Chapter 4 We Can Make This Work

Once the message was sent, silence followed without any reply.

Only after midnight did a response from Colton finally come through. "I do not know how to make a cake. If there is anything you want to eat, I can ask Bobby to buy it for you."

A bitter laugh slipped from Kristine.

Was it truly because he did not know how to bake, or was it simply because he did not want to do it for her?

Her eyes drifted to the scar on her wrist, which had already begun to fade, and her smile slowly grew heavier.

Back when she was at home, cooking had never been something she needed to do.

However, to make Colton happy, she had taught herself to prepare all of his favorite dishes.

Even when her fingers were cut or blisters formed from burns, she endured it and refused to stop.

"No need," Kristine texted.

From that moment on, she no longer needed anything from him.

...

The morning after, Kristine walked downstairs and froze when she noticed Colton already there.

A sudden unease tightened in her chest.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"In case you forgot, yesterday was your birthday. I had something important to handle, so I could not stay with you," Colton replied in an even tone. "That is why I am making it up to you today."

A muted scoff echoed in Kristine's mind.

To him, being with Elyse was clearly what mattered most.

"There is no need for that," she said. "I already made plans for today."

Colton rose to his feet, his tall figure seeming to press down on the space around them. "Are you keeping something from me?"

Lately, Kristine had been far too composed. That calmness made him uneasy.

They used to argue over Elyse all the time, sometimes every few days without fail.

Kristine held his gaze and speaking without hesitation. "No."

Colton examined the stubborn look in her eyes, and a sense of unease slowly tightened his chest, making him feel as though something unpleasant was about to unfold.

"Come with me," he said. "You can decide where we go."

Before Kristine could turn him down, the moment slipped away.

Without warning, Colton seized her arm and ushered her straight into the car.

Her flight was set for eight that evening.

There was still enough time left.

More importantly, there was one place she wanted to see again before everything ended.

Following Kristine's directions, the car eventually stopped at the main entrance of Gridron University.

Surprise flickered across Colton's face as he took in the familiar buildings. "Why did you bring me here?"

"This is where I once confessed my feelings to you." Kristine spoke as she gestured toward a large stone nearby.

On campus, that stone was known as the wishing stone.

People believed that standing beside it and making a wish would ensure it came true.

At that time, her only wish had been to become Colton's girlfriend. In the end, that wish was fulfilled.

What never followed was his love.

Colton's eyes shifted in the same direction as hers, and the memory slowly resurfaced.

On that day, Kristine had been a little drunk. She burst out from behind the stone, clutched his collar, and declared without hesitation, "Colton, I like you. Will you be my boyfriend?"

Back then, Colton was one of the most sought-after people on campus.

Whether in Gridron or Peudon, there was never a lack of people chasing after him.

However, having a tipsy girl confess so boldly was a first for him.

Finding it entertaining, he replied on purpose, "Sure."

Clarity returned to Kristine's eyes at once, but shock rooted her to the spot.

Before he had the chance to tease her any further, Elyse called him.

When he came back later, he realized that he had somehow gained a girlfriend.

In the beginning, Colton had found Kristine's nonstop talking irritating.

Over time, however, her constant presence slowly became something he was used to.

There was even a moment when she fell ill and did not seek him out, and he felt an unexpected sense of emptiness.

A sharp stir of emotion hit Colton.

Turning his head, he looked at Kristine sitting beside him.

Since when had she grown so silent?

Looking back, it seemed to start after he repeatedly insisted on flying to Eyling, no matter how strongly she objected.

Initially, she had argued with him heatedly. Later, her resistance faded. Eventually, she stopped arguing with him about Elyse at all.

That realization struck his chest once more.

"Kristine, Elyse's return was because-" he said.

"This place is where we went on our first date," Kristine interjected. She opened the car door and stepped out. She didn't want to hear Elyse's name.

A moment later, Colton got out and followed her.

Pausing her steps, Kristine came to a halt in front of a small stall that sold chili dogs.

As the heir to the wealthiest family in Gridron, Colton had grown up under strict expectations and careful supervision.

Food from the streets had never been something he would willingly touch.

Kristine, however, loved pulling him through cramped alleys and sampling local snacks with him.

This stall had been the very first place she ever brought him to eat.

The memory of Colton's expression twisting in obvious disgust when the chili dog was handed to him still lingered vividly in her mind.

"Two chili dogs, please," Kristine said, snapping back to the present and placing the order just as she had done years ago.

"All right. It will only take a moment," the owner answered.

Seeing such an eye-catching pair together was a first for him, so he stared briefly before remembering to move.

Even though four years had gone by, Kristine could still recall this place with striking clarity.

Colton's gaze stayed on Kristine, his throat bobbing slightly as he spoke. "We could go back to how things were at the beginning."

No more fights. No more cold silences. How perfect that sounded.

A faint trace of irony curved Kristine's lips. "If Elyse had never existed, then maybe we could have."

Reality, however, never allowed room for such possibilities.

"Elyse's situation will be resolved soon," Colton said with certainty as he held onto Kristine's hands. "We can return to how things were before."

Only at that moment did he notice how cold her hands felt.

The fear rising in his chest made his grip tighten instinctively. "Kristine, believe me. We can make this work."

Something within Kristine wavered.

"There is no chance left anymore. Tonight I-"

Her words were cut off when Colton's phone suddenly rang.

The sound came from Elyse's exclusive ringtone.

A faint smile lingered on Kristine's lips as she quietly mocked herself for believing him even briefly, and for thinking they could ever go back to the past.

Without hesitation, Colton answered the call.

The voice that came through was not Elyse's. It belonged to her attending physician, Brent Walsh. "Colton, you need to come to the hospital immediately. Elyse's heart condition has worsened, and she truly needs you here right now."

Colton's face turned rigid. "I understand."

After that, he turned around and walked away.

Kristine kept her eyes on his departing figure, the same faint smile still resting on her face.

Her emotions did not waver.

No matter whether Colton appeared today or not, she had already decided to walk the entire food street they once visited together, from beginning to end.

At the time, Kristine had been completely unaware of Elyse's existence.

She truly believed that Colton loved her as well, which was why he had indulged all of her playful behavior.

It was only much later that she finally saw the truth clearly.

Leaving the food street behind, Kristine stepped away and paused to cast one final glance at the bustling crowd, then she turned around and headed straight for the airport without looking back.

By seven thirty that evening, Kristine had already arrived at the airport.

While she waited to board, a message from Colton came through. "Are you still at Gridron University? I'm on my way there!"

She did not respond. Instead, she cut off every possible way for Colton to reach her.