In the following days, that feeling grew stronger. Normally, Paul would leave at least one evening each week for a night run. Once, Miranda heard some noises in the hallway and opened her door, only to find he had already returned home.

That wasn’t the only strange thing. Paul usually took one or two days off each month to rest, but Miranda hadn’t seen his door open even once. There was even one time when she opened her door and saw his door cracked open slightly, but it quickly shut again as if he had heard her.

“What on earth?” Miranda thought to herself.

She was genuinely confused. She began to wonder if she had offended him somehow, but no matter how much she tried to remember, she couldn’t think of anything.

If only she could catch him in person, Miranda would have directly asked what was going on. Why was he avoiding her like this?

Meanwhile, Paul stood by the window after hearing her footsteps fade into the distance. He glanced outside and, sure enough, saw her walking away. Only after she was out of sight did he withdraw his complicated gaze.

It wasn’t that he wanted to avoid her. He simply had no choice.

The first time he had that kind of dream, he chalked it up to being an accident. It was probably a random physiological response. But after seeing her again outside the cafeteria that night, Paul had another similar dream–this one more vivid, more intense, and even more shameful.

In the dream, he was like a wild animal, out of control, ignoring the woman’s weak pleas as he mercilessly pinned her down. He was relentless, unstoppable. This dream was more detailed than the first. When he woke up, every moment replayed in his mind like a reel on repeat.

Frustrated and embarrassed, he stripped the sheets off his bed, tossing them into the washing machine with a deep sense of regret.

He couldn’t understand how he could have such dreams. How could he disrespect a woman like that?

Yes, it was disrespectful.

The overwhelming self-loathing had made it impossible for him to face Miranda. What if he saw her and had the same thoughts again? How could he bear it?

During this time, completely unaware of Paul’s inner turmoil, Susan dropped off meals for him a few times.

When she got home, she quietly said to her husband, “Paul seems to be in a bad mood lately. He’s only been asking for one serving of food. He might be heartbroken."

Felix didn’t know what to say to that.

The research project was progressing smoothly, and the relationship among Miranda, Madison, and Sebastian had grown increasingly harmonious.

One afternoon, tired of eating at the university cafeteria, the trio decided to grab lunch off-campus. On their way back, while chatting about their afternoon plans, Madison suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Both Miranda and Sebastian looked at her in confusion.

“What’s up?” Sebastian asked.

Madison nodded toward the school gate in the distance. “Look, it’s your ex-boyfriend,” she said while pointing with her lips. She then gave Miranda a sympathetic look.

Miranda felt her lips twitch. Was it too late to run?

It was indeed too late. Hansel had already spotted her and was now striding toward them, holding a bouquet of champagne roses.

Madison coughed awkwardly. “Um… Seb, I’m feeling a bit thirsty. Let’s grab a drink from the convenience store.”

Sebastian glanced at Miranda, then at Madison, and nodded in agreement before the two of them walked away.

Now, Miranda didn’t even feel like pretending anymore. “Hansel, are you really that free?”

He froze for a moment. “Mimi…”

“We broke up a year ago. Can you stop coming to see me, please?”

Hansel frowned. Without a word, he shoved the bouquet into her arms while gritting his teeth. “No.”

Miranda felt exhausted. She had repeated the same thing too many times. “It’s pointless. You have so many other options. Why are you so fixated on me?”

“Because you’re the only woman I want.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “That’s funny. On Calvin’s birthday, you weren’t saying that when you had your arm around Ingrid in that private room.”

Ingrid is a wonderful person, and I want to make things official with her. The words from back then were now like sharp slaps on Hansel’s face.

His eyes turned bloodshot. “I was blind back then. I’d mistaken the fake for the real thing and gave up on the one I truly loved.”

“I know it’s too late for an apology, but no matter what, I need to say it. The woman I’ve always loved–and will always love–is you. Mimi… forgive me, please?

“It was around this time of year, also at the North Gate of Bedford College, in this exact same spot, when you agreed to be my girlfriend. Can’t you give me another chance today, let me win you back?”

Miranda returned the bouquet to him, speaking each word clearly. “No. I can’t. If you still feel even a shred of guilt toward me, then stop showing up at the campus gate like this because…

“Your presence makes me a topic of gossip, bringing unnecessary trouble into my life.”

Hansel’s expressions of love were always so impulsive, inconsiderate of anyone else. She used to think it showed how much he cared–direct, honest, passionate like the sun.

But after six years, she finally saw the truth. It wasn’t love; it was selfishness.

It was selfishness disguised as affection, forcing his version of love on her without considering her situation or desires. He was stubbornly acting how he liked.

Miranda hated being the subject of gossip, but Hansel was always so flashy.

He was sending extravagant bouquets, parking his car in the most conspicuous spot outside the school, and showing up in her classrooms under the pretense of attending her lectures.

But he never realized how much judgment and ridicule she faced behind his back because of his actions.

“You… you never told me that,” Hansel muttered, his eyes vacant. “I didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know?” Miranda’s gaze sharpened. “Even if you did, would you have stopped?”

Hansel fell silent.

“Six years is a long time, but you never really understood me. Just like I never really understood you. So let’s just leave this where it is–there’s no need to pick it up again.”

With that, Miranda walked past him and strode away.

Hansel’s face went pale. He staggered back a step before collapsing onto a nearby bench.

Not far away, two figures lurked behind a tree, eyes wide, carefully watching the scene, afraid to miss a thing.