Chapter 23 — Mrs. Cole

To be questioned with such iconic words plus a serious expression added in the mix, I’m sure Elise would laugh at how cliché this all is. But then again, this is actually happening, and trying to suppress my laughter is such a tedious task to do. Karen, with her solemn face and sweating, I can tell she’s trying to prepare herself.

Well, might as well not lie.

“Yes, he and I used to date,” I replied nonchalantly, making carefree gestures with my hands. “It was probably a social experiment or some sort for me though.”

Damn it, why am I lying to this woman? Wouldn’t it make her even more guilty if I told her I actually loved him?

“Eh? A social… experiment?” She cocked her head to the side slightly, confused. “You mean to say that you two date because of a social expre—”

“Forget what I said!” I hastily interrupted with a sigh. “But to answer your question, yes we dated. Happy now that you got your reply?”

Karen nodded. “Yeah. Although, I was kind of… expecting to hear you say yes. Just seeing you and your friend react and talk with Desmond, I kind of knew what was going on.”

Mhmm, she’s smart.

“Is that all? Okay.” Slowly, I went back into my apartment and started to bid her farewell. “Glad to be of service—”

“Wait! I have one more question.”

Smart, but annoying. Can’t she just go home? Isn’t Desmond worried about his wife?

“Um, Mrs. Cole…” As if I ate a lime, I fought back the sour look on my face. “You do know it’s about time for you to head back home, right? Isn’t your husband concerned?”

It was her turn to take a step back, and at that moment, I knew something was definitely up between the two. Seeing her cry last time just cemented the fact in my head. However, instead of feeling sorry, a triumphant song echoed around my head at the thought.

“Um… I shouldn’t be telling you this, let alone Desmond’s past lover.” She laughed, yet it was a humorless one. “But, as an individual who has loved Desmond before, you could relate to me.”

“Which is?”

Licking her lips, Karen paused. I could be doing anything right now if she didn’t arrive to bug me about my past relationship with her husband. I could be watching a movie, eating the dinner I made or sleeping. Standing out here—only in my T-shirt and shorts—with the cold atmosphere close to drying my skin, I did not expect this.

Hurry up, woman! We can’t waste time here sitting like ducks. Spill the fucking beans already, amkae!

“H… hurt…”

“What?!”

“Hurting him!” She finally said out loud. “We don’t want to hurt him because we love him.”

Is this woman for real? What did she eat for her to think that I don’t want to hurt that bastard?

“Mrs. Cole, if you could see that Elise and I are quite hostile towards Desmond… what makes you think that I won’t hold back when it comes to hurting him?”

When she smiled, I swore I saw stars twinkling above her. Desmond definitely scored big time marrying her—he has an ugly ass—that I had to shut down my feelings of attraction that I have caught for the woman. If she weren’t married to Desmond or connected to him in any way, we would probably be friends.

But the universe is cruel with its tricks. Not only she is taken, but she is also married to that ugly sack.

“I could tell, do you know why?” She giggled, cheeks slightly red. “If you did want revenge against him, we wouldn’t be talking right now.”

Ah, I see.

“Revenge? Do you see me as the type of getting revenge?” I smiled back, rubbing my leg on the other to produce friction. It was getting colder outside. “I admit, I wouldn’t mind doing so if what is on the line is worth fighting for.”

Karen was suddenly silent once again but this time, I didn’t wait. Just as the door was about to click shut, she inserted a foot into the little space, preventing it from closing. Raising an irritated brow due to hunger and impatience, I scowled. “What is it this time?”

“Alex, I’m sick.”

» — ✣ — «

“In a good mood, are we?”

Sending the professor a genuine grin—not the usual fake ones I give that ought to guarantee me a place into their list of favorite students—I waved.

“But of course, Sir! Listening to your lecture this morning cleared away all the confusion I had. I could say that I’m ready for finals next week.”

The man’s reply didn’t reach my ears as I strolled away. Just as I promised to my dear mother, I didn’t stop studying the moment I came back from London. Immersed by the textbooks, images of Aurelius and winter break didn’t cross my mind until I had to use the bathroom. Added into the mix were Karen Cole’s words last night.

“Alex, I’m sick.”

Pursing my lips, I flushed the toilet before coming out and washing my hands. What perplexed me weren’t the words she uttered but the actions that followed. She didn’t say another sentence, just staring into my bewildered face until she waved farewell and disappeared into the night. Confused and a bit skeptical, I bit my lower lip as I reminisced about the way she said those words.

It wasn’t a joke. She didn’t smile or laugh at the end. Was she really serious? And what on earth did she mean?

Walking down the hallway with the rest of the students, I could only hear the chattering and the sound of around a hundred footsteps against the floor. Paying no attention to the noise anymore, I made my way out of the building and nearly closed my eyes at how it was still bright outside.

Is she really sick? If so, where? In the head? If she could joke about her health, maybe she really is sick in the head.

“Hello, Alex.”

Blinking three times to see if I was just imagining things, I looked up to see Aurelius standing behind Aiden. He was waving and smiling as if he didn’t just leave the country a few weeks ago.

“Why… are you here?” I inquired as soon as I stood in front of him, slightly aware that we are still in the university—a lot of people were already starting to get curious as to who visited me. “Shouldn’t you be back in England?”

He grinned. “It’s almost Christmas so I decided to come by and greet. I’ll only be here until the twenty-fifth.”

“Go back home, Clarke.” I rolled my eyes at him before giving Aiden a nod. “Sheesh, you’re like a mushroom, popping out anywhere as long as you please.”

“A m-mushroom?”