Chapter 28 Scattered Hearts

She immediately shrunk back, gently watching the roses in William's hands.
"Do you need something from me?"
Seeing Elena's indifferent reaction, William was slightly surprised, but his smile remained radiant.
"Elena, have you considered it?"
"What am I considering?"
Elena responded absentmindedly.
"Hehe, this girl stood me up last night and is still so absent-minded today. Didn't you say you would give me an answer? About whether or not you agree to be my girlfriend," William said earnestly.
"Oh!" Elena looked up and met William's passionate gaze. She turned her head and looked elsewhere.
"I've made up my mind."
"Really?" William's voice was filled with anticipation.
Elena's heart, however, was in pain. It took great courage to make this decision.
Elena took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "Yes, I've seriously considered it. I think... we're actually not suited for each other."
After uttering those last three words, Elena felt like crying, but she still lifted her head and put on a smile while looking at William. Only heaven knew how much her facial muscles were twitching.
William froze, and the bouquet of roses in his hand fell, hitting Elena's feet.
Nine roses symbolizing everlasting love.
The meaning hit Elena's face, it hurt so much...
William stared at her in a daze, a hint of sadness flickering in his eyes. After a while, he smiled somewhat dejectedly.
Putting both hands together, he shrugged.
"Well, I knew it, I was too abrupt. After all, it's been three years, and you've also grown up."
His words were somewhat incoherent, and after talking for a while, Elena couldn't understand what he was saying at all.
Eventually he turned and walked away. Elena picked up the bouquet of roses from the ground and chased after him, blocking his way at the entrance.
"Your flowers..."
"Oh, hehe, they were originally meant for you. If you don't want them, just throw them away!"
"No, I don't want them. You can give them to other girls. There will always be other girls who are more suitable for you."
Saying these insincere words, Elena suddenly felt hypocritical.
"Elena, am I too impatient? How about you reconsider?"
William still refused to give up.
William's eyes were gentle and infatuated, but he also highly respected Elena's decision.
How much more courage did Elena need to repeatedly convince herself in her heart?
Unacceptable, it's not possible...
She suddenly threw the bouquet of roses at him. "There is nothing left to consider anymore. I don't like you." The last few words were spoken with a hoarse voice.
As William stumbled, the bouquet of roses fell heavily to the ground, scattering into a messy heap.
William, with his tall stature, squatted down and picked up the scattered flowers one by one. His actions were incredibly serious and determined. It seemed as though the scattered roses were not just flowers, but fragments of his broken heart.
Elena stared at him in a daze, then suddenly turned around. She dashed back to her dormitory and forcefully closed the door. Leaning against it, she silently cried.
She could imagine William standing at the door, dazed and lost, holding that bouquet of ruined roses.
Her heart was in utter turmoil.
After a long while, she finally heard his heavy footsteps slowly fading away.
She rejected his love, but she couldn't reject her own heart. She couldn't reject her longing for him.
"Open the door, Elena! What are you doing?" Evelyn desperately knocked on the door, causing it to tremble.
Elena discreetly wiped away her tears and opened the door to the room.
Evelyn rushed in and shouted loudly, "Elena, what are you doing?"
"What do you mean, what am I doing?" Elena turned her back to Evelyn and walked toward her own bed.
"William! Do you know what happened? When William went downstairs just now, he actually bumped into the wall. It was so miserable! Even such a big guy like him can bump into walls. Elena, did you two have a fight? Otherwise, why would he be like this?"
With a big guy like William bumping into a wall, it caused a commotion among the girls. The scene was extremely embarrassing, and even a fool could tell that William must have been deeply affected by something.
And the instigator must be Elena.
"I don't know, we didn't have a fight." Elena sat on the edge of her bed, swinging her feet. But she didn't dare to look up at Evelyn.
"Elena, tell me the truth. Do you like William or not?" Evelyn approached her and grabbed Elena's arm.
Elena kept her head down, remaining silent as a storm brewed inside her heart.
"If you like him, why don't you grasp the opportunity? Don't you know that there is a long queue of girls in our school who like William? What's wrong with you?" Evelyn scolded.
After a moment, Elena finally looked up, glaring at Evelyn. "I'm not worthy of him. Since I know it's going to be a painful love, why hold on? It's better to end it decisively."
"Wow, you really cut it off just for that. You're the queen of breaking up, Elena! Let me tell you, if you don't cherish this relationship now, you'll definitely regret it in the future."
Would she regret it in the future? She didn't know, all she knew was that she started regretting it from the moment she said those four words, 'I don't like you.'
When Evelyn mentioned it, Elena suddenly felt extremely remorseful.
Seeing Elena's wavering expression, Evelyn continued to persuade her. "Don't you remember? When you were still in high school and your father was seriously ill, you were in a miserable state. If it weren't for William supporting you all the way, how could you have made it to this university? You two have known each other for four or five years now. And he has never given up on you? Such a devoted man, and yet you don't appreciate it. Elena, what can I say?"
Evelyn's face was filled with frustration, and Elena murmured, "I know I owe him. I once thought that we could be together. But when I saw him with Chloe... they are the perfect match, and I... I didn't have the courage..."
"Elena, how is it possible for you to become more and more timid? You have to know that William likes you, not Chloe. The whole college knows that Chloe pursued William. She chased him to the United States and back, but in the end, William decided to choose you. You're being stubborn, it's already the current era, what are you still concerned about class differences for? Moreover, in the future, you will be a nurse, and nurses and doctors are the perfect match!"
Elena became confused by Evelyn's words. Yes, could she have really misunderstood him?
"Oh, by the way, your phone finished charging. When I turned it on just now, there were a lot of message notifications. Take a look."
Evelyn threw the phone onto Elena's bed, and Elena turned it on.
Sure enough, there were a bunch of unread message notifications.
Elena used her finger to scroll through and read them one by one.
"Elena, I'm at the rose garden, where are you?"
Checking the time, it was exactly the same time they had agreed on last night. Elena's heart trembled, and she continued reading.
"Elena, the starry sky tonight is so beautiful! When I was in America, I often found myself staring at the sky alone, wondering if on nights like this, you thought of me too?"
The timestamp showed that it was... the same time she was being violated by Hassan, and her heart ached. He was missing her under the starry sky, while she was helplessly beneath another man. Tears silently streamed down her face.
"Elena, when you start your internship next year, come live in the rose garden! We can watch the stars together every day."
"Next month, I'm going to the United States for a trip. Can you come with me for a few days? I want to show you where I've been living for the past three years, and introduce you to my friends in the United States. During that time, I often talked about you with my friends. They all envy me for having someone."
"Elena, today on television, I saw a beautiful wedding dress and I couldn't help but think that if my Elena were to wear it, she would surely mesmerize everyone."
"Elena, hidden within these one thousand and one paper cranes is a little secret. Originally, I planned to tell you on the day of our marriage, but tonight, I couldn't wait any longer to tell you."