"Fitzroy, every time I think of you, I feel like a useless person."
"We went to the same university, received the same education. My family was thousands of times wealthier than yours, but just six years after graduation, we've drifted so far apart."
"I've tried countless times to convince myself with the bankruptcy of my family, with these huge changes in my life. But no matter how I think about it, I can't help but admit, if it had been you, even in this situation, you would definitely have made a comeback."
"Fitzroy, every time I see you, I feel like I'm good for nothing."
During those days and nights when I saw Fitzroy rising, I often wondered:
If he had been my parents' son, would my father have committed suicide from despair after the company went bankrupt? Would my mother have fallen ill from depression caused by debt, lying in bed for years?
If I were as capable as him...
My family wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.
"Fitzroy."
I looked up at him, asking in a defeated tone: "Don't you think I'm useless?"
---
"Depends on who you compare yourself to."
He thought for a moment, then replied, "If you compare yourself to me, then most people in this world are useless."
"...Was it necessary to put it that bluntly?"
Fitzroy laughed lightly and shoved me into the car, turning up the heater. He covered my icy fingers with his warm hands.
"You're already amazing."
"Your father was on the brink of regulatory scrutiny. With tightening policies, bankruptcy was inevitable. It had nothing to do with you."
"Stop taking everything upon yourself. There are some things that cannot be controlled by human will. You've already done well."
He was sincerely trying to comfort me.
The anger he had earlier disappeared, replaced by clear concern. More than me being reckless, he was worried I might not be able to cope.
I sighed.
Leaning into his arms, I changed the subject: "You drove my friend away."
"Fitzroy, will you stay with me tonight?" He tightened his grip around my arm.
His breathing became rougher. "Do you even know what you're saying?"
"Of course I do!"
"Besides this body, there's nothing about me worth remembering for you," I said, with a bit of melancholy.
"Most men in this world love money and beauty. Once they have wealth, the first thing they do is play with women. How come you're so strange?"
"You've followed me all the way from our country to abroad... Fitzroy, acting like a simp, it doesn't suit your current status."
The flush that had just appeared faded, and he tugged at the corner of his mouth, his expression turning flat.
"Shut up if you don't want to be thrown into the snow."
"I'm only speaking the truth."
I curled up in his arms and whispered with a smile:
"Fitzroy, you say you love me, but in this love, how much is real affection, and how much is just unwillingness to let go? Can you really tell the difference?"
"I guarantee, once you win me back, within three months, you'll be impatient and tell me to get lost."
He threw me into the car.
I rolled over on the backseat, hitting my back against the door edge. It hurt a bit, probably leaving a bruise...
"Do you really know me?"
He didn't get into the car but stood in the icy snow, coldly asking me:
"Adele, you've never loved me, and you've never been patient enough to understand me."
"From the very beginning, our relationship was just a whim of yours. That's why you could break up with me as easily as throwing away trash."
"I promised you when we started dating that I would only love one person in this life."
"I loved you for ten years, from eighteen to twenty-eight. All my youth, I gave to you. Yet, you never took me seriously. That's not fair." The world around us was blanketed in the pure white of snow.
Fitzroy climbed into the car, slammed the door shut, and the howling wind outside was cut off.
He took off his bulky jacket, revealing a deep blue cashmere sweater underneath.
His voice was soft:
"I don't want my marriage to be about interests. I want to marry someone I love, someone who can give me a real home."
"In your eyes, I'm hypocritical, stupid, and lowly... you don't believe in love, and you don't believe that I love you."
"In your eyes, all men are nothing but animals who think with their lower halves, only desiring to mate, with no real affection."
"We've been in a relationship for four years, and yet you still don't understand me, not at all." He raised his hand and threw off his sweater, letting it fall to the ground, revealing his muscular chest.
Broad shoulders, a slim waist, and faintly visible abs... the raw, primal desire of a beast radiated, mixed with the warm air.
Yet, his eyes were cold and unyielding, completely at odds with his actions. He looked at me mockingly and said:
"You wanted me to keep you company tonight, didn't you?"
"Why not here? People passing by can all watch—how thrilling."
"...That might not be a good idea."
I hesitated and said, "The car will shake, and the experience won't be that great..."
"How do you know it won't be good?" His face darkened, "Have you tried it? With who? That balding matchmaker?"
"You must be really crazy if you don't even mind, degrading yourself like this. Aren't you afraid of getting sick?"
I didn't know how we ended up on this topic.
---
I wasn't in the mood to argue with him. I straightened up, reached out, and gently poked his abs with my cool fingers.
"So hard."
His brow twitched, and in an instant, he grabbed my fingers tightly, his expression turning vicious and filled with grievance: "You're tempting me again!"
"No 'again,' this is the first time since we reunited."
I moved a bit closer, pressing my cheek against his bare chest, rubbing it slightly. I whispered, "Fitzroy, can we go to a hotel instead? Not here."
"I don't want others to see you like this... Unless you want them to see me naked?"
"With the privacy film, they can't see anything." He shrugged off my hand.
He closed his eyes, feeling both desperate and helpless. "Adele, you're just taking advantage of the fact that I like you."
"So you can flirt whenever you want and discard me whenever you feel like it. You know, once you show the slightest hint of wanting something, I'll immediately give in."
"...So, do you want it?"
"Yes!"
He growled in warning:
"I'm no longer the helpless student from six years ago."
"This time, even if I have to do everything wrong, I won't let you get away."
"You're heartless. I see through it. If being gentle doesn't work, I'll have to be forceful... Don't hate me."
There was an obvious desperation in his eyes. I froze for a moment.
