Farewell To My Endless Love

Scarlett's POV:

I could hear Rita's coquettish voice even from the kitchen.

"How can you let an anchorwoman cook, Charles?" she teased.

She might be using a gentle voice, but she was still enjoying finding fault in me.

"Scarlett was willing to cook, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with that," Charles replied calmly. He sat on the sofa and paged through the magazine in his hand.

Uninterested in their conversation, I just kept my head down and concentrated on cooking.

However, Rita was unwilling to be ignored. She sat down next to Charles and chatted with David and Spencer.

I glanced at her and saw the face of her father, a man who would be forever etched in my memory. No woman would ever forget the man who once asked her to be his mistress. I was still upset about that encounter as if it just happened yesterday.

I walked out of the kitchen. I decided I would continue cooking after Rita was done making a scene here.

"Where are you going, Scarlett?" Charles put down the magazine and stood up when he saw me leaving.

I was about to tell him that I was just stepping out for some fresh air, but then Rita put her hand over her chest and collapsed on the floor. I did not buy her act the moment I saw it. The timing was suspiciously impeccable, the damsel in distress dramatically falling in front of the hero. I almost rolled my eyes.

My eyes darted to Charles. He was immediately beside Rita and asking her if she was okay.

"Rita? Rita!"

Charles called her name several times, but Rita closed her eyes and did not respond.

"Scarlett, give me my phone. I need to call the doctor," Charles snapped.

I went to get his phone and handed it to him. He was now holding the unconscious Rita in his arms.

Charles called a doctor named Addison as he carried Rita out of the apartment. His tone was full of concern and anxiety. As I followed him out, I felt as if my heart was snapping like dried twigs. Once again, he was abandoning me for Rita.

Charles put Rita on the backseat of his car and then slid into the driver's seat. Then, he turned to look at me.

"Please come with me,"

he pleaded, which instantly burned through my defenses. My mind screamed at me to refuse, but my body did otherwise. I opened the car door and sat in the backseat with Rita. I carefully set her head on my lap and covered her with Charles's jacket.

When we arrived at the hospital, Charles rushed out of the car and grabbed Rita with calculated haste. "Scarlett, please bring my phone," he asked.

After saying that, he raced to the emergency room and met with the hospital staff. They quickly put Rita on a gurney and wheeled her in.

I took Charles's phone and followed him to the emergency room. David and Spencer arrived just in time to fall into step beside me. We found Charles sitting in the waiting room, looking worried and weary. "I'm sorry, Spencer and David. This is not a big deal. You don't have to stay. Scarlett and I can wait here."

"No. We'll wait until there's news about Rita," Spencer replied.

Charles just nodded and did not say anything more. He sat there quietly and stared at the door to the emergency room.

Looking at everything in front of me, I did not know how to react.

David gently patted me on the shoulder and said, "You must be freaked out, Scarlett. Don't worry. Charles will take care of everything."

I manufactured a smile and put it on my face.

Just then, the doors to the emergency room swung open, and a doctor in green scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck emerged. Charles sprang to his feet. Before he could ask, the doctor spoke. "The patient is stable and out of danger. You can rest easy now."

Soon, Rita was transferred to the general ward.

David, Spencer, and I stood in the corridor and felt relieved to see her.

"It's getting late, Scarlett, and you have to go to work tomorrow. Let me take you home," David offered.

I dipped my chin in acknowledgement. I did not need to be here. Charles could accompany Rita, and Rita most certainly did not need me.

"Don't go, Scarlett. I need you."

I whipped my head toward Charles and stared at him with wide eyes. Before I could say anything, he strode toward me and stood close enough for us to share breath. My heart began beating madly against my ribcage.

"If Charles needs you here, then you should stay, Scarlett."

I did not know if it was Spencer or David who left that last remark because they were gone before I could turn my head to them.

Alas, there was only Charles and I in the quiet, deserted hospital corridor.

We kept silent for a long while. We just listened to each other inhale and exhale. I could have said something had I known what. The thought of Rita lying in the ward nearby rendered me speechless. "Are you cold? You're shaking," Charles asked as he took my hand.

I was startled by his sudden movement. I hurriedly turned my face away and tried to withdraw my hand.

"No, I'm not cold."

But Charles held on to my hand tightly.

"Scarlett... Please listen to me. I'm sorry for how I reacted when Rita..." Charles said slowly with determination in his eyes. "But it's not because I'm in love with her. I simply want to repay her kindness. I'm in love with you. I want to be with you."

I blinked twice after Charles finished his words.

I thought I was dreaming.

I looked at him in disbelief.

What was he talking about? Did he really just say that he was in love with me?

That was impossible! He must be playing tricks on me again!

My mind went blank. After a few heartbeats, I broke his grip, turned around, and walked away.

"Scarlett!"

Charles called my name many times, but all I did was quicken my pace.

Charles's POV:

Rita was still in a coma. I stayed with her at the hospital the whole night. But all I could see in my mind's eye was Scarlett walking away.

It was not until the next morning that Richard arrived.

"Take good care of her. I'll go home first and come back later."

Then, I left. I drove straight to Garden Street. After our last conversation, I did not think that Scarlett would be in the mood to make me breakfast at my apartment today.

I stood by her front door and hesitated to knock.

'You're such a damn coward, Charles,' I cursed myself.

But no matter the result, I should bravely face what was in front of me.

So I raised my hand and knocked on Scarlett's door. However, after knocking three times, no one came to answer. After a while, I decided to take out my key and open the door. Scarlett was nowhere to be found.

She was not home.

The guilt and anxiety in my heart just got stronger. I just stood there in the middle of her house, unsure what to do next.

Then, my phone beeped. I took it out and read the message absentmindedly. Then I saw it was from Scarlett. "Breakfast is ready."

It was a simple sentence that I stared at for a long time.

Then, my head teemed with a whole new tangle of emotions.