20 Won't Come Back at All

Early the following day, Alice encountered Mike in the garden during her morning check-up. No matter how she tried to hide from him, there was no place. Alice sighed deeply as she approached him.

He was casually wearing a dark gray windbreaker, standing leisurely and elegantly as the morning breeze lifted the hem of the coat. After a moment of hesitation, Alice handed the inspection book to her colleague behind her and then walked towards him.

By the misty lake, he slowly began to speak. He told her that after returning to Oxford University the next day, he would immediately go abroad to a university's East Asian cultural research institute.

He had little time in the domestic. Alice wrapped her arms around herself and looked up at his profile. At that instant, Mike turned his head and met her eyes, his voice hoarse as he called, "Alice."

Alice wanted to say something, but after a moment of silence, she simply said, "It must be very difficult for us to meet again in the future." She shook her head slightly and added, "I have to go check on work. Forgive me for leaving first."She walked away.

Her hair was very long, and without any hair accessories, it softly curled at the ends. She couldn't help but reach out to touch the tips of her hair. She walked somewhat unsteadily, but she didn't have time to worry about that until she had finished checking all the floors and finally ran into Kate heading to the breakfast buffet.

Kate hesitated and stumbled over her words, her gaze showing some uncertainty. "Um, I've been meaning to ask you… do you know Mr Jones…"

Alice smiled and replied, "Yeah, it will be several years before he can come back. It's okay, his field of expertise naturally involves a lot of materials that are kept overseas."

Seeing that Alice seemed fine, Kate also felt a bit relieved. "Yeah, maybe he won't come back at all," she joked. But Alice slowly and sadly said after a moment, "How could that be? He wouldn't do that."

Indeed, how could a person so deeply emotional do such a thing? However, Kate let out a low sigh and held Alice's hand. "Forget it, you two have been apart for a long time. Seriously, forget about it, Don't be like this."

Alice could no longer muster a smile to comfort herself. Finally, she allowed the taut strings in her heart, which had been strained since last night, to snap, shedding all pretense and softly saying, "I'm leaving."

If she could maintain composure and calm in front of others when faced with people and events from the past, it was as if she were a sand sculpture on the beach--no matter how exquisite and sturdy, it would always collapse in an instant when touched by a gentle wave.

She decisively called the human resources department to request leave, then quickly left and took the subway--half an hour later, she was already back home.

In truth, she found it somewhat amusing, inexplicably thinking of the occlumency technique from Harry Potter, as if it could isolate a part of the brain. But as for whether such a method existed to block the rising emotions, she didn't dare to think about it anymore.

Sitting on her small platform, holding a cup in her hands, Alice thought of the words she had been trying to forget since last night--he said he would be going abroad for several years.

Even though they hadn't been in contact for these three years, living in different countries with no connection between them--what did it matter if he went away?

But when he said it, she finally understood the wound deep in her heart--she had thought it had healed long ago, but it had never truly healed.

Looking out of the window, she silently wiped the tears, as if never wiping them away, but more and more tears dropped, making her too slow to wipe them, so she could only bury her head in her hands.

She knew what bitterness was, having tasted it once three years ago, but she was forced to taste it again. That kind of bitterness was concentrated and pure.

She sat for a very long time before finally getting up. Her mind was unusually clear--she forced herself to walk to the room, sinking into the sofa in front of the TV, with her arms wrapped around her knees.

It was just a way to distract herself--she stared blankly at the TV, where an aging actor was dressed in scholar attire, reading by candlelight. She felt familiar and kept watching.

The woman he loved spoke softly, but in an instant, she killed herself, and the ground was covered in blood. The man was in great sorrow, but he remained silent, standing there quietly.

An indescribable melancholy lingered in her heart, making her feel suffocated.

Ancient people compared sorrow to light rain, and Alice found it fitting. She didn't feel despair, but she felt that between heaven and earth, there was only a light sorrow shrouding everything, like mist that was difficult to disperse.

How long would it last? A day? A year? A lifetime? She held her knees tighter, staring fixedly at the TV as if the answer she sought was there.