Chapter 61
In their first year of university, Valeria waited for Sebastian in their apartment. He only came
home at dawn.
His clothes were damp. However, it hadn’t been raining that day. There was only mist. It was as though he’d sat somewhere for the whole night.
His hair was wet, and his eyes were dead. When Sebastian arrived home, he got into bed silently.
Valeria had a lecture, so she had prepared some breakfast, placed it on the table, and left. When she came home in the afternoon, the food she’d prepared had gone cold.
Sebastian had a fever. His eyes were scrunched shut and his cheeks were flushed. However, his lips were ghostly pale. He mouthed something.
Valeria leaned over him to hear what he was saying. He whispered, “I should’ve been the one
who died.”
Valeria took care of him throughout the night. He wouldn’t take any medicine, and when he ate, he’d throw it back up. While drifting in and out of consciousness, he grabbed Valeria’s hand while she was feeding him medicine and hoarsely told her to “fuck off”.
As a result, Valeria could only try to bring his temperature down using the old-fashioned
method. She dabbed at him with a towel.
Sebastian was uncooperative. However, because of how weak his fever made him and the fact that he hadn’t eaten for a day, hunger was giving him cramps. He curled up his side, a hand on
his abdomen.
The water Valeria tried feeding him spilled onto the bed, soaking his sheets.
Sebastian was no longer the gentleman he usually was. He was uncooperative, like a wild beast on its last breath, struggling helplessly and ramming its head against its cage.
Valeria was spooked. She was lost, as she seldom saw Sebastian in this state.
As the night went on, Sebastian woke up due to the pain in his abdomen. He was in so much agony that he could not fall back asleep. Valeria hadn’t slept either. She padded to the kitchen.
Sebastian’s place was big. It was close to Stredview University, with an amazing floor plan. However, there was nothing inside his fridge except for a few eggs.
Valeria scrambled some eggs. When she was a child, that was what her grandparents gave her when she was sick. She put some salt on it. While she would’ve sprinkled some pepper as well, Sebastian didn’t have any at home.
Valeria thought Sebastian would refuse to eat. Scared that he’d slap the bowl out of her hands, she held it close and offered him a bite.
After staring at Valeria for a few seconds, he opened his mouth. Soon, he’d finished everything.
Sebastian was conscious, but silent. The warmth in his stomach helped with the pain.
Valeria noticed that he was still awake, so she asked him whether the food was good. He studied her for a while. Then, he turned away and mumbled, “It was bad.”
Valeria knew he wouldn’t like it. He grew up privileged. How would he have eaten anything like this? If he hadn’t been starving, he probably wouldn’t have touched the food she made.
Observing his misery, Valeria decided to tell him a joke. It fell flat, and Valeria felt awkward the second the words left her mouth.
That day, she saw a different side of Sebastian. Yet, he was back to normal the next day.
Valeria later found out Sebastian’s sadness, and the words “I should’ve been the one who died ” probably had something to do with his brother, Florian.
