She left the hospital looking miserable, then she called Benjamin.

“I was just going to look for you,” Benjamin said calmly. “Why aren’t you in your office?”

“The leave application is on my table.” Janie tried her best not to cry. “I wanted to take a few days off.”

“Why?” Benjamin frowned. “There’s no reason for that. I think I’ve been spoiling you a lot.”

“Hey, a girl can be unwell, can’t she?” Janie sobbed.

“Unwell?” A moment of silence later, Benjamin said, “Get some rest.”

Just when he was about to hang up, Janie quickly said, “I need to talk to you. Do you have time?”

“Why can’t you do this in the office?” Benjamin was a little impatient. “Or do it over the call.”

“This is private,” she said bitterly. “I need to talk to you. Outside.”

A moment of silence later, Benjamin said, “Give me the location.”

Janie said, “See you in thirty minutes. The tea shop across the company.”

“Got it,” said Benjamin.

Janie ended the call and drove to the company. The car window was slightly open, allowing a gust of breeze to enter, and Janie cried. She could see that Benjamin didn’t really care about her. She wasn’t the woman he loved, so he didn’t care for her.

What if it’s Emmeline, though? Janie didn’t finish that thought. She could never be compared to Emmeline. She was the woman Benjamin took care of for years.

Tears blurred her vision, so she stopped her car, reapplied some makeup, and resumed her journey. She parked her car at the parking lot half an hour later and entered the tea shop.

Benjamin was already there, and he had reserved a room. Janie sat in front of him, her eyes puffy. The light behind her cast a shadow on her face, so Benjamin couldn’t see her tears anyway.

“What’s the matter?” Benjamin poured some tea, but he didn’t look at her. “You’re being cryptic.”

“I…” Janie paused for a moment. “I’d like to take a trip overseas.”

“What?” Surprised, Benjamin looked at her. “Why? This is sudden.”

“Just got the idea yesterday,” said Janie. “It’s been exhausting, so I’d like to decompress.”

“You couldn’t say that on the phone?” Benjamin frowned. “Why’d you go through all this?”

“You won’t even give me a few moments of your time, huh?” Janie teared up again.”

“No. You know how much work I have to do.”

“You’d still leave a house to burn if it were Emmeline asking you out, though.”

A moment later, Benjamin said, “You can’t say that, Janie. You know how…”

“How important is she to you? I know. She’s more important than I am,” Janie interrupted, and she was on the verge of tears. “I know you love her, so you’d go to her side no matter what happens. You won’t afford that kind of patience with me. Because I’m nothing compared to her.”

“That is unreasonable.” Benjamin was a little angry. “I told you how I felt about her. I protected her with my life for years. I love her, even if she doesn’t love me back. I’d still protect her with my life. Why do you have to agonize over this?”