FIRST LOVE - Book 2

Chapter 30: Betrayal

As the elevator doors opened, the sound of them sliding apart felt deafening in the quiet lobby. Khongkwan stepped out, her face a raw, open wound of emotion. Tears still streaked down her cheeks, her eyes red from crying. Her posture was hunched, as though the weight of everything she had just learned was pressing down on her, making each step heavier than the last.

Yuki, Som, and Tee were seated by the lobby’s small coffee table, waiting for Fon. They had been talking casually until they saw Khongkwan step into the lobby, her face a reflection of pain. The three of them immediately stood, their faces filled with concern as they watched Khongkwan walk past them, her gaze distant and lost.

Som, always the one to act first, took a few steps forward. “Khongkwan—” she started, her voice filled with concern, but she was cut off when Khongkwan, still walking, paused for a brief moment.

Khongkwan's eyes met Som’s for an instant, but she didn't stop to engage. The moment was fleeting, and with a deep breath, Khongkwan resumed walking toward the exit, the heavy silence surrounding her. It was as though the world outside, the air in the lobby, had lost all warmth.

Yuki’s heart clenched at the sight. She could see the pain radiating off Khongkwan, and it felt like the air had thickened, as if the weight of the situation was pressing down on all of them. She exchanged a brief look with Tee, who seemed equally at a loss.

Tee, looking back at Fon’s friends, shook her head slightly in confusion. “What happened?” she whispered, barely audible, not knowing what to say. The confusion, the uncertainty, all of it was so overwhelming.

Som, her voice soft but firm, took a step closer to Khongkwan, wanting to reach out, to help, but she stopped herself. She could see Khongkwan didn’t want to be touched right now. Instead, Som watched her leave, her heart heavy with worry for both Khongkwan and Fon.

“Let her go,” Yuki finally said, her voice quiet, but with an unspoken understanding that there was nothing they could do to stop her. The sadness in Khongkwan’s eyes told a story no one here could fix.

As the other elevator doors slid open, Fon's eyes immediately scanned the lobby, her heart racing. She had been waiting anxiously to meet Khongkwan, knowing how much they needed to talk, how much was left unsaid between them. But the sight that met her made her stop dead in her tracks.

Khongkwan was walking toward the exit, her shoulders trembling, her face a picture of anguish. The tears were still fresh, and the rawness of her emotions seemed to surround her like a heavy fog. Fon's breath caught in her throat at the sight, her mind reeling with the fear that she had lost her chance to make things right.

Without thinking, Fon rushed toward Khongkwan, calling her name. "Khongkwan!" she shouted, her voice breaking with desperation as she closed the distance between them. Her legs moved faster than her mind could process, her heart screaming for Khongkwan to turn around, to hear her.

Khongkwan didn't stop. Her steps were steady, but the look on her face—distant and clouded with pain—only spurred Fon forward. "Khongkwan, please, wait!" Fon's voice was softer now, trembling with the weight of all the things she wished she could say.

Khongkwan paused but didn’t turn to face Fon. She stood still for a moment, as though the very presence of Fon was too much to bear right now. Fon’s chest tightened at the sight of her, the distance between them feeling more painful than ever.

“Please, Khongkwan... I need to explain," Fon said, her voice urgent but filled with a tremor of vulnerability. She reached out, hesitating, before gently touching Khongkwan's arm. "Can we talk? I need you to understand why I left. Why I did what I did."