Chapter 5

I really didn't know what I wanted.

My parents were busy with business and also had a younger son.

Because I was a daughter, my parents left me with my grandparents from a young age.

No one cared about me or paid attention to me. They all wished I wouldn't bother them.

After my grandparents died, my parents didn't bring me back home. Instead, they bought me an apartment in Southridge and told me to live there.

The major I studied was randomly chosen.

The husband I married was randomly picked.

Because no one ever told me how life should be lived.

Now someone had torn away the pretense and, with just a few words, seen through my empty life.

My nose inexplicably stung. I asked in a nasal voice, "Then... what do you think I should do?"

Perhaps my tearful tone was too obvious. Adrian glanced at me several more times.

He said, "If you're not afraid I'm a bad person, then buy yourself some fishing gear and a rod. Come back here tomorrow."

As he spoke, the car had already arrived downstairs at my building.

Before we parted, he gave me his phone number.

After adding him as a contact, I saw his profile name had a simple "A" for Adrian.

His social media was nearly empty—just one photo of the ocean.

The caption read: Ten years of life and death apart. Even without thinking of you, how could I forget?

He seemed quite lonely too.

Grateful to him, I immediately ran out the next day to buy equipment. After riding the bus for over an hour, I went back to the estate.

He must have given them a heads-up, because as soon as I arrived, someone came to greet me.

They led me for quite a while before I saw Adrian fishing again.

He'd changed into a black casual outfit. Sitting among the wild grass, he made even the vegetation look refined.

I tiptoed over carefully, making Adrian frown slightly.

"Jenna Ashford."

"Yes!"

"Straighten your back! You're obviously a beautiful woman—why are you so insecure?"

Seeing his stern gaze, I instinctively straightened my posture.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Castellan."

"My name is Adrian Castellan."

"I'm sorry, Adrian."

Adrian sighed, pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, and gestured with his chin toward a chair nearby.

"You. Sit over there. Set up your fishing rod."

Me: ...

Heaven help me, I thought Adrian had invited me here to teach me some profound truth about life.

Or maybe, that he was attracted to me and wanted to flirt.

But for an entire week, I rode the bus for an hour each day to the estate, fished for five hours, then rode the bus back home for another hour.

All I did was fish in the spot he rented.

Most of the time, I was alone.

Adrian didn't sit with me. Much of the time, he was in his cabin working or sleeping.

I sat alone staring at the calm lake surface, my thoughts sprouting like weeds in my mind.

And because he said I could exchange each fish for a hundred dollars, I didn't dare mess around on my phone.

I could only stare blankly at the fishing line, waiting for a fish to bite.

I was fishing so intently that one day I lost track of time and didn't even notice it had gotten dark.

Even more absurd—Ethan and Sarah appeared across from me.

They were cuddling on chairs, kissing passionately.

They made such a huge commotion they scared away my fish. Annoyed, I looked up—and realized my husband was cheating on me.