In the days that followed, I spent time talking to my mom every day.
Elizabeth often came by to keep me company and invited me over to her house for meals.
Jade would occasionally send me messages-sometimes confessing her love, sometimes apologizing.
I ignored them all.
Elizabeth’s mother held my hand, tears welling up in her eyes, telling me that I was always welcome at their home and that I could think of her as my own mom.
I was touched. Elizabeth’s dad sighed and said,
“Corey, though both of your parents are gone now, we’ll always be your family. Holly is our only daughter, and we’ve watched the two of you grow up together. She’s never listened to anyone but you. We’ve always appreciated how you’ve helped us guide her. Our daughter, well, we’ve spoiled her beyond repair.”
Elizabeth, hugging her father’s arm, blushed shyly.
“Now that she’s back from abroad, with that free spirit, we can barely control her anymore. So, I wanted to ask if you…”
I smiled and cut him off.
“Uncle, my mom has just passed away. I’m not in the mood to discuss anything right now.”
“I’ve always seen Holly as a younger sister. You don’t have to say it-I’ll always look out for her.”
Hearing this, Elizabeth froze, her face turning from red to pale.
Her father remained calm, smiling as he replied, “Of course, I understand. You’re not in the right mindset for these conversations now.”
I nodded, then turned to Elizabeth, speaking seriously:
“Holly, I know you might have an idealized image of me, but I’m not as good as you think.”
“I’ve just gone through a painful breakup, and my only family is gone-all because I failed to see people for who they truly were.”
“So, I want to tell you to be careful and take every relationship seriously, alright?”
Biting her lip, her eyes welled up with tears, but she nodded.
“Corey, I know you’re afraid of getting hurt again, but don’t worry, I won’t make things hard for you.”
Her words touched me deeply, and I let out a long sigh.
At that moment, I had no expectations or desires for love anymore.
I just wanted to move on and heal from the pain of losing my mom.
In the days that followed, I returned to work.
Ignoring the sympathetic looks from my colleagues, I threw myself into my job, working tirelessly.
In the past, Jade had always complained about how much I worked, but my mom would keep her company, taking her shopping and searching for good food.
When our relationship started to fall apart, I reflected on whether I had been too focused on work, causing Jade to grow distant from me.
It was only later that I realized it was because her ex-boyfriend had come back.
My career would never betray me, but people would.
I buried myself in work, numbing myself from all the pain.
Until a month later, Jade showed up again.