Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Three days later was the Columbia Computer Science department's reunion.

When Kaelen arrived, she was surprised to see Elias was also there.

He was the center of attention, but as soon as he saw her, he came over and sat down next to her.

The atmosphere in the private room became a little awkward.

Kaelen knew it was because of her.

In the eyes of their former classmates, she had only married Elias by taking advantage of his vulnerability. They all looked down on her.

But she didn't care about their malicious gossip. She sat quietly, her face a mask of calm.

The class president, arriving late, walked in carrying a large cardboard box.

"Hey everyone! I called this reunion to catch up, but also because it's been five years since we did that 'letter to your future self' activity. I thought it'd be fun to open them together!"

A crowd immediately formed around him, buzzing with excitement.

"Let's make it interesting! Everyone picks a random letter and reads it out loud!"

"Great idea! Let me go first!"

The most outgoing guy in their class pushed through the crowd and drew a letter.

A few people who weren't in on the joke urged him to open it. He cleared his throat and unfolded the paper.

"To the Kaelen of the future, how are you? I'm writing this to you under the warm sun. I don't know where you'll be or how you'll feel when you read this, but I want to share this moment with you."

After the first paragraph, the room fell silent. All eyes turned to Kaelen.

Even Elias, who had been scrolling on his phone, looked up, a surprised expression on his face.

Kaelen's calm facade faltered. Remembering what was in that letter, her heart dropped.

The guy shot her a look and continued reading with a smirk.

"You're nineteen now, a sophomore, and you've fallen for Elias. He doesn't know, and even if he did, it wouldn't matter, because he loves someone else. Your secret crush is doomed."

"You might ask me, if it's hopeless, why not give up? I want to tell you that what I love is his unique soul, the polite and serious way he rejects people's confessions."

"I'm the one who secretly watches him before every class until my neck aches. I'm the one who runs through a storm to secretly put medicine in his locker when I hear he got hurt playing basketball. I'm the one who fills a whole diary page with his name overnight. Maybe he'll never even remember me. But that's okay, because I've already given it my all."

When he finished, the room was dead silent.

Elias was completely frozen.

He suddenly remembered that disastrous wedding, remembered the figure who had stood up without hesitation and walked firmly to his side, under a sea of judgmental stares.

Only now did he finally understand why Kaelen had married him.

It wasn't for his money or his power, as everyone whispered.

It was simply because she had been secretly in love with him for years.

For a moment, his long-dormant heart began to beat faster.

On impulse, he wanted to ask her all the questions that had been buried deep inside him, but before he could speak, Sylvia's call came through.

"Elias, I'm at the club… some creeps have me cornered outside..."

He didn't even let her finish. His expression changed instantly.

He shot up from his seat and ran downstairs. The moment he saw the group of men, he threw a punch.

Blinded by rage, he hit hard and fast, leaving one of them with a bloody mouth in seconds.

A few of Elias's friends who had followed him down quickly shielded Sylvia. She sobbed that the one with the tattoo had touched her.

Hearing this, Elias grabbed a nearby metal pipe and brought it down on the man's hand.

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the street.

When Kaelen rushed downstairs, that was the scene that greeted her.

She stared, stunned, at the mangled, bloody hand.

She instinctively looked up at Elias, but all she saw was his back as he shielded Sylvia and led her away.

The man who had been so violent just moments before was now speaking to Sylvia in a gentle, comforting voice.

It was a level of care Kaelen had never received from him.

She lowered her eyes, took a deep breath, and forced her swirling emotions down.

Then she turned and went home alone.

Elias didn't come back until after midnight.

Seeing her still sitting on the sofa, he finally remembered he should offer an explanation.

"Kaelen, today... Sylvia was in trouble. I couldn't just ignore it."

Kaelen looked at him, silent for a few seconds, and then she spoke―this time, she didn't just let it go.

"Elias, I understand you helping her. But have you ever thought about the fact that you ran out of our reunion? Have you ever thought about how that made me feel?"

Elias was taken aback. His lips parted, but no words came out.

Kaelen didn't wait for an answer. She picked up her pajamas and went into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, she came out, toweling her hair, to find Elias holding her phone with a strange look on his face.

"Kaelen, why did you buy a plane ticket?"