Unwilling to respond to Cecilia, Alfred chose to continue with the photoshoot he was working on. But Cecilia quickly caught up with him and said, “Don’t regret it when she’s already with another man.”
Alfred stopped in his tracks. Meanwhile, Cecilia continued walking away with a soft chuckle.
With another man? Clara? The words revolved through Alfred’s mind several times. He quickly shook his head, trying to push the thoughts away.
“It doesn’t matter if she really does find someone better,” he muttered.
He drew a deep breath, then continued after Cecilia. Despite saying those words, he became extremely serious about handling the project afterward, even working overtime for several days in a row as if he were racing against time. In reality, the project’s deadline was still quite a while away.
All of Alfred’s friends noticed and scolded him for neglecting his health. But Alfred insisted on finishing everything ahead of schedule.
“I can do this myself. You guys go home. You don’t need to keep me company anymore,” Alfred said without looking back. He remained focused on the laptop in front of him.
“How can we leave while you’re still working here? We’re a team. If you work, we work. If you go home, we go home,” Tristan Hudson, one of Alfred’s friends, replied. He was the man who had spoken first at the restaurant that day.
“Yeah, Alfred. Go home first. You need to sleep, at least. Look at your eyes! You haven’t slept properly in days,” Jasper Wesley added.
Their other two friends remained silent, listening. Meanwhile, Cecilia folded her arms across her chest and asked, “You want to go home right away, don’t you?”
The question was directed at Alfred. Naturally, the others immediately looked at him in confusion.
Although Alfred didn’t respond, Cecilia continued, “Sure. But if you die on the plane, we won’t care. We’ll just let them throw you into the ocean.”
“Cecil!” the others reprimanded her.
“Let him be. He misses his ex-wife. And because he’s afraid she’s with another man, he’s rushing to get home. That’s why he’s working himself to death like this,” Cecilia shot back coldly.
Her gaze remained fixed on Alfred, who appeared calm and completely unbothered by her words. Their friends immediately turned to Alfred, clearly demanding an explanation.
“She let you go because she wanted you to love yourself more. She put her own ego aside so she could see you find your true self. But… look at you now. Does any of this reflect what Clara wanted? I think if she saw you like this, she’d regret it even more,” Cecilia said at length.
“Go on, Alfred. Keep going if you really want to see your beloved ex-wife cry with guilt and regret.” After delivering all those sarcastic remarks, Cecilia walked away.
Tristan immediately followed her. Jasper, meanwhile, chose to sit on the sofa and stare at Alfred, who had fallen stiffly silent this time. “So, everything Cecilia said was true?”
Alfred’s silence made them all sigh at the same time. Only then did Alfred lift his head and murmur, “Was I wrong?”
“Buddy, Clara wanted you to prioritize yourself more. She wanted you to love yourself. Have you done that?” Jasper asked slowly, giving Alfred time to absorb every word.
Alfred’s gaze fell on his camera. “I’ve been doing what I love.”
“What else?” Jasper asked again.
“I’ve spent time with all of you, my friends,” Alfred answered.
“And?” Jasper continued.
This time, Alfred remained silent for a long while. Even after Jasper waited for his answer, the man still didn’t say anything else.
Finally, Jasper said, “This. This is what Clara meant. She wants you to love yourself more before loving her. If you keep going like this, she’ll only feel guiltier. Don’t let loving her keep you from loving yourself. Alfred, if you don’t love yourself, how will you ever love her?”