Chapter 17: Chapter 17: A Humble Plea for Reconciliation
The two of them shopped at the mall until dark, returning to campus loaded down with bags.
But just as they reached their dormitory, a figure suddenly darted out from the shadows and blocked their path.
"AH—!"
Estelle Goodman cried out in alarm, and Cecilia Sterling jumped in fright. But as she got a clear look at the person before them, her expression instantly darkened, her eyes filling with impatience.
Shawn Lane’s face was grim, his gaze icy as he stared intently at Cecilia Sterling.
"Shawn Lane?" Estelle Goodman, having recognized him, said irritably, "What is wrong with you? Blocking the girls’ dormitory entrance late at night—who are you trying to scare to death?"
But Shawn Lane completely ignored Estelle Goodman’s angry rebuke. Instead, he stared at Cecilia Sterling and demanded in a furious tone, "Why did you move dorms? To avoid me?"
Cecilia Sterling couldn’t stop an involuntary, scornful laugh from escaping, causing Shawn Lane’s gaze to grow even colder.
"Sending Carnivals to some other guy? To my own roommate, no less. You did that on purpose, didn’t you?"
A palpable, frustrated energy radiated from him. One could sense he was trying his utmost to maintain control, but his tone betrayed that he was already on the brink of losing it.
Cecilia Sterling lifted her gaze, meeting his without bothering to hide the loathing in her eyes. "Shawn Lane, we are over. Anything I do has nothing to do with you, and it’s certainly not your place to stand here and question me!"
"I don’t accept it!" Shawn Lane roared, his eyes bloodshot. They began to well with tears as he shook his head, staring at Cecilia Sterling, unwilling to give up. "I don’t know what I did wrong, or if my mom said something to you! All I know is that I love you. I won’t break up with you."
As he spoke, a thought seemed to strike him. He suddenly reached out and gripped Cecilia Sterling’s slender shoulders. "You’re seeing someone else, aren’t you? Why else would you be willing to send Carnivals to another guy?"
"Why do you refuse the money I send you, but you’re willing to take money from another man? Is his money somehow better than mine? Is it easier to spend?"
"Just tell me how much you want! I can give it to you—any amount!"
"Just don’t break up with me. Go and sort things out with that other guy. I don’t mind, I really don’t!"
At this, Shawn Lane seemed to shed all his pride. His voice was choked with unshed tears, and he had humbled himself completely. Even Estelle Goodman, who had been about to intervene, was moved. She looked at Cecilia Sterling, hesitating, wanting to say something in Shawn’s defense.
Only Cecilia Sterling remained completely unmoved by Shawn Lane’s profound declaration. She just watched him quietly, for she had never seen him reveal this side of himself before.
He seemed so fragile, as if he would shatter at a single touch. Who wouldn’t be moved by such a sight, unless they had a heart of stone?
But Cecilia Sterling only found this version of Shawn Lane to be disturbingly dissonant.
Because the face that surfaced in her mind was a different one: cold and hard, sitting in the back of a luxury car. She remembered crying, screaming, clawing at the window frame, begging for an explanation, only to not receive a single apologetic glance in return.
The window had slowly rolled up, catching her fingers in the process. The car had dragged her for several meters before she finally fell, a pathetic heap on the side of the road.
Even now, she could recall the acrid smell of the exhaust on her face as the car sped away without a second thought.
So now, looking at Shawn Lane’s face, supposedly full of deep affection, all Cecilia Sterling wanted to do was tear off his hypocritical mask.
She forcefully pushed away Shawn Lane’s hands from her shoulders and said with unshakable calm, "I told you. We’re over."
The light that had been burning in Shawn Lane’s eyes was visibly extinguished the moment Cecilia Sterling finished her cold pronouncement.
His face turned ashen. He looked at Cecilia Sterling in utter despair. "Why? Why are you doing this to me?"
’He’d thought that if he just humbled himself and swallowed his pride, Cecilia would change her mind.’
’But he had already debased himself completely. He’d never been so subservient to anyone in his entire life. Why wasn’t she moved in the slightest?’
Standing to the side, Estelle Goodman’s pretty face was scrunched up with anxiety.
But Cecilia Sterling was clearly done wasting her breath. She sidestepped Shawn Lane and walked quickly into the dormitory.
Watching Shawn Lane’s utterly devastated figure, Estelle Goodman couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
’Even if he really did have some... performance issues, he could get treatment for it. Men’s health clinics are so advanced these days; it’s not like it’s some incurable disease.’
’He really didn’t deserve such a harsh sentence.’
"Shawn Lane, calm down for a second," Estelle Goodman said softly, trying to console him. "I don’t know what’s going on between you and Cecilia, but I know she’s not an unreasonable person. That thing you said about her seeing someone else—do you have any proof? If you don’t, that’s just slander and defamation! That’s no way to convince someone to get back together with you."
Shawn Lane turned his head to look at Estelle Goodman. Her words seemed to cut through the chaos in his mind, restoring a sliver of his reason.
"I said the wrong thing, didn’t I?" he mumbled.
Estelle Goodman sighed. "Don’t just say things without any proof. Even if you’re suspicious, you should figure out the facts before jumping to conclusions."
Remembering how Cecilia’s former roommates had taunted her at the diner earlier that day, using the fact that Shawn Lane had supposedly dumped her as ammunition, Estelle Goodman felt she had to clear things up for Cecilia. "She didn’t move dorms to avoid you. It was because her old roommates were ganging up on her and bullying her."
Shawn Lane froze. He hadn’t known about this.
"She... she never told me any of this."
Estelle Goodman shook her head helplessly. "If she got along well with her roommates, wouldn’t she have mentioned them at some point?"
Estelle Goodman’s words hit home. Shawn Lane lowered his head, his expression a mixture of anguish and self-reproach.
’I hadn’t cared for Cecilia enough. I didn’t even know she was being bullied.’
"You should go home for now. Take some time to calm down and think things through. And try not to be so impulsive next time."
Having said her piece, Estelle Goodman walked around him and entered the dormitory.
Back in the dorm, Cecilia Sterling was unpacking. The room had already been cleaned spotless by a few of the younger students.
"Wow, it’s so clean!"
Estelle Goodman put on an exaggerated display of amazement, walking over to Cecilia Sterling with a wide grin. "Cecilia, thank goodness for you! If I’d moved in first by myself, I would have been completely lost."
Cecilia Sterling smiled, seemingly unfazed by her encounter with Shawn Lane. "Hurry up and make your bed, get your things sorted out, then grab a shower before lights out."
Seeing that she seemed okay, Estelle Goodman relaxed a little.
Still, she didn’t say anything more. Even though she’d witnessed the whole thing and really wanted to put in a good word for Shawn Lane—because she could feel that he genuinely loved Cecilia—she held her tongue.
She had known Shawn Lane since they were kids. While they weren’t close friends, they’d known each other long enough that she felt she could offer him some well-intentioned advice.
’But Cecilia was different. Even though they’d hit it off immediately, they had only just met. I need to be mindful of my boundaries and not meddle in her private life.’
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