Amelia sighed and caressed her chest. Slowly, she closed the gate that Nicholas had left open earlier.
"Be patient, Amy! Be patient," the virgin bride murmured to herself. She knew Nicholas needed time to heal from his wounded heart. Therefore, Amelia would restrain herself. She was determined to shower Nicholas with love every day, hoping that one day he would accept her as his wife.
"Luckily, I love him! If not... I would never have accepted this arranged marriage," Amelia muttered again.
Suddenly, Amy remembered Olivia. She hadn't heard any news from her since her sister's departure. Her old number couldn't be reached. Did Olivia intentionally turn off her phone and make her worried to death?
But even if she could call Olivia, what would she say to her sister? Would she say, "Sis, thank you so much. Because of your mistake, I can marry the person I love!"
It all seemed nonsensical. If only she could choose, she wouldn't want to marry Nicholas in this way. However, the Wang and Zhao families insisted due to Nicholas' grandmother's health reasons. It was also the reason Nicholas couldn't refuse a marriage he didn't want.
The nineteen-year-old fair-skinned woman then stepped into the house. She glanced at the wall clock, which showed it was already half past six. She still had time to do the dishes and clean the house, she thought. She had put all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, preparing to do her household chores. However, at the same time, her phone vibrated. The screen displayed the name Aiden, Amelia's friend.
"Hello, Aiden?" Amelia greeted casually. "I was about to clean the house. Speak quickly!"
"What do you mean, clean the house? I'm already in front of your house! I'm here to pick you up! We have a class at 9:30 a.m.," Aiden replied from the other end of the phone.
"Oh my goodness! I didn't read the class schedule properly!" Amelia exclaimed in panic. She dropped the plate in her hand and quickly cleaned the remaining food from her hands. "Let me get ready first!"
"Yes, hurry up! I'll wait outside!"
Amelia looked outside the house through the window. However, she didn't see her friend's presence at all. His beloved car was also nowhere to be seen.
"Wait, are you at my parents' house?" Amelia asked anxiously. "At Elite Park Estates?"
"Yes, of course! Where else?" Aiden asked, becoming more confused.
"I'm at Luxe Manor Estates," Amelia replied, feeling guilty.
"How did that happen? You didn't even tell me you moved?" Aiden protested.
"Enough already! Just come here first. I am at my .... aunt's place."
***
Amelia and Aiden rushed to the room indicated on the Ivybridge University map. They couldn't afford to make another mistake because Amelia was running out of time.
"Is this really the place?" Amelia asked, wiping her sweat. She doubted her friend's ability to read a map. They should have checked the lecture room before the D-day. Not like this sudden rush.
"Yes, it is! Look, there's a sign," Aiden pointed to a red arrow with the letter H on top of it.
Amelia read the capital letters with relief. However, it was short-lived as she suddenly felt an urgent signal that required her to go to the restroom immediately.
"Go ahead, I'll go to the restroom first," Amelia said as she turned towards the restroom located about ten meters away from the lecture room.
"Hurry up, okay? Don't be late," Aiden advised as he ran towards the lecture room. "There's a rumor that this professor just returned from Japan. They're punctual and very strict!"
"Yes!" Amelia replied, extending her voice into a shout.
The girl quickly entered the restroom. However, she almost cried when she saw her disheveled appearance in the mirror, far from the beautiful look she had when leaving her house.
She spent a little too long fixing her messy bangs and tying back her loose ponytail. If she hadn't realized the time, she could have spent a dozen more minutes in front of the mirror.
"Oh my goodness!" Amelia exclaimed.
The tall and slender girl quickly opened the door and ran towards room H-101. From a distance, she saw a man carrying a black laptop bag and a red file holder walking towards the same room.
"Oh no, could that be the professor?" Amelia whispered softly.
She increased her pace, trying not to be overtaken by the professor who taught Mathematical Physics. Unfortunately, the professor's long legs matched Amelia's running speed, causing both of them to reach the door handle of the lecture room at the same time.
The two human beings looked at each other—simultaneously. When their eyes met, they almost jumped in surprise.
"Nicholas?"
"Amelia?"