NovelEnglish
Most phones had a short shelf life of two to three years if not properly cared for. Hence, Leah had not
expected the white phone to be functional after seven years. It seemed that Regina had been taking
good care of it all these while.
Leah began to operate the phone with a heavy heart and a strong sense of familiarity. She recalled that
the phone password was a series of numbers. She quickly entered Han’s birthday, and the phone
unlocked.
Leah thought to herself, there are things that I want to forget so badly but there will always be
something that reminds me of it once again. Some things are forever etched in memory and will follow
us till death.
As she made her way to the bed and settled in comfortably, Leah began to carefully examine the
phone. She ran through the text messages history and was surprised to learn that Regina had not
deleted them. All the messages that she had sent to Han in the past were still present. Leah read
through them one by one.
Good evening, have you eaten? I saw your basketball match in school today. You played really well
and left all the girls in awe. There were some girls who wanted to pass you some refreshments. I was
thinking of doing the same but I know that you wouldn’t accept it.
It’s pouring today. I saw that you didn’t have an umbrella with you. I thought to lend you mine but I saw
that your driver picked you up. It’s great to be rich.
The exam results are finally out. I saw that you were ranked sixteen in the cohort. Congratulations!
I heard that your family wants you to study overseas. Have you agreed to it? Will we never see each
other ever again? But it’ll be good for your future if you receive an education abroad. I wish you all the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtbest.
I saw you getting into a fight in school today. Why did you resort to physical violence? I remembered
you to be a calm person.
Memories from high school started to surface in Leah’s mind as she read through the text messages.
She was a shy, low-self-esteemed girl with a secret crush who did her best to accommodate his
wishes. Leah did not think that her acts were pathetic. Instead, she missed her ignorance and foolish
behavior.
Leah thought inwardly, I had love you without reservation back then, Han.
Leah was surprised to find a reply from Han in one of the messages as she scrolled through them. It
was a simple reply of “Okay.” However, she was unable to find the original message which Han had
responded to.
Leah wondered, Regina must have deleted the message. What was Han responding to? She shook
her head slowly after a few seconds of hard thought. I guess it doesn’t matter if I can’t recall the
message. It’s not important anymore.
The woman then moved on to check the photo album. She remembered that she did not take many
photos in high school. Hence, there were only a few selfies of her and Regina. Leah’s lips curled into a
smile as she flipped through the photos. Both of them looked childish and plain-looking back in high
school.
Leah’s hands froze and she frowned slightly when she came across a photo of herself. She examined
the phone screen with care. It was a photograph of her dozing on the table. Leah was certain that the
photo was taken without her permission because of the angle from which it was taken.
Who would take a photo of me? Only I was aware of the passcode to the phone. Leah could not figure
the identity of the photographer. Hence, she decided to shut the phone and head to bed.
When Leah finally drifted off to sleep, she dreamed that she was back in high school. Han was one of
the most popular guys in school. Despite the fact that she had previously saved his life, he showed no
gratitude and maintained his cold demeanor. Leah, on the other hand, vividly remembered their two
encounters. The first incident occurred when she was riding her bicycle home and collided with Han,
who requested that his driver accompany her to the hospital. The second incident was when Han
saved her from an embarrassing situation. As her dress was stained with blood, he tied his jacket
around her waist. Leah remembered him remarking on her thin waist when he bent down and tied the
jacket in annoyance. The comment left her face reddened in embarrassment. She had vivid memories
of his appearance in high school. His features were clearly defined, and he always wore a frown on his
brow. He always exuded an aloof, haughty vibe that made it difficult for anyone to approach him.
When Leah awoke the next day, she subconsciously touched her face and realized that she had been
crying. She let out a sigh when she discovered her red puffy eyes in the mirror.
Leah noticed an awkward tense atmosphere when she arrived at the company. It was a stark contrast
to yesterday’s lively atmosphere. Everyone spoke and acted cautiously, as if they were afraid to make
a sound. In addition, the chatters began to die down the moment Leah stepped into the lift.
Just then, a colleague from Leah’s department slipped into the lift with a cup of coffee in her hands.
She turned to Leah and asked, “Do you know why everyone is acting strangely today?”
Leah inquired eagerly, frustrated by the lack of explanation for the abnormal behaviors. “What
happened?”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe colleague leaned into her ears and whispered, “Mr. Howard’s fiancée came to the office yesterday
after work. They had a huge fight and after a while, Ms. Lamere burst out of the office crying. Mr.
Howard was also in a bad mood. Please remember to act and speak cautiously over the next few days.
Don’t get yourself into trouble.”
Leah immediately assumed that she might have been to blame for the fight between Molly and Han.
Hence, she nodded her head in agreement and thanked the colleague for her advice. Little did Leah
expect that trouble would come knocking on her door.
Leah and her colleague bumped into Ben when they stepped out of the lift with breakfast in their hands.
He stood at the entrance with a wide smile and spoke warmly, “Good morning.”
The colleague was startled by Ben’s sudden appearance and her expression turned to wary. She felt
that the man was waiting for them with malice. “Mr… Mr. Wright,” she stuttered nervously. In contrast,
Leah greeted the man calmly, “Good morning, Mr. Wright.”
Ben pointed at the breakfast in Leah’s hands and asked, “You haven’t had your breakfast, Ms. White?”
Leah nodded her head and rolled her eyes inwardly at his question.
Ben smiled and continued gleefully, “All right then. Please head over to the CEO’s office once you have
eaten your breakfast. Mr. Howard would like to speak to you.” Without waiting for a response, the man
walked away after delivering his instructions.
Leah and her colleague turned to look at each other in dread. Both of them shared the same thought.
Han had finally decided to confront Leah and things were going to turn nasty.
The colleague took a big gulp of her coffee before patting Leah on the shoulder. She looked at Leah
with sympathy and said frantically, “Good luck.”
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