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That day, despite his high fever and the twisting pain throughout his body, Steven staggered toward the entrance of the university. He could only be at ease after he saw Stephanie entering campus ground.
"This ne must be valuable, right? Some thugs had stolen the money from her backpack, even taking the ne from her neck.
Stephanie was crying as she asked for them to return her ne. "That was my mother''s gift for me!"
Steven dashed over in a frenzy, yet the thugs sped away on their motorcycles.
He watched her cry while crouching down to slowly pick up her books.
"Don''t cry, Stephie." He wanted to go up and hug her, yet he dared not do so.
In the end, Steven couldn''t help but limp over, reaching out to help pick up her books. But the horrifying wounds on his arms still terrified her.
He stood in ce numbly as he watched the woman he loved run away in fear. He helplessly hid his arms behind his back and opened his mouth before turning around and running away.
Steven found the bunch of thugs the same day. He managed to get back her ne and money while still running a fever and sporting unhealed injuries.
He was no match for so many of them, and he felt pain just like anyone else. They wouldn''t have returned the things to him if it weren''t because of his recklessness. He gritted his teeth and punched the light out of the leader of the thugs.
Eventually, he couldn''t hold it any longer and coughed out blood. He copsed onto the blood-soaked concrete ground while clutching onto the ne.
Steven looked up at the gloomy sky, feeling cold. "I''m so cold, Stephie...
Stephanie was carefully looking around at the entrance of the university after her sses.
She was worried that those thugs might harass and bully her. As such, she wanted to avoid them and find a way to escape.
But as soon as she stepped out of campus, she caught a whiff of the strong stench of blood from someone. She looked up fearfully and was met with Steven''s gaze.
He had put on gloves in order not to frighten her. He then pushed the ne and money into her hands before turning around and walking away.
Stephanie parted her lips, yet nothing came out of her.
She was about to leave for home, to go back to the house of another man. She would forget about himpletely and fall in love with another man
Steven hid in the alley as he endured the pain and slowly removed the gloves with his teeth.
His badly burned hands shouldn''t be covered in gloves. It felt like he was peeing ayer of skin whenever he removed his gloves.
But he was afraid that he might frighten Stephanie without them.
"Let''s head back home together, Stephie!" Since then, Stephanie started having friends walk her back home after sses.
"It''s been so peaceful outside the universitytely. Those thugs are gone too. How strange!''
Stephanie stood at the entrance of the alley, looking back. She wasn''t sure what exactly she was expecting or anticipating to see.
"It''s good that those thugs who bullied you are gone now, Stephanie!"Text property ? N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org.
She smiled and nced to the corner.
Steven was hiding in that very corner, secretly protecting Stephanie.
"I''ll kill you if you touch her again," he said hoarsely as he stepped onto a thug.
The thug ran away and came back with a group of people to look for Steven. They finally cornered him where Stephanie was around.
"There are people fighting over there, Stephie! It''s so scary! Let''s go!"
"Someone is dying over there! Let''s leave, Stephie!"
Stephanie''s legs felt numb as she turned around to look at the corner of the alley. All she saw was a pool of blood slowly seeping out.
"Come on, Stephie! Stop staring and let''s go!"
Steven leaned against the wall of the alley with his arms hanging limply by his side. In his hand, Stephanie''s ID photo was soaked in blood.
He murmured, "Thank goodness, you''ve forgotten about me now, Stephie... Don''t be sad... Don''t turn around or remember me..''