76

"Joaquin, don't--"

But it was too late, because Joaquin's fingers had already pulled out the contents of the brownish envelope.

Finding a wad of money inside, Joaquin also saw a folded letter tucked between the bills.

The woman's forehead immediately creased, looking puzzled at Oliver who was now frozen in place.

"Where did you get this much money, Oliver?" she asked in a probing tone. As Joaquin must have known, Oliver couldn't possibly have that kind of money.

Oliver tousled his hair in frustration, but the rice had already been cooked.

Pulling out the folded letter, Joaquin's eyeballs moved to read the contents of the white paper slowly.

Her chest rumbled, with an expression of shock that she could not hide. Never had she expected her beloved to sign such a letter, so easily bribed with the bills now lying on the table.

"What is this?!" Joaquin half shouted. "You signed this letter with my father?! You decided to pawn your love for me?!"

Joaquin raised her tone involuntarily, now hysterical as she stepped up to narrow her distance from Oliver's body.

The letter of intent was still held in her right hand, which she now pounded against the chest of the man she loved so much.

The man she never thought would be willing to trade their relationship for money.

"You traded me for money, Oliver!" Joaquin shouted impatiently. "You don't mind me marrying another man?!"

Oliver was still frozen in place, with his body perfectly frozen. Regretting to himself why he had delayed his trip that night, Oliver Janson had promised to leave town that very night.

But because of the snow that had fallen, the young man's footsteps had stopped and he could not help but postpone his departure until tomorrow morning.

Who would have guessed that Joaquin would show up that very night, and catch him red-handed for all the nasty things he had done behind his girlfriend's back.

"You're such a jerk, Oliver," Joaquin hissed as the tears returned, but this time she quickly wiped away the tears that fell without her command.

"Joaquin, listen to me--"

"No!" Joaquin cut off Oliver's words with a loud shout. It seemed that the woman was already overcome with rage, with a sense of disappointment welling up inside her chest.

"I think you love me just as much as I love you," she stammered. Her bluish eyes looked sad, radiating the indecision and doubt that had come over Oliver.

All this time, Joaquin had never suspected his lover. Oliver was the man of her dreams, and she really didn't care whether they came from different families or not.

"But you're just a fucking asshole, who probably never even loved me at all!" Joaquin continued.

The woman was already seething with rage, and didn't give Oliver a chance to explain anything.

Grabbing the agreement with her hands, Joaquin crushed the sheet and threw it to the floor.

"An asshole like you should never have come into my life," Joaquin moaned without being able to stop.

Her chest felt tight, and she was about to collapse with no more energy left.

Braving the snow, Joaquin had even risked her safety on the road to reach the man she loved. But what awaits her ahead is betrayal, as Oliver turns out to prefer money over being with her.

Oliver adjusts his hair over and over again. He doesn't have a chance to speak, even though he has so much to tell her.

He wanted to set the record straight, he wanted to say that Joaquin had misjudged him.

"Listen to me!" Oliver pleaded firmly.

But again Joaquin was not herself, as the woman now rewarded Oliver with a series of punches to his broad chest.

"I don't want to hear anything!" Joaquin shouted in a tone that was not in the least bit condescending. "All I know is that you're an asshole, and I regret ever knowing someone like you! You're no different from any other guy out there, who's capable of pawning everything just for money!"

Joaquin's every word pierced Oliver's heart, but again the man didn't have a chance to explain.

As soon as she turned around, Joaquin seemed to catch her ragged breath with all his might.

Talking to herself not to fall in front of this damn man, Joaquin thanked herself silently that she knew how Oliver Janson really was.

Swinging her steps, the woman decided to get out of there. Leaving Oliver with a deep sense of frustration, Joaquin headed for the door and grabbed the handle in one swift motion.

A gust of wind sent a chill through the air, as Joaquin stopped to take a two-second pause.

Staring down at her fingers, she removed a ring made of silver, which Oliver had given her when they were just dating a few months ago.

Oliver watched out of the corner of his eye, noticing how Joaquin unceremoniously tossed the ring towards the snowdrift right in front of the man's studio courtyard.

Without turning her head at all, Joaquin had already broken through the now snow-covered street, heedless of the bone-chilling wind.

"Joaquin!"

Oliver's screams still sounded faint in Joaquin's ears, but she had already decided she would never look at his face again.

Oliver wanted so badly to run after his girlfriend and explain everything. He knew how cold it was out there, but there was a reason that kept him from moving his legs at all.

A reason he couldn't tell Joaquin, a reason he kept to himself because he didn't want Joaquin to share his feelings of despair.

Sitting limply on the edge of his rickety bed, Oliver could only bow his head with regret and pain that gnawed into every vein.

Because this breakup was not only painful for Joaquin, but also for himself.

"You'd better hate me for the rest of your life, Joaquin," Oliver whispered to himself.

The man's eyes were fixed on the floor, occasionally looking at the tips of his dirty-looking sandals.

"Living with me will only make you miserable, and I can't see you like that every day."

Oliver was still in the same position, when Joaquin was no longer in sight. The door to the man's studio was still wide open, sending a cold breeze to make Oliver feel even more guilty.

"Live happily without me, Joaquin," the man murmured in a half-whisper. "Because I can't let you live with all the difficulties and limitations, so this is the best for us."

The man's labored breathing was audible, as he stared straight at the same ring, which he also wore on one of his fingers.

"But believe that I love you, more than I love myself."

The violent argument that took place on that snowy night became a turning point in Oliver's life, as he decided to leave town the very next day.

Cutting off all communication with family, friends, and neighbors, Oliver Janson literally started his life all over again.

Not a single person from his past knew him and how he lived, until he decided to join the organization led by Lexton Alfacht a year after the breakup.