Have they never seen someone blush before?
Cherise had just enjoyed a particularly delightful and satisfying meal, After dinner, she and Damien returned to their hotel when her phone rang. It was Lyra calling.
âCherise, what should I do?â Lyraâs voice was tearful on the other end of the line. âZacharyâs sister, Kareen, wonât let me stay by his side to take care of him.â
âShe called me clingy and told me to go away. She even said Iâm not good enough for her brotherâ¦â
Lyra was on the verge of tears. âIâve been the one taking care of Zachary since he got injured. Itâs been over an hour since I last saw him, and I feel so lostâ¦â
âIâm worried that the caregiver his sister hired wonât take proper care of him⦠Cherise, what should I doâ¦â
âLyra, take a deep breath,â Cherise responded calmly. âFirst, tell me, what is your exact relationship with Zachary?â
There was a pause on the other end of the line. âWhat⦠what do you mean?â
âAre you two really engaged?â Cherise voiced the doubt she had been having for a while.
Lyra constantly claimed to be engaged to Zachary, and Zachary himself had said that he was bringing his fiancée to Adania. However, Lyra wasnât acting like his fiancée.
For example, she didnât defend herself when Kareen made derogatory remarks about her at the airport.
And now, she had been dismissed by Kareen.
âIâ¦â Lyraâs voice was faint. âOf course we areâ¦â
âLyra, I can only help you if youâre honest with me.â Cherise spoke softly, âIf I find out that youâre lying to me, I wonât be able to help you properly.â
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. After a while, Lyra finally sighed. âCherise, where are you? Iâll come to you.â
In a coffee shop on the ground floor of the hotel, Lyra sat across from Cherise. âCherise, I didnât lie to you. Weâre really engagedâ¦â Her body was tense, and she nervously held onto her coffee cup. âButâ¦â
âBut thereâs no love between us.â The young girl looked down, slightly distressed. âNo, thatâs not right.
He doesnât have any feelings for me.â
âI was the only one who truly cared for him from the beginning.â The girl looked up at Cherise with her bright eyes. âCherise, do you know what it feels like to love someone who doesnât love you back?â
âI was afraid to approach him and get close to him. I also knew that he would never feel the same way about me. But I still wanted to watch him from a distance, secretly comfort him when heâs hurt, take care of him when heâs drunk, and leave before he wakes up.â
âThatâs what Iâve been doing all these years.â Lyraâs delicate fingers were wrapped around the coffee cup, Zachary is my senior. Iâve always admired him, but heâs too remarkable. He shines wherever he goes.
âAnd O.. Iâm too insignificant.â The girl looked at Cherise with an empty gaze. âIâve known for all these years that thereâs a girl he loves, and I know he traveled from Ziphon to Europe and Lermille for her.â
I've always followed and silently watched him from behind the scenes. He rarely drinks, but I always know when he does. He has been drinking a lot recently, and I went to take care of himâ¦â