“She’s a woman who has nothing to do with me.”
Dylan’s response was calm. Mariana tilted her head slightly.
“She came all the way to your house, saying she’s your friend?”
“Why would a woman who has nothing to do with me come to my house? That doesn’t make sense.”
As soon as Mariana finished speaking, Zach immediately pointed out and looked at Dylan intently. Even facing Zach’s persistent gaze, Dylan’s expression remained calm.
“What did she say when she came to see you?”
“She said she came to see me. She brought a fruit basket and a bag as gifts.”
“So, did you accept them?”
“I accepted the fruit. The bag looked expensive, so I sent it back.”
“Good job.”
“But who is that girl? She seems quite interested in you.”
As Mariana spoke, she suddenly seemed to remember something and tapped her fingers on the table.
“Oh, right. She said she went to high school with you and that she worked really hard but only got a second place or something.”
“Dylan! Since you’re dating Lola, you should clean up your relationships with other women. Don’t make things unnecessarily noisy.”
Zach gave a sharp reprimand. Mariana observed Dylan’s expression.
“Understood.”
“Dylan, that girl said she would come over again. Even though it was their first meeting, she was so polite, calling me ‘ma’am’ and all. But I felt a bit burdened.”
Dylan almost cursed, thinking it was insane.
How could Aliza, not being close to him, come to his house without any notice?
“Next time, don’t let her in.”
“How can you do that to a guest who came to visit?”
At Dylan’s cold words, Mariana looked troubled. Zach interjected.
“Then just make up an excuse and send her back.”
Then he looked at Dylan and said firmly.
“It’s better to be clear with that kind of girl.”
“Yes.”
Dylan stood up and went straight back to his room.
As he opened the door and entered, his expression was starkly different from before; he clearly showed his displeasure. His head throbbed.
Aliza hadn’t visited the prosecutor’s office for quite a while. Since Alan hadn’t mentioned her again during that time, Dylan thought she had given up.
But to make someone feel this way…
It was utterly ridiculous.
What on earth does she want?
He hated women who cling to him like a leech, even when he said he didn’t want them.
Dylan couldn’t understand Aliza’s behavior, which showed an obsessive and terrifying level of attachment, and it sent chills down his spine.
Whenever he felt uneasy or troubled, as he usually did, Dylan reached for a cigarette. His gaze wandered until it landed on a chocolate wrapper in the corner of his desk. It was the chocolate Lola had given him recently. Instead of a cigarette, he took a piece of chocolate and put it in his mouth. The chocolate flavor spread throughout his mouth.
It was sweet.
Feeling the sweetness melting in his mouth, Dylan suddenly missed Lola.
How long had it been since they parted?
Even though he thought it was absurd, he found himself drawn to his phone, took it out, and texted Lola.
[Have you eaten dinner?]
A reply came almost immediately.
-Yes. Have you eaten, Dear?
Worried that the timid Lola might be concerned if he said he hadn’t eaten, Dylan texted her something different from the truth.
[Yes.]
-Yes.
[Do you have a moment?]
This time, the reply took a little longer to come.
-Why?
[Let’s meet later. I’ll contact you when I arrive at the hospital.]
-Yes.
After checking Lola’s message, Dylan grabbed his phone and car keys and left the room.
******
In the late afternoon, after parting with Dylan, Lola was sensitive because of Aliza, and her mood, which had settled down, didn’t improve easily. Feeling troubled, she barely touched her dinner. To avoid letting her mind get more complicated by doing nothing, Lola put on her doctor’s coat and walked around the ward, taking care of patients.
“Senior, aren’t you off today?”
The resident juniors asked, puzzled, but Lola smiled and asked them formal questions about whether anything unusual had happened, checking on the patients’ conditions one by one. Then, after receiving notifications from the interns and junior residents, she carefully gave instructions.
As she was passing the time, she received a text from Dylan.
-Let’s meet later. I’ll contact you when I arrive at the hospital.
It was already dark outside, but in reality, only a few hours had passed since she parted with him. Yet, her heart fluttered at his message, and as soon as she checked it, Lola hurriedly dashed out.
