Love Amidst the Flames

Chap 54

Finally, after a week had passed, Engfa could no longer bear it. She decided to visit Charlotte, but feared that she wouldn't have the courage to face her. Her mind was spinning between the desire to apologize and the fear that Charlotte wouldn't want to hear what she had to say.

Throughout a long night, Engfa spent her time reflecting on the argument and on what she had said. She wondered, "Is Charlotte suffering like I am? Is she waiting for an apology from me? Or has she decided to let everything go and move on?"

The next morning, when she arrived at the office, Engfa couldn't focus on her work. She noticed that everything seemed dull and lifeless. Finally, mustering enough courage, Engfa decided to text Charlotte:

• "Charlotte, where are you? I miss you. Please let me know you're okay."

But after sending it, she was met only with painful silence. Charlotte didn't respond. That entire night, Engfa sat by the window, her gaze lost in the quiet night sky, her heart filled with helplessness and regret.

The next day, when she arrived at the office, Engfa could not hide the fatigue and worry in her eyes. Tif, noticing this, approached to ask.

• "Engfa, you can't keep going on like this. Have you ever thought... about going to find Charlotte?"

Engfa pondered for a moment. A part of her wanted to run straight to Charlotte, to apologize and embrace her, to erase all misunderstandings. But another part feared that Charlotte had truly distanced herself from her.

• "I don't understand, Tif. I hurt her. She probably... doesn't want to see me again."

Tif placed a hand on Engfa's shoulder, her voice full of empathy:

• "If you don't try, you'll never know. Sometimes, silence doesn't mean an end, but a reminder for you to appreciate more."

Tif's words made Engfa reflect. That night, she sat alone, her heart full of confusion. The argument that day felt like a deep chasm between them, but it was also an opportunity for her to realize her true feelings for Charlotte.

Engfa wondered: Is it too late to mend everything?

It had been more than a week since Charlotte left her, and Engfa began to feel an unbearable emptiness. The long sleepless nights, the painful memories kept replaying in her mind. Each cruel word Engfa had hurled at Charlotte became a relentless torment. Tonight, the feeling of loneliness surged stronger than ever. In a moment of weakness, she turned to alcohol to dull the sorrow that dominated her heart.

Engfa returned to their shared home, sitting alone in the dark room, clutching a half-empty glass of wine. She raised the glass, her eyes fixated on the dim light reflecting off the amber liquid, as if seeing Charlotte's image emerge within it. Each sip slid down her throat, as if she were trying to drown all memories, all pain, but the feeling only deepened her emptiness. Engfa's eyes stung, but she did not cry. She simply sat there in silence, letting the pain overwhelm every cell in her body.

• "Why... why do you have to endure such words from the one you love, Charlotte?" Engfa whispered in her drunken state, her voice echoing in the empty room, as if her heart were screaming.

At that moment, Dao walked in. Seeing Engfa in such a disheveled state, holding a glass of wine with a lost look in her eyes, Dao felt a pang of sympathy. Dao sat down next to Engfa, gently taking the glass from her hand:

• "Engfa, drinking more won't lessen your pain. The more you try to forget, the more you hurt yourself."

Engfa looked up at Dao, her eyes filled with sadness and exhaustion: