Chapter 2. Two-way Direction 1

When Elice listened to Garrett's words, she was stunned. Her eyes widened with a dimming glint, and her mouth slightly opened as if she wanted to speak, but not a single word came out.

“I'm curious. How great of a man can make a woman cry like you are now.”

Garrett said, waiting for Elice to respond to his words. But, in the end, she only let out a long sigh. Her eyes blinked once, then she turned her body to face forward, observing the bartender who had been busy working with his agile hands.

“Don't want to answer?”

Garrett seemed to show no signs of backing down from the curiosity that had taken root in his mind. He was curious. So, without feeling hesitant, he placed one elbow on the bar table. In that position, he could observe the sharp line of Elice's nose from the side. It looked so perfect, not overly exaggerated, and gave the impression that one look was not enough to satisfy the eyes.

At that moment, Elice took a deep breath. She briefly thought of raising her hand again to order another drink. But, for some reason, she refrained from doing so. As if she was already feeling fed up. It made her question herself. Perhaps what she needed was not another drink, but rather a pair of ears to listen to all the turmoil in her heart.

“He's not a great man.”

Elice uttered the sentence, and it earned a slight twitch in Garrett's eye. He remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

“He's definitely not the kind of prince you find in fairy tales,” Elice continued, shaking her head. “Definitely not.”

Hearing that, Garrett nodded once, but still refrained from commenting. It was as if he truly wanted to prove to Elice that he was a good listener, and that her words were indeed the truth.

“He's just a man who happened to be born into an esteemed, wealthy family, and supposedly upholds moral values. But, as it turns out, he himself doesn't even know what those morals are.”

Garrett's eyes sparkled as he heard Elice's words this time. Clearly, he could sense the emotions behind the words she spoke. Something that forced him to take a breath and hold it in his chest. Instead of giving in to his urge to question her, asking why all of this happened.

“He...”

Elice closed her eyes. When she was about to speak further, a spark of reason in her head stopped her. It made her unconsciously clench her hands tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white, as if there was no more blood flowing there.

That did not escape Garrett's eyes. He immediately reached for Elice's hand, carefully unwinding the clenched fist, one by one. With a gentle but effective gesture, he managed to release the tight grip of Elice's fingers.

“Do you remember?” Garrett asked then. “I'm just a stranger. A stranger who doesn't even know your name. So... what's making you hesitate?”

True. What Garrett said was true. He did not know Elice. He did not even know her name.

“He completely shattered my life into pieces. There's nothing left. Nothing.”

Not letting go of Elice's hand, Garrett instead held her slender fingers. Feeling the smoothness there. Then, he let go, giving Elice a chance to wipe her face randomly.

“Tell me,” Elice said, turning to Garrett. “Do men like you always born without a heart? Born without a brain to remember all the promises? Do you even say all those sweet words consciously?”

Garrett smiled and exhaled. Choosing not to burst into laughter at an inappropriate time, he only shook his head once. Then, he rubbed his slightly rough chin. He forgot to shave that day.

“Truthfully... we, men, are born with hearts. We also have brains to remember. But the problem is... sometimes we throw away our conscience.”

Elice looked at Garrett, perhaps not believing that there would be a man who would say such blunt things to her. Was not that slightly touching the ego of Adam's descendants?

Garrett's smile widened. “No need to look at me in awe like that. I'm just stating the truth. That we, the male species, have a tendency for high ego. Sometimes, we feel superior by making others suffer. As if that is validation to prove that we are powerful beings.”

“Unbelievable.”

Garrett chuckled softly, scratching his temple with his index finger. There was a slight itch when he saw Elice's incredulous expression.

“I also sometimes can't believe it. But that's what happened. There are some men who take pleasure in hurting a woman. Uh... and it seems like you've encountered this type of man.”

“You say it as if this is just my misfortune. As if I wouldn't be like this if I had met another man.”

Garrett seemed to consider Elice's words. Then, without any doubt, he nodded.

“True. Maybe that's how it is.”

“Now, I want to blame God rather than blame Ariel.”

There was a piece of information that made Garrett furrow his brow. “His name is Ariel?”

Not denying it, Elice nodded. Besides, there was no point for her to hide that fact.

“His name is Ariel Sebastian Ramirez. Uh... you probably don't know him. But he's a man born into a wealthy family, the kind I should have avoided from the beginning.”

Garrett furrowed his brow, appearing not entirely convinced by Elice's words. But he remained silent. He did not interrupt Elice when she continued speaking.

“I met him during the freshman orientation. Uh... I should have listened to Mom when she told me to choose business management over law. If I had followed her advice, I wouldn't have ended up like this today.”

The wrinkle on Garrett's forehead disappeared instantly, replaced by a grin he could not contain.

“Your words remind me of my mother's advice,” Garrett interjected. “She said that parents' words are like prayers.”

Elice looked at Garrett in disbelief. “It doesn't make any sense, does it?” she asked, shaking her head. “Because I'm sure that if I had followed my mother's advice eight years ago, I wouldn't be shattered like this.”

“But, there's no point in regretting it. Anyway, I'm sure that during these eight years, it hasn't been only misfortunes that happened in your life.”

“Maybe yes. Maybe no.”

*