Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 46

When I saw Cecilia at the office the next day, the poor girl was as pale as a ghost, with dark. circles under her eyes like she hadn’t slept in a week.

She was naturally on the petite side, with fair skin, but right then, she looked like a frostbitten white rose, all frail and sickly, pitiful as can be.

Wallis stumbled upon Cecilia’s Facebook update and screenshotted it to me.

A lonely silhouette shot with the caption, [Your understanding is just because no one cares about you, right?]

Wallis, with that gossip–hungry look, was like, “Bet they had a lovers‘ tiff, huh?”

It got me wondering too.

I mean, Cecilia and Hogan hadn’t been an item for that long.

I started to think it might have to do with the love bite on my neck.

Cecilia was in that sorry state until the afternoon.

Just as Wallis was about to ask me if we should go and cheer Cecilia up, the studio door swung

open.

In came Hogan, with afternoon tea in hand.

Everyone greeted him like it was no big deal, and he just nodded hastily before making a beeline for Cecilia’s office, looked pretty urgent.

“Hogan, what brings you here all of a sudden?”

Hogan handed her a cup of hot milk and said, “Drink it while it’s hot.”

Cecilia replied weakly, “It’s just that time of the month, Hogan. You’re making a mountain out of

a molehill.”

their whole

it was that

emerged from the office. Wallis went up to chit–chat with Hogan, and Cecilia, looking all wan and feeble, started

me, she said affectionately, “Xaviera, there’s

stuff was not really

away at my code, “I’m not much for sweets, keep

I said that than, out of the blue, “Splash!” A

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12-21

Chapter 46

laptop!

blew off and a flood of liquid poured all

bolt from the blue. By the time I came to and reached for a tissue, it was already

too late.

few sputtering sounds, my laptop screen went black.

to…” Her delicate

I cut her off, my voice involuntarily rising a notch, “Even kids

hard drive was packed with vital

like me, a laptop

hold back

her eyes rimmed red, “I

commotion caught everyone’s attention.

Hogan’s, who was still

seeing Cecilia’s tear–stained

in milk, blurted out, “Who

and she bit

and covered her mouth, “Sorry, Director Irwin.”

down and then sheepishly glanced at me, “Xaviera, scold me a bit more.”

a loss for