Katrina blinks in confusion. Lipstick? I didn"t put on any lipstick…After a few seconds of stunned silence, she realizes what Farrah is talking about. My lips must be really red from Aaron"s kiss! That devil kissed me thoroughly! She exclaimed in silence.
Internally panicking, she dreads Farrah"s reaction if she finds out the truth. She touches her mouth and says calmly, "Oh, a colleague got me lipstick as a souvenir when he went abroad recently I can"t remember the color… I left it at the station. I"ll show it to you tomorrow."
"Okay!" Farrah readily accepts the explanation and asks instead, "How are you feeling, Katrina? Do you still feel unwell?" A sound of concern added to her voice.
Katrina shakes her head and gives her a rea.s.suring smile. "No, I"m alright! Let"s prepare the hot pot!"
***
While Farrah washes the vegetables in the sink, Katrina cuts the clean vegetables next to her. After working together, it doesn"t take long for the hot pot to be ready.
The fragrant hot pot is steaming hot on the table. Surrounding the large pot are a white gourd, potato slices, mushrooms, shrimp, fish b.a.l.l.s, mutton rolls, lettuce, and other various ingredients.
Although it"s not an extravagant feast, it looks particularly abundant. They often do this both because they both love to eat. This is one of their favorite foods.
"Katrina, we haven"t had a home-cooked dinner for a long time!" Farrah says as she pours the ingredients into the pot. "Even though we go out to eat sometimes, it"s much cozier to have dinner at home,"
Katrina takes a piece of boiled lettuce and dips it in the sauce. "Yeah, you"re right! But is there a particular reason why you suddenly thought of having a hot pot together?" She asked out of curiosity.
Farrah"s phone call is so sudden that Katrina can"t help but find it strange. "Is something wrong? Why did she act so strangely today?"
Farrah shakes her head with a smile. "No, just a sudden whim," she says, handing some mutton to Katrina. "The mutton roll is getting cold. Eat first! It tastes good, Katrina,"
Katrina pops the mutton and grins. " You are right. It"s good!" She stares at her seriously, trying to catch her attention.
Despite the simple meal, they have a pleasant dinner. They catch up with each other while enjoying the food. They talk about a lot of topics related to their respective job.
When the dishes on the table are nearly finished, Farrah clears her throat. "Katrina, I actually have something to tell you," she says.
Seeing Farrah"s solemn look, Katrina puts down her chopsticks and asks in worry, "What"s the matter, Farrah? Are you okay?" Suddenly she felt worried for her.
"Marcellus and Irene are going to get married soon," Farrah begins. "They were leaving the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department when I b.u.mped into them at the hospital. Irene is pregnant, so their wedding is scheduled next month."
Farrah swallows. "Katrina, I didn"t want to tell you at first, I was afraid the news would depress you. But I think you deserve to know. I don"t have the right to hide it from you. After all, you and Marcellus were old lovers,"
Katrina is momentarily shocked by the news. "We just broke up recently. I didn"t think Marcellus and Irene would get married so soon. And she"s already pregnant. How does it happen?" Katrina asked herself silently.
Despite her shock, she smiles. "That"s good." "They"re perfect for each other. And Aunt Brook also likes Irene a lot. This is a piece of good news."
No wonder Farrah wanted to come over and have dinner together. She wanted to tell me the news in a place where I feel comfortable. My best friend is so thoughtful…
Katrina"s silence starts to make Farrah uneasy. "Katrina, I"m always here for you. Even if you"re sad, you don"t have to bear it alone. Don"t keep the pain in your heart to yourself. In case you need a shoulder to cry on just tell me immediately, and I will be with you,"
There"s no way Katrina is fine with all this! Even if they parted on good terms, it"s still difficult to hear that your ex is getting married to a new love so soon, not to mention that Irene is already pregnant!
Understanding her friend"s worries, Katrina shakes her head and whispers, "Farrah, I"m really not as sad as you think. I sincerely wish for Marcellus to be happy." Despite the twinge of pain in her heart, she wholeheartedly wishes Marcellus and Irene the best.
Maybe I don"t love Marcellus enough. I thought my affections for him were love, but I guess I didn"t really love him, she thinks. If I did, I would be a lot more upset right now…
"Katrina, Marcellus won"t be happy with Irene!" Farrah exclaims. "I could see that Marcellus doesn"t love her at all! She"s just a subst.i.tute for you! No... Not even a subst.i.tute!"
Farrah takes Katrina"s hands in comfort. "A while ago, I heard that Marcellus got drunk after your break-up, and he accidentally slept with Irene. They got together because of their one-night stand."
Katrina gapes in shock. "What? Marcellus got drunk and had a one-night stand with Irene?"
Marcellus isn"t a rash person… I thought Marcellus and Irene got together because he likes her. But if he is only with her out of responsibility, then he"s not marrying for love… He won"t have a happy marriage as I thought…
The realization makes Katrina extremely guilty. This is my fault! He got drunk because I broke up with him so ruthlessly! It"s my fault he"s marrying a woman he doesn"t love!
If I had broken up with him more gently, things wouldn"t end up like this…
Even if he becomes sad, he would still recover and move on. Maybe in a few years, he would have met a girl and fallen in love with her. He would have married for love.
Now, he"s forced to marry someone he doesn"t love…
The ache in Katrina"s heart becomes more painful with each thought.