When we arrived at the university, Vincent pulled a large bouquet of flowers from the trunk and shoved it into my arms.
“I know you’ve been upset these past few days,” he said, his tone coaxing. “I’m sorry, okay? This is me making it up to you.”
“And if it’s about the wedding dress—you’re right. Let’s forget about it. I’ll have a re-custom one made for you by a top designer. How’s that?”
His face was full of expectation, as though I should feel grateful for his ‘effort’.
I glanced at his phone, where he was scrolling through images of extravagant wedding gowns, but my interest had long since faded.
None of it mattered anymore. I was leaving soon.
I gently pushed his phone away and handed the flowers back to him. “Pick whatever you like. My professor is waiting for me.”
As I turned to walk away, Vincent grabbed my hand, “Claire,” he said, his voice trembling slightly, “what’s wrong with you? What’s really going on?”
For the first time, his expression was filled with confusion, even a hint of panic and loss.
What’s wrong with me?
What was wrong was that I had already decided to leave. But I didn’t want to argue, so I patted Vincent’s hand gently.
“We’ll talk about it after I’m done, okay?”
***
My professor was thrilled with the success of my latest paper.
“This is incredible work! But... are you sure you’re ready for the research institute? Life there can be dull, you know. Experiments and data, day in and day out—can you handle the isolation?”
I nodded, the memory of Vincent’s condescending attitude in the car still fresh in my mind.
I straightened my posture and spoke with quiet determination. “Don’t worry, Professor. I won’t lose your face.”
“You?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re one of the best—handpicked for this role by the government itself! Let me be clear: I’m the lucky one to have you on my team.”
Leaving his office, I spotted my junior colleague scowling in the window.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Miss Claire,” she fumed, “wasn’t that your boyfriend I just saw outside? He was sharing a cup of bubble tea with a woman! That’s so inappropriate—doesn’t he care about boundaries? Isn’t this basically betrayal?”
I smiled faintly. “It’s fine. That’s his… sister.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Sister?”