The competition lasted a full week, from the preliminary rounds to the finals. During that week, I reconnected with old friends
and learned what had happened after I left.
“Elena really brought this upon herself. But the one I feel sorry for is the child. All these years, Daniel has never visited him—not
even once.”
“His parents sent him over, but he ignored it. I even heard that the kid got seriously ill last month…”
Halfway through, my friend suddenly realized they had said too much and quickly stopped talking.
I simply smiled, feeling unbothered. None of this had anything to do with me anymore.
However, what was starting to bother me was the fact that Daniel showed up every morning with breakfast and every night with supper, like clockwork.
Even the other teams had started gossiping, so I knew I could not let this continue.
The night before the finals, I went to find him for a talk.
His smile froze, and he turned away, resisting eye contact.
“Can we not talk? Abigail, I know you too well. The way you’re speaking right now… it means I have no chance, doesn’t it? I don’t
want to hear it.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
A faint ache stirred in my chest. Ten years was a long time–we knew each other too well.
He turned back to face me, his voice laced with quiet pleading.
“Abigail, does our ten years together really mean nothing? You saw the video. I was set up.”
His eyes were filled with accusation, and his face was full of frustration. For a moment, I saw the young man he used to be.
Back then, we were too young, too immature in the way we handled problems. Maybe if we had just sat down and talked it through, we would have moved on long ago.
The truth was, I rarely thought about the past anymore.
After Matilda was born, my life had been filled with so much love and joy. Plus, spending every day surrounded by children had simplified my heart.
Yet today, for the sake of finally making Daniel let go, I had no choice but to bring up the past.
I met his gaze and spoke slowly.
