With the help of a flight attendant, I returned to my seat, and from there, I could see the man again; our seats were quite close.
...
Five hours later, the plane landed in Hord City, and I received a call from Conrad.
"Why did it take so long for you to answer?"
"The plane..." I swallowed my words, not wanting to explain further. "It was delayed."
"Mom said the ointment you brought last time worked well. Get some more when you come back from this trip."
"Okay."
My job often required me to travel, mostly between Hord City and Trury City.
If Conrad cared enough, he'd have noticed that my flight was delayed by three hours.
But he knew and didn't say a word.
The truth was, I was no longer his priority. Perhaps, I wasn't even on his list anymore...
Suppressing my bitterness, I asked, "Conrad, is there anything else you want to tell me?"
"What do you mean?"
I heard the sound of a door closing and, faintly, a woman's voice that quickly faded away.
I laughed bitterly. It was ironic.
In fact, as soon as I got off the plane, a message from Susanna popped up on my phone.
The content was: [Sharon, do you need help packing your things?]
Susanna seemed overly eager.
Clearly, Conrad knew nothing about this and intended to keep treating me like a fool.
"It's nothing. I've got to go now," I said, hanging up the call.
...
I returned to the hotel, quickly showered, and rushed to meet with a client. After the meeting concluded and contracts were signed, I thought everything was settled. However, the client was in high spirits and insisted on celebrating with drinks.
Although I have a mild allergy to alcohol, I didn't decline the invitation.
I drank until I was hunched over a toilet, vomiting uncontrollably.
It was already four o'clock in the morning.
My assistant saw the client off, and after taking a sobering pill and getting some fresh air, I felt relatively sober.
I hailed a cab and got in.
My assistant's loud calls from outside were muffled by the car windows and the cold wind.
At four o'clock in the morning, the sky was starting to lighten. The dark horizon was pierced by golden streaks.
It reminded me of Conrad's awkward and earnest confession when he first asked me to be his girlfriend.
He had nervously held my hand, looking dazed as he asked, "Would you be my girlfriend?"