail me?" Alex seemed to be amused by my question. "You were so sick that I sent you to the hospital from the river. I can't believe you're accusing your savior of blackmailing you as soon as you're awake. Besides, you're broke. Why would I blackmail you?" Alex looked as though he could not believe that the accusation had come out of my mouth. I cleared my throat and avoided his gaze. "What's wrong with the watch?" I asked. Without saying anything, Alex handed me the watch. I took the watch and studied it. The second hand was not moving, and the time had stopped at 10:00 pm. It was around 10:00 pm when I was standing under the rain by the river last night. Since the watch had been with me all this while, that meant it broke because it got wet. Frowning, I asked, "How is an expensive watch like this not water-resistant?" Alex merely eyed me with an accusing look. I should've left it at the hospital. You were the one who lost it anyway," I complained. Suddenly, the doctor entered the ward and asked politely, "How are you feeling, Ms. Ashford?" Of course, I knew the doctor's politeness was purely because of Alex's presence. Forcing myself to sit up, I smiled at the doctor and said, "I'm feeling much better." "I'll need to do another test. If the test results are fine, you can be discharged. Please remember to drink lots of water." I nodded. The doctor then flashed an awkward smile, saying, "As for the fees…" I felt a little embarrassed. Although I had earned quite a bit in the past few years, I had spent it all on Julian. I didn't have much money left. If I paid for the bill, I'd be sleeping on the streets that night. I was about to inform him that I'd settle the bill later when Alex put out his hand to stop me. "I'll take care of it." Once again, I owed Alex another sum. Immediately after the doctor left, I offered, "To thank you, I'll get your watch fixed." Picking up his things, he said, "Sure. I'll send you the address of the shop. I'll get going first." With that, he left the ward. As I stared at his receding figure, a myriad of emotions bubbled in my heart. I didn't understand why I always encountered Alex whenever I was at my worst. There was only one explanation—Alex was my nemesis. After I was discharged from the hospital, I checked the balance in my bank account. I decided to fix Alex's watch first. Once that was done, I could continue working my part-time jobs. I didn't want to owe Alex anything. The repair shop was at a premium mall in Grandview. As I stood outside the mall, I heaved an enormous sigh, wondering if I had enough in my account to pay for it. Following the address given by Alex, I took the elevator to the top floor, where all the luxury items were. I would never venture to that floor on a normal day. When I stepped out of the elevator, I saw two familiar figures in the distance—Julian and Elena. Elena was trying on some clothes in one of the premium stores while Julian held her bag, beaming and occasionally giving her comments. I couldn't help but think of our time together. Sometimes, I would squeeze out some free time in the afternoon, hoping Julian could go shopping with me.