Chapter 4The Echo of a Cold

We didn’t speak for a whole month.

Then, on Valentine’s Day, I got a text from him.

[“I found some things you left behind. Come get them if you want them.”]

Attached was a photo of a small velvet pouch. Inside was a St. Christopher medal I had bought for him at a cathedral in Europe.

Bennett was the man who had everything. Wealthy, successful, elite. I thought the only thing that could move a man like that was pure, unadorned sincerity.

I had stood in the rain outside that cathedral, praying for his safety.

“If you grant one person your favor, may you spend the rest of your life being generous with them.”

The rain had been heavy that day, mirroring the ripples in my heart. When Bennett had walked up with an umbrella, smelling faintly of cherry blossoms, I was sure the universe had heard me.

“It’s my birthday and you’re not here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Inside the restaurant, he had tenderly dried my hair.

Our friends teased us. “Bennett only blew out the candles so he could wish for you to come back.”

He had smiled. “What were you praying for at the church? Health?”

I clutched the medal, blushing. “No. I wished for us to be this happy forever.”

Bennett’s face had gone cold instantly. “Harper, praying for happiness in a relationship is the beginning of a disaster.”

The medal felt like it was burning my palm. I gripped it tight.

He was right. Bennett was always logical, always restrained. How could I have been so naive to think a piece of 'sincerity' could bind him?

Someone asked, “What’s in the bag, Harper? A gift for Bennett?”

I forced a laugh. “Nothing. Just a lucky charm I got for myself.”

The bitterness was overwhelming. In Bennett’s vast world, love was just a tiny, manageable province.

That night, Bennett had been drinking. He pinned me against the wall, kissing away my tears, murmuring into my neck.

“Where’s my gift, Harper?”

“I forgot to get one.”

“Then you’ll have to pay me back another way.”