Filed to story: My Husband Regrets Divorcing Me (Audrey & Cornell)
The temperature plunged far beneath what Swynborough ever experienced.
The thought of Elin, always shivering away from the chill, choosing an academic life in such a frigid place puzzled Erick.
On his first day, after a succinct summit with the prospective allies and dismissing their social invitations, Erick set off to Elin’s college.
The college’s century-old reputation was reflected in its grandeur and allure.
After a simple check-in, Erick received permission to explore the grounds. His footsteps led him, almost aimlessly, until he paused outside the women’s dormitory, lingering without clear intent. Maybe it was hope, however faint, that guided him.
As the snow thickened, he observed young men delivering hot meals to the girls they were smitten with.
The scene was charming, echoing echoes of days filled with the vibrancy of youth.
Just then, a couple came into view.
Clad in a khaki beanie and a long down coat, the girl nestled into the boy’s embrace, a picture of a couple lost in love.
Erick’s heart stuttered. Despite her bundled-up appearance, he knew it was Elin.
As the snowfall intensified, it dusted Erick’s shoulders while he stood, nearly camouflaged against the white backdrop of the wall, under the shelter of a tree.
The absurdity of the moment struck Erick. He couldn’t fathom why he’d come. Elin had put oceans between them to escape his reach, yet here he was, fabricating reasons to trail her to Uchaesau. He had persuaded himself to pursue a losing deal, bordering on insanity.
Those five minutes, while brief, stretched into an eternity for Erick.
The truth dawned on him in that chilling clarity. Madness had indeed taken hold. Elin was blossoming, a world away from his shadow, evidently faring better than him.
As Erick made to leave, a surge of frustration propelled him to disturb the snow-laden branches, drawing the attention of the nearby duo.
The young man stared at Erick’s receding back, bewildered. “Was there someone there just now?”
Elin, grappling with a throbbing headache and blurred vision, discerned only a vague outline. Yet, that silhouette resonated with familiarity. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the man etched in her heart. With a flutter of her lashes, she dismissed the notion. That figure couldn’t possibly be Erick.
Elin had hoped that by relocating to Uchaesau, changing her contact information, and severing her past connections, the memories of Erick would fade with time. Surprisingly, visions of Erick lingered. Every tree, each blanket of snow, even a vague figure in the distance, seemed to echo his image. She was undeniably spellbound.
Desperate to move on, Elin found time had only intensified her yearning for Erick. A few months had passed since her departure, yet it felt like an endless expanse of time since their paths had crossed.
Inwardly, Elin scolded herself and grasped the need to shed this longing. Even if she couldn’t truly forget Erick, at least she could pretend to be indifferent.
“Elin? Are you alright?” The concern etched on the young man’s face was unmistakable. “You’re not looking well. Do we need to see a doctor?”
Shaking her head, Elin replied, “No need, it’s nothing serious. Some medicine and rest should do the trick.”
Acclimating to Uchaesau’s chill proved difficult. Elin regularly fell victim to colds and fevers. These persistent ailments had whittled away at her, resulting in noticeable weight loss. Thankfully, her winter attire was forgiving, with the voluminous down jackets masking her diminished frame.
Cap?tulo 884:
Today, a sudden spike in temperature overwhelmed Elin in class, leaving her too weak to make it back to her dorm alone. A professor asked a classmate, known as the young man, to assist. At first, Elin managed to walk with support, but eventually, her strength waned completely.
“Elin, do girls from Ambrosia always push themselves this hard?” The young man quipped, light-hearted, “So small, yet so spirited.”
Unable to muster a smile, Elin felt her discomfort grow. The young man, sensing her plight, offered his support. “Elin, should I help you up?”
“I’m alright,” Elin insisted.
But the young man wasn’t convinced and sought the dorm supervisor’s aid to escort Elin back to her room.
With the dorm emptied for the holidays, Elin found herself in solitude, the stillness only punctuated by the rigorous schedule of a diligent student abroad.
The dorm supervisor watched on, her heart full of empathy for Elin.
Even when ill and voiceless, Elin insisted on attending classes. She was undoubtedly pushing herself too hard.
The dorm supervisor offered remedies, filled cups with steaming water, and helped Elin with medication.
During fevered delirium, as Elin clung to the supervisor’s hand, her thoughts turned homeward. “Mom…” she whispered, her grip tightening, tears carving paths down her cheeks.
“I really want to go home… But he doesn’t want to see me…”
Elin’s words, steeped in her native tongue, were lost on the supervisor, who sensed the universal yearning for a mother’s comfort and cradled her kindly. “Dear, if home is where your heart lies, why not visit?”
Tears cascaded from Elin’s eyes, resembling pearls as she gripped the supervisor’s hand. At nineteen, she grappled with the sting of unrequited love for the first time, and the pain was profound. A void echoed within her; a space hollowed out by heartache. She vowed never to let her heart bleed this way again.
Through her sickness, Elin never thought to pause her studies. By the dead of night, her fever broke.
Dawn found Elin stirring early, trekking to the cafeteria for a meal before lectures.
Passing under the tree from the previous night, the silhouette flashed through her mind again. It bore such a resemblance to Erick.
Yet, Elin swiftly dismissed this notion.
The relentless white of the snow was taxing Elin’s eyes until a sudden glint of red captured her focus.
Glancing downward, Elin noticed a red four-leaf clover emerging from the snowy blanket. She doubted her eyes, blinking hard, yet the image persisted.
Stooping, Elin reached for what she thought was a four-leaf clover, only to unearth a rose gold necklace with an intricately crafted pendant. The craftsmanship was both exquisite and strikingly beautiful. By a stroke of coincidence, the rose gold frame of the clover bore tiny, engraved initials. Peering closer, she saw “EL” etched upon it! It was a serendipitous moment, stumbling upon a necklace that mirrored her initials.
Elin admired the beauty of the necklace but acknowledged that it wasn’t hers to keep. She turned it in at the school’s lost and found.
Such opulent items often had serial numbers to identify their rightful owners.
Three days afterward, Elin’s phone rang with news from the school’s lost and found department. Astonishingly, the luxury brand had confirmed the necklace was Elin’s, the ID number a perfect match.
With confusion swirling, Elin collected the necklace. She was sure she’d never bought it, and a check with the brand’s customer service yielded no insight. Privacy policies restricted them from revealing the purchaser.
Left with no leads, Elin tucked the necklace away.
Cap?tulo 885:
University life whizzed by.
For the first three years, Annis visited Elin in Uchaesau to celebrate the New Year. However, the final year saw Elin returning to their new home for the festivities.
Over the twenty-day break, Elin rarely ventured out, only venturing to familiar malls and schools before leaving Uchaesau, not crossing paths with anyone familiar. Solitude had become her preference, her desire for social interaction blunted by time.
On the eve of Elin’s departure from Uchaesau, Annis brought up Erick, a name not mentioned in years.
Erick had stepped down from his executive role three years back, weary of the corporate chase. He had pivoted from his corporate path to academia, becoming a visiting professor. His research won him acclaim on the international stage.
Elin, absorbed in her studies and steering clear of the media, was slow to catch wind of his accomplishments.
She heard that before his departure from Foster Group, Erick had launched a service route to Uchaesau. The venture was clearly not profitable, sparking a rare show of fury from Landen, yet Erick was adamant about getting it started.
Subsequently, each time Annis visited Uchaesau, the Foster Group’s staff coincidentally needed to be there as well, making Annis’ journeys more convenient.
In time, this ostensibly unprofitable route earned high praise from Uchaesau’s leaders, lauding the Foster family for their generous spirit. This acclaim had an unexpected boon. It surged the Foster family’s stock value and expanded their commercial footprint.
The venture, initially seen as unprofitable, ultimately propelled the Foster family to greater prominence.
Elin didn’t dwell on it. She was familiar with Erick’s business acumen. He was not one to pursue a venture that didn’t promise success.
After completing her studies in Uchaesau, Elin lingered for another year before she headed back to Swynborough.
At a social event, Elin crossed paths with Erick once more and met his childhood confidant, Dayton.
What ensued was a chapter Elin wished to erase. It was a tumultuous span, a chapter of darkness seared into her memory. Dayton, to her, was a terror more daunting than any creature of the night.
As midnight neared and weariness set in, Elin’s eyelids grew heavy.
Through the haze of sleep, her phone chimed in with a message. She hadn’t yet looked at the screen. It was from Dayton.
In a haze, Elin reached out and felt her phone on the bedside table.
She blinked her eyes open and saw a line of text on the screen.
It was from Dayton. “Elin, you can’t escape me. I’ll find you.”
Suddenly, the phone slipped from Elin’s grasp and crashed to the floor. Her head buzzed as if she had been struck by a stick.
The ghosts of nightmares past swirled around her, and Elin wanted to scream out in pain and fear. Yet, no sound came out. Her throat felt blocked. “Ah…” Elin managed a muffled roar.
Then, a loud bang echoed. Elin fell from her bed. Pain surged through her body.
Elin blinked. The room was dark and quiet. She groped for her phone but found nothing.
As panic set in, a harsh sound cut through the silence. It was the familiar ring of her alarm.
Cap?tulo 886:
Elin traced the noise to the bedside table and saw her phone lying there. She turned off the alarm and unlocked the screen. No messages.