Chapter 256
The dormitory was unnervingly silent when Isabella's shrill voice pierced through the quiet, sharp enough for Harrison to catch every syllable.
Harrison filled a glass with water and took a small sip. The liquid tasted strangely bitter on his tongue.
Nathaniel remained silent, though his striking features darkened with tension.
"Nathaniel, I can't stand being apart from you. Come to me immediately!" Isabella's demanding tone echoed from the phone.
Nathaniel's grip tightened around his device. With deliberate strides, he moved toward the door.
Harrison watched his retreating figure. He was leaving to be with Isabella, wasn't he?
He'd nearly forgotten - Daphne had been merely a temporary distraction. Isabella held Nathaniel's heart.
One call. A few words. That's all it took to make him leave.
Their night together meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.
A bitter smile curved Harrison's lips.
Nathaniel paused in the hallway, his expression hardening. "Isabella, I can't come now."
"What? Are you with Harrison? Listen carefully - choose between me or him. If you don't come tonight, you'll regret this!" The line went dead with a sharp click.
Nathaniel's mouth pressed into a thin line.
He stood motionless, phone in hand, then turned to glance back at Harrison's dorm.
Before, he would have rushed to Isabella without hesitation. Now, uncertainty rooted him in place.
His phone chimed suddenly.
Gabrielle had sent a friend request.
Nathaniel accepted.
Immediately, a screenshot appeared - a conversation between Gabrielle and Harrison.
[Gabrielle, my friend lost her virginity to her husband, but he's been ignoring her since. What does that mean?]
This was Harrison's message after Nathaniel had distanced himself.
Gabrielle's reply followed: [It means she failed to satisfy him. He's already bored with her.]
Now understanding the context, Gabrielle forwarded it to Nathaniel.
She'd typed several responses but ultimately sent only one sentence: [Harrison has endured so much pain loving you.]
Harrison had suffered for loving him.
Nathaniel's stone-cold heart began to crack, then crumble completely.
During his mistaken pursuit of Daphne, he couldn't fathom Harrison's silent agony. Yet Harrison had borne it without complaint.
Unlike Isabella who screamed her grievances, Harrison swallowed every hurt.
He recalled Harrison's eyes earlier - glistening yet cold, fragile yet standing alone.
Loving him had brought Harrison nothing but pain.
Back in the dorm, Harrison stood motionless. His twin braids framed his face softly, the dim lighting accentuating his isolation.
Ding!
His phone's alert shattered the silence.
Harrison turned, still clutching his water glass.
Then collided with a solid chest. Nathaniel had returned, standing directly behind him.
Harrison's mind blanked at the sight. "Why did you come back?" he breathed, stunned.
Why had Nathaniel returned?
Hadn't he gone to Isabella?