When I was seventeen, I had a secret crush. My family was dirt poor. To buy him a birthday present, I saved up for an entire year. On the day my mom had her medical emergency, I left school early. That was when I overheard him laughing with his friends. "This piece of junk? You get better prizes in a cereal box." His friend laughed loudly. "If you don't want it, Cole, toss it to me. I could pawn it for a few bucks to pay for my gaming subscriptions." "If you want it, take it." Cole tossed it to him in disgust, and right then, his eyes met mine. Years later, at our high school reunion, I heard that Cole Davis had been looking for me for eight years. 1 When my eyes met Cole’s, his expression froze. The guy holding the watch scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh... do you want this back?" I looked at the watch in his hand. It was battered and scuffed, clearly tossed around without a second thought. It wasn't a luxury watch. It cost almost two hundred dollars, but it took me nearly a year to save up for it. I saved it dollar by dollar, skipping my school lunches. My gaze dropped to Cole's wrist. He was wearing a watch today. I didn't recognize the brand, but I could tell it was worth infinitely more than the one I had given him. I silently took the watch from his friend's hand, looked at Cole, and said slowly, "I'm sorry. I'll take care of it myself." Cole lowered his eyes. His lips pressed into a tight line, but he didn't say a word. I rubbed the watch in my hands, feeling utterly humiliated, and turned to walk away. When I passed the first trash can outside the venue, I hardened my heart and threw the watch straight into the garbage. I turned my head and gave him one last look. He had lazily lifted his eyelids. A smirk played on his lips, and his eyes were full of mockery. I froze, then lowered my gaze. It was so humiliating. My secret crush. I didn't know it then, but that single look from Cole would become my nightmare for years. 2 When I got home, my dad was sitting on the porch, a cheap cigarette hanging from his lips, his face etched with sorrow. My mom wasn't there. He handed me a medical report. It said my mom had breast cancer. My dad took a deep drag of his cigarette. "The treatments will cost over a hundred thousand dollars. Your mom and I talked it over... we're not going to do it." "Your mom said she wanted some of my homemade barbecue ribs. Go to the store and buy some. I'm going to pick her up from the clinic." I didn't believe it. I flipped the report back and forth, my voice trembling. "Is it an official diagnosis? They make mistakes all the time! I'll take her to a better hospital tomorrow. It has to be a misdiagnosis..." I stared at my dad stubbornly. My dad's eyes were bloodshot. He just looked at me, silent. In that instant, my tears fell. I couldn't stop them. Finally, I cried, "I'll drop out of school. Let's use my college fund for her treatment." My dad kept his head down. I knew his heartbreak was no less than mine. My dad had a disabled right leg. Back in the day, my mom was the only one willing to be with him. She never looked down on him; she always encouraged him. Even though we were poor, my parents were deeply in love. In middle school, all my classmates started talking about their role models and beliefs. I asked my dad, "Dad, what do you believe in?" My dad didn't really get the concept, so I tried to explain it to him. He scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I just believe in your mom." Later on... I found my own belief, too. I wanted to grow up, make money, and take my parents to see the world. But now, my dad's belief was collapsing. And so was mine. I grabbed my dad's hand and rambled, "I'm not going back to school. I'll work full-time. We'll go to Boston to get Mom the best doctors." My dad kept smoking. He didn't say a word. But my mind was made up. I told my dad to go bring my mom home. Then I would pack our bags for Boston. I turned around and headed back toward the school. 3 Halfway there, it started to pour. Pedestrians rushed by, hurrying to escape the storm. Only then did I dare to cry. The rain and my tears mixed together. By the time I reached the school, the grounds were deserted. I reached my hands into the filthy trash can. The pungent, rotting smell kept hitting my nose. I dug through it over and over, but the watch I had thrown away wasn't there. I bit my lip, wanting to slap myself for throwing it away in the first place. I could have pawned it for at least fifty bucks! I searched for hours. I dug through every single piece of trash in that bin, but the watch was gone. I walked home, completely empty inside. The streets were entirely abandoned by now. The rain was so heavy it physically hurt as it lashed against my skin. When I got back to our small house, my dad still wasn't back. The home that used to be so warm now only felt freezing cold. I waited and waited... Finally, a neighbor rushed in, breathless and panicking. "Lily! Your mom and dad... they jumped off the bridge!" That year, I was a high school senior. I lost both my parents and became an orphan. 4 Eight years have passed, but I still can't forget what happened that day. I sat up in bed and checked my phone. It was only 4:00 AM. I looked into the empty room and whispered, "Dad... Mom..." Just like always, there was no response. I lowered my head. For eight years... They haven't visited me in my dreams once. In my dreams, there is only Cole Davis. With that smirk on his lips and mockery in his eyes, laughing and asking: "Have you no shame, Lily?" Every time I shouted back that I did, I would wake up. I couldn't fall back asleep, so I just got up and started packing. After numbly arranging my parents' funeral back then, I left that town. I moved to a new city, working part-time jobs while taking night classes. Juggling work and school was incredibly bitter. But I didn't dare stop. The moment I stopped moving, I would start crying. I went to a doctor. They diagnosed me with clinical depression. They said I needed someone to pull me out of the shadows of that day. But there was no one like that in my life... After being away for eight years, I recently started feeling a strong urge to go back. I wanted to see the river my parents jumped into. I wanted to jump in myself, just to ask them why they were so cruel to leave me behind. I was so tired... Since I was going back anyway, I figured I shouldn't avoid my old classmates anymore. So, when Liam, our old class president, asked in the group chat who was going to the reunion, I was the first to say yes. I hadn't sent a single message in that group for eight years. I had deleted all their contacts, too. Including Cole's. 5 I bought a ticket for the earliest Amtrak train. I felt incredibly relaxed. For the first time in eight years, I felt light. I watched the beautiful scenery outside the window and smiled as I chatted with the young couple sitting across the aisle. The girl said, "You have no idea how hard it was to get him to date me! All the girls liked him, but I held on for two years. Now I'm finally taking him to meet my parents!" "You look so happy, are you heading home too? I swear, the air just smells sweeter when you're on your way to see your family." I fell silent for a moment, then forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm going home, too." "Going home... to see my parents." I muttered the last part so softly that only I could hear it. But the thought brought me comfort. Soon... I would see them again. I hummed a song for the rest of the ride. When I got off the train, I headed straight to the restaurant Liam had booked. 6 Most people had already arrived by the time I walked in. The moment I stepped through the door, the room fell dead silent. I walked over and took the seat closest to the exit. I dropped the smile from my face. Liam pushed his glasses up his nose, breaking the silence. "Lily? You actually made it." I nodded. Chloe Taylor, a girl who always hated my guts, let out a sarcastic click of her tongue. "Well, if it isn't our elusive little Valedictorian. Seeing your face just makes me lose my appetite. Somebody ought to text Cole and tell him to skip tonight..." No one knew the real reason I dropped out of school back then. But everyone knew I had a crush on Cole, and they all knew about the gift I gave him. The girl sitting next to Chloe tugged her sleeve, trying to quiet her. Liam frowned. "Just drop it, Chloe. Cole has been looking for Lily for eight years. If we tell him she's here, he'll be thrilled." Chloe snorted a laugh. "Cole is just a nice guy. Since when is it a crime to not like someone back?" "He's probably been looking for her for eight years just to apologize." "Is it a crime to reject someone? Everyone knows Lily transferred because she embarrassed herself over him. You're making it sound like Cole was in love with her." "Doesn't Cole already have a girl anyway? I heard she's a gorgeous heiress. Aside from a pretty face, what did Lily ever have to offer? A crippled dad? A house made of rotting wood?" "Give me a break..." As Chloe’s words grew more vicious, the rest of the table frowned in discomfort. I stood up. My expression was perfectly calm. "I'm not eating. You don't have to worry about losing your appetite. I just came to see everyone's faces one last time. Now that I have, I'll be going." With that, I pulled the door open and walked out. Liam chased after me. He grabbed my wrist, looking deadly serious. "Lily, Cole really has been looking for you for eight years. Won't you wait for him?" Cole's face flashed in my mind. He was so handsome. His eyes were stunning. But when he looked at me, those eyes held absolutely no affection. Only a mocking smirk. I shook my head and smiled. "I'm on a tight schedule. If you see him, tell him I'm sorry. Tell him... I'm really sorry." Liam froze in his tracks.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "391498", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel