Part 2A Summer Love Worth Cherishing

Roxie wandered aimlessly through the streets.

She had no idea how long she had been walking when a car horn sounded beside her. A car pulled over in front of her, and Evan got out.

"Why can't I get through to you?"

Roxie glanced at her phone. "It's dead."

He didn't ask anything else. He opened the passenger door and helped her into the car.

"Did you wait long?

"Something really did come up today. I don't have any surgeries tomorrow morning, so I'll go to City Hall with you."

Roxie looked out at the streets passing beyond the window.

"Don't bother."

Evan seemed to remember something. "Right, tomorrow's Saturday. We'll go another time then. The wedding is still a while away anyway."

"You went to the amusement park?" Roxie finally asked, unable to let it go.

"You saw Sylvia's post?

"Then you should understand. She just got back, and raising Seven on her own isn't easy."

The moment he mentioned Sylvia, his expression softened with a tenderness Roxie had never seen before.

"You met her the day she came back, remember? She's sweet, kind, and a little scatterbrained. Once you get to know her better, you'll like her too."

Roxie found it almost laughable.

Sylvia was two years older than she was and already had a four-year-old son. Yet in Evan's eyes, she would always be some little girl who needed looking after.

Evan continued, lost in his memories.

"Back in college, Sylvia and I found an injured stray dog. She felt so bad for it that she started crying. She even gave it the chocolate she'd been saving for herself."

He shook his head.

"That silly girl didn't even know dogs can't eat chocolate.

"We ended up adopting the dog together, but it died less than a year later. Sylvia cried her eyes out and swore she'd never have another dog. I never thought she'd grow up to be such a good mother."

Listening to him recount every little detail about another woman, Roxie dug her nails deep into her palms.

"I don't want to hear this," she interrupted. "And I don't like hearing about her."

Evan glanced at her in surprise.

"Are you upset?"

"Yes. Let's cancel the wedding."

After a moment, Evan nodded.

"That's probably for the best. I never cared much for all that ceremony anyway.

"We could have a destination wedding instead. Maybe Pellerton. Sylvia said it looks like something out of a fairy tale."

Sylvia again.

Whatever warmth remained in Roxie's heart disappeared.

"Evan, let's break up. Then you and Sylvia can be together."

"Roxie." Evan's expression turned serious. "Don't make baseless assumptions about Sylvia. She's like a little sister to me. Can't you understand how hard it is for her to raise a child on her own?

"You know my principles. Once I've set a wedding date, you're the only woman I'm going to marry. You need to be more mature about this."

Then he glanced at her.

"Besides, we've been together for six years. Can you really live without me?"

A dull ache spread through Roxie's chest.

She had watched her mother fall apart after her father's betrayal, and it had left Roxie afraid of relationships.

Yet she had fallen hopelessly in love with Evan precisely because he seemed so principled.

She had been terrified of ending up like her mother, but in the end, she had done exactly what her mother had done. She had given everything for the man she loved.

For Evan, she had learned to cook. She took care of the house and handled every little detail of his daily life. She had even given up her own career prospects.

That was why he was so certain she would always be reasonable.

So certain she would always understand.

And most of all, so certain that after everything she had given him over the past six years, she could never leave.

Roxie had believed Evan was completely different from her father. She had thought a man like him would never betray her.

She had forgotten that betrayal did not have to be physical.

An emotional affair was still an affair.

...

Just then, Evan's phone rang.

He answered, and his voice softened instantly.

"Sylvia, what's wrong?"

"Evan, I'm at a bar. Want to come hang out?"

Evan had always hated loud, crowded bars.

But this time, he agreed without hesitation.

"Sure. I'll be right there."

He hung up, turned the wheel sharply, and pulled over.

"Roxie, take a cab home. That girl is at a bar, and I can't help worrying about her."

Roxie got out of the car.

Before she could say a word, Evan was already speeding away.

He was worried about Sylvia.

But he had forgotten that Roxie's phone was dead.

He had also forgotten that she was afraid of the dark.

A deafening crack of thunder split the sky.

Cold rain came pouring down, soaking her in seconds.

Soon, Roxie could no longer tell whether the water on her face was rain or tears.

She spent the entire night walking through the storm.

Her heart grew colder with every step.

By dawn, she finally dragged herself home, soaked to the bone.

The moment she opened the door, she saw Evan, a man who never cooked, wearing an apron and bustling around the kitchen.

He looked surprised when he saw the state she was in.

"How did you get this soaked? You were gone all night. Couldn't you at least call?"

Before she could answer, a little boy ran out of the master bedroom clutching one of her rare collectible figures.

He crashed straight into her.

"Seven!"

Sylvia hurried out of the bedroom after him.

"Why do you always have to run up to every filthy thing you see?"