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Chapter 4 — Unraveling Feelings
The days passed with a slow, almost unbearable pace. Every morning, Lydia awoke to find another bouquet of flowers waiting for her. Some days, there were books. On others, chocolates. And always, there were apologies. Adrian didn't stop. Every day, he came and left without asking for anything in return.
But Lydia never gave him the satisfaction of acknowledgment. She barely looked at him. Every time he came into the room, she turned away, pretending to sleep or pretending to be too absorbed in a book to hear him. But deep inside, she couldn't ignore him.
Her family, however, had become increasingly worried about her attitude. Her mother would often ask her, "Why are you so angry, Lydia? What has he done except try to help you?"
Her father was quieter, but he was still concerned. He wasn't sure if Lydia's rejection was because of the slap from the restaurant incident or something deeper that she wasn't saying. But no one had the courage to confront her openly—at least, not until the day everything changed.
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Lydia sat in her ward one evening, staring at the flowers in a vase by her window. It was a beautiful arrangement, the petals of roses and lilies almost too perfect. Each time she looked at them, she was reminded of Adrian. His persistence. His face. His kindness, even though she didn't deserve it.
She hated herself for feeling this way.
"Why can't I just be normal? Why can't I just stop pushing him away?" Lydia muttered to herself, her voice breaking.
But then, there was a knock on the door.
Lydia's heart skipped a beat. She knew it was him.
Without waiting for her response, Adrian stepped into the room, as usual, with a hesitant smile. "Good evening, Lydia."
Lydia ignored him, turning her gaze back out the window. She didn't want to engage, not now. Not yet.
But Adrian was persistent. He set the bouquet of lilies down beside her bed and walked closer, standing at the edge of her window. "Lydia, I'm not giving up on you. Not now. Not ever."
Lydia didn't respond.
His voice softened. "I know I made a mistake, but I swear to you, I'm not like other people. I won't hurt you. I'll never hurt you."
Her hands tightened around the sheets, but she didn't say anything.
"I can't stop caring about you," Adrian continued. "And I'm sorry for everything that happened that day, for the way I acted. But you can't ignore me forever."
Lydia's body tensed. She wanted to yell at him, to scream that he didn't understand. That he couldn't understand her pain, her suffering. She wanted to tell him to leave, to stop trying, to go away and never come back.
But when she opened her mouth, no words came out.
Instead, her throat tightened, and her eyes welled up. She turned her face away, ashamed that she was so weak, that Adrian's mere presence had the power to break down her defenses.
Adrian noticed the change in her demeanor. His heart clenched. "Lydia…"
But before he could say anything else, the door swung open.
Lydia's father stepped in, his face cold. "Adrian, this is enough."
Adrian turned toward him, surprised by the sudden tension in the room. Lydia's father's eyes were hard, angry. "You've been here every day, trying to force yourself into my daughter's life. I won't stand for it."
Adrian stood tall, meeting the older man's gaze. "I understand your concern, sir. But I care about Lydia. And I'm not going to stop."
"You don't get to decide what's best for my daughter," Lydia's father snapped, stepping closer. "She's been through enough already. You're only making it worse."
"I'm not trying to make it worse," Adrian said, his voice steady but his emotions raw. "I just want to make it better."
Lydia's father shook his head. "You're wasting your time, Adrian. Leave her alone. Don't come back."
Adrian looked at Lydia one more time, but she didn't meet his eyes. He sighed, turning toward the door. "I won't give up, sir. But I'll respect your wishes."
As he walked out, Lydia's father turned to her, his expression softened but still serious. "I won't have him hurting you anymore, Lydia. You need to stop this nonsense and focus on getting better."
Lydia's breath caught in her throat. "I'm fine, Dad. I don't need him."
But deep down, she knew that wasn't true.
---
That night, Lydia couldn't sleep. Her mind raced with the events of the day. Adrian's words kept echoing in her head. "I won't give up on you."
She closed her eyes, trying to block out the images of Adrian standing there, pleading with her, hoping she would understand. She didn't want to admit it, but she could feel it in her chest—the little spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could make her life better. But what if she let him in, only to be disappointed again?
She couldn't let herself hope. She couldn't.
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The next few days were tense. Adrian didn't show up, respecting Lydia's father's request. But his absence felt like a heavy weight pressing on Lydia's chest. Her ward felt emptier without him. The flowers no longer arrived. The silence was deafening.
It was a strange feeling—this emptiness. Lydia tried to push it away. But she couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about him.
On the sixth day, her father had to go to work, leaving Lydia alone with her mother. The silence was unbearable.
"Mom," Lydia said hesitantly, breaking the quiet. "What do you think of Adrian?"
Her mother looked up, surprised by the question. "What do you mean?"
"Do you think… he's really sorry?" Lydia asked.
Her mother put down the book she was reading, her expression softening. "I think he cares about you. But it's not just about him. Lydia, you have to take care of yourself first. You have to heal. You can't let anyone—no matter how well-intentioned—drag you into something you're not ready for."
Lydia nodded, her heart heavy with conflicting feelings. She knew her mother was right. But that didn't stop the ache she felt every time she thought of Adrian's face.
---
That afternoon, something unexpected happened.
Lydia's phone buzzed on her bedside table. She glanced at it, expecting a message from her father, but instead, it was an email. She opened it with a frown.
The message was from Adrian.
It simply read: "I'll never give up on you. I'll be here whenever you're ready. - Adrian."
Lydia stared at the screen, her heart pounding in her chest. She set the phone down and buried her face in her hands, the tears coming again, though she didn't know why.
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End of Chapter 4