M dropped her head and whispered, “Nate, I’m sorry.” Guilt filled her heart, and pain tore. at her.


    Nathan forced himself to smile. He threw his head back and let his arms hang by his sides. Closing his


    eyes, he said, “I understand.”


    M couldn’t bear to look at him and left quickly.


    Nathan didn’t go after her. He sat motionless on the wooden bench with his head up. Even closing his


    eyes couldn’t keep the tears from running down his cheeks. His silhouette looked sad and lonely,


    bathed in the warm, yellow light.


    M quickly disappeared into the distance without a backward nce.


    Nathan


    put his hand to his forehead, hiding the tears at the corners of his eyes. Loneliness and pain


    overwhelmed him. It had been ten years since he felt such pain, and it was just as unbearable to feel it


    all over again.


    M left Alpine Estate and got into a taxi. She cried through the ride.


    The driver thought she had broken up with her boyfriend and tried tofort her, but she didn’t listen to


    a word he said. Only M knew her tears were shed for the man she loved deeply, and who loved her


    just as much.


    It was Phoebe who opened the door when M returned to Hoffis Manor. When she saw M with her


    eyes swollen and full of tears, she nervously took her hand and asked, “M, what’s wrong with you?


    Who hurt you? Why are you crying so much?”


    M wiped away her tears as she walked inside. “I’m fine.”


    “M, tell me. What happened? Who hurt you?” Phoebe continued to ask.


    She took M back to her room. M copsed onto the bed and buried her head in the nket.


    Phoebe sat down next to her and asked, “M, where did you go? I’m so worried about you.” M


    shivered under the nket, her voice choked with tears as she said, “He confessed his feelings to me,


    but I rejected him.”


    “Who? Was it General Morrison?”


    M felt the pain almost too much to bear. She cried uncontrobly as she confessed, “Yes. What he


    wanted was simple, really simple… He doesn’t care if we can be together. He just hopes we can keep


    in touch by texting from time to time. But I couldn’t agree to even that.”


    M sobbed. “Phoebe, am I being too heartless? I’m too hard on him. I’m so sad, and it breaks my


    heart.”


    Phoebe hugged M over the nket. “M, do you have feelings for General Morrison as well?”


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    M wept quietly. Phoebe understood immediately and said sincerely, “M, you’re doing what you


    have to do. He’ll understand one day.”


    “J’m in so much pain. It hurts.” No matter how hard M pressed her chest, the pain didn’t go away.


    Tears ran down her face as she asked, “Would taking some painkillers help? I can’t take it anymore.”


    Phoebe’s eyes welled up immediately. She had never seen M in so much pain, and she cried with


    her as she held her close.


    “M, please don’t go on like this. Please try to pull yourself together. General Morrison would


    understand your decision if he knew your true identity. The two of you-”


    “Phoebe, enough,” M interrupted.


    Fearing that someone might overhear, Phoebe stopped speaking immediately. She spent the rest of


    the night in M’s room.


    Milá cried until she was exhausted and finally went to sleep.


    When she woke up at noon the next day, her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying she had done


    all night. Even so, her heart felt a little lighter now that all of the tears had been shed.


    M was on her way to Zach’s room as usual when Sally stopped her halfway through the living room.


    “Stay there.” Sally looked grim as she sat on the couch with her arms crossed.