Chapter 383 Cold War
But an unexpected accident threw everything off track–Dalton got sick.
+8 Pears
Up until then, he’d always thought he was
Calthy. But after that day, everything collapsed… such
He couldn’t bring himself to associate with serious illness…
Reading this, Jean couldn’t help but furrow her brow.
Dalton never said what exactly he was sick with…
It probably wasn’t something minor.
Now that he couldn’t walk and had to rely on a chair, was that also because of the illness?
Jean was curious about what kind of illness he had, but she didn’t want to touch on Dalton’s pain–besides, it was personal.
He had the right not to tell her.
Jean couldn’t help but send another message.
She texted, “I never would’ve guessed you went through so much too.”
Then she added, “Sorry for bringing up painful memories.”
Dalton replied: “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It was a long time ago–I don’t really feel anything about it now. But back then… it felt like my whole world was coming apart. I was a mess inside.”
After he got sick, his whole mindset fell apart; naturally, he didn’t have the energy to worry about Winston.
He hadn’t wanted to tell Winston about his illness, but he did want to tell him-
They should put their runaway plans on hold for now; he wanted Winston to wait, to give him some time… Just a little longer was all he needed. But before he could say any of that, his condition worsened and he fell into a coma.
He was unconscious for several days and ended up missing the day they’d agreed to meet.
They were supposed to meet in a park and hitch a ride they’d arranged in advance to leave together.
But now, everything had fallen apart,
Dalton never made it; he didn’t even get the chance to explain anything to Winston.
The moment he regained consciousness, the first thing he did was text Winston.
But there was no reply. No matter what he sent, there was no response.
The only silver lining–Winston hadn’t blocked him….
Dalton’s mental state was a mess, and his emotions were unstable.
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Chapter 383 Cold War
When Winston didn’t respond, Dalton spiraled into a kind of hopeless frustration.
If he’s not replying, then I won’t talk to him either! He was being a little petty, a little irritated.
And just like that, the two of them lost contact; they fell into a cold war.
Later, Dalton’s condition stabilized a bit, and the doctors finally allowed him to go outside.
He told his parents he wanted to go back to school.
48 Pearls
Even though he knew deep down his illness hadn’t been fully cured–it was just temporarily under control, and might never be fully healed…
He didn’t want to live like a broken man; he wanted to live as normally as possible.
He wanted to return to school and study, just like before.
His parents were worried, of course, but they didn’t want to crush such a simple wish.
Finally, after grueling treatment, Dalton returned to school.
Returning meant he might run into Winston. He had thought about what he’d do if that happened- whether he’d pretend not to notice, or confront him about never replying.
Honestly, he didn’t know. They hadn’t spoken in so long; if they met again, there’d probably be nothing but awkwardness…
On the day he went back to school, he passed by the basketball court.
Under the bright sun, a tall, lean teenager moved with graceful ease, dribbling the ball, then leaping up a shot-
The ball slid cleanly into the hoop.
That boy—it had been so long–but it was Winston.
for
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