He Remembered, But No One Else Did

Chapter 6 Shattered Illusions

Brenton's hands stopped moving mid-sign.

He looked a little confused and reached through the screen to tap Eveline gently on the forehead.

That had always been their private way of showing affection, a silent way of saying he cared and that he was completely hooked on her.

Eveline swallowed the sharp sting in her chest and quickly ducked her head, pretending to search for something so she could dodge his invisible touch.

"It's fixed now. That's all that matters," she said, keeping her voice flat and cold.

The confusion in Brenton's eyes grew even stronger. "Eveline, what's going on with you? You really don't look okay. Something's bothering you, I can tell."

"It's nothing. You're reading too much into it."

"Is it because you're all alone in Soren City for the holidays?"

Back in the old days, Eveline would have buried every lonely feeling deep inside rather than let Brenton worry for even a second. No matter how heavy the emptiness got, she would have stayed quiet.

But things had changed.

"Yeah," she answered, eyes still lowered. "Everyone else is back home having Christmas with their families, and I'm the only one left sitting here by myself. My coworkers keep asking if I'm actually dating anyone at all. So tell me, Brenton, what am I supposed to say?"

Brenton answered without missing a beat. "You're my girlfriend, obviously."

Eveline finally lifted her gaze and looked straight into his eyes. "Then will you come back and spend Christmas with me?"

His expression shifted for the briefest moment before he forced out an apologetic smile. "I would drop everything and fly to you right this second if I could. But what am I supposed to do? Those loan sharks might come looking for me again. You'll just have to hang in there a little longer. Once the New Year hits, I swear I'll come back to Soren City."

Eveline watched every single sign he made, memorizing each one.

She had hoped with everything in her that he would say yes and come running. But he didn't. He kept feeding her the same lies.

Of course he did. He had fireworks to watch with Clare, parties to celebrate together, and street markets in her hometown to wander through while they picked out gifts side by side.

Next to Clare, what was she? Nothing at all.

Staring at his face on the screen, Eveline felt her heart c***k wide open.

She could not keep pretending everything was fine. Without another word, she ended the call.

Outside, a young couple on vacation ran past laughing, their boots crunching through the thick snow and leaving a fresh trail of footprints behind them.

Eveline stared at the places they had stepped. Beneath that perfect blanket of white lay nothing but dark, muddy filth, exactly like the so-called love she shared with Brenton.

She kicked at one of the sunken patches, and a fierce impulse suddenly rushed through her.

She pulled out her phone, canceled her ticket back to Soren City, and booked the very next flight to Winsdale City instead.

While she waited for takeoff, Brenton tried video calling her repeatedly. Eveline rejected every single one.

A few minutes later, he switched to texts.

Brenton: Eveline, are you mad at me?

Brenton: I'm sorry. I really will come back sooner.

Brenton: Eveline, just try to understand my situation, okay?

By the last message, his tone had turned impatient.

That only proved what she already knew deep down. The big-hearted boy who once pulled her from the crashing waves and wrapped her safely in his jacket had been nothing more than a beautiful lie he had built from the start.

The plane's wings disappeared into the clouds, and the turbulence shook the cabin hard, throwing her back and forth like she was caught in stormy seas again.

Eveline closed her eyes and let her mind drift back to the very first time she had fallen into the ocean.

It was her first weekend in the city. Clare had played the generous host and taken her to the beach.

They went to a private stretch of sand owned by a five-star hotel. Everyone there was one of Clare's friends.

The group had mocked her, picked on her, and then one of the strong, rich boys grabbed her and tossed her straight into the water.

Her clothes were soaked through, and the delicate underwear Maeve had knitted for her by hand showed clearly underneath.

The laughter came fast. "Are you kidding? Who still wears something like that these days?"

"No wonder people call her a hillbilly straight out of the mountains."

"Still, gotta admit, she looks pretty hot like that."

Then someone rushed over, grabbed her shoulder, and ripped the ties of her top clean apart.

"Hey! Everybody, come check this out!"

"Give it back!" Eveline wrapped her arms around herself as shame and despair crashed over her like a tidal wave.

That was the exact moment Brenton appeared.

He pushed through the crowd, dove into the sea without hesitation, and wrapped his waiter's jacket around her shivering body.

He ignored every threat and warning from those rich kids, holding her protectively the whole way and leading her far away from their cruel words.

To Eveline, Brenton had felt like a guiding light when she was completely lost.

She believed she would follow him anywhere. But the path he took her down turned out to be the wrong one all along.

She had walked that crooked road for far too long. Now, no matter how much it cost her, she was turning around and finding her way back.