Selena and I put in extra hours, workingte into the night before departing from thepany. When I finally turned on my phone, the first thing that caught my eye was a message from Sylvia.


    "Hudson, why do I feel like you don''t like me as much anymore?"


    Upon receiving Sylvia''s message, my thoughts wentpletely nk. I questioned whether my feelings for her had really faded. Yet, what did it truly mean to like someone?


    Throughout my life, I had experienced love only a few times. I only had two partners in total, Selena and Sylvia, who both took the lead in pursuing me. I had never been the one to make the first move with any woman.


    In my life, I had met many girls and felt brief moments of affection that seemed more like infatuation than real love. Despite approaching my 30s, I still didn''t grasp the meaning of true love. Yet, witnessing Sylvia express her emotions made me realize the profound sadness she must be feeling at that moment.


    I was puzzled when Sylvia deleted her message just a minute after sending it. Following Selena''s betrayal, I had trained myself to ignore signs and feign ignorance. Sylvia''s decision to withdraw her message indicated that her initial words weren''t truly reflective of her feelings.


    Whether it was frustration or sadness born from a brief moment of despair, it was evident she wished to conceal her emotions from me. Respecting her choice, I decided to y along.


    "What did you just delete?" I inquired, pretending not to read it.


    "Nothing much. Just go to bed early. Goodnight," Sylvia responded instantly.


    I was eager to respond to Sylvia''s message, but just as I was about to do so,


    Selena approached and disrupted my train of thought. I found myself momentarily at a loss for words, so I decided to head back first.


    After a tiring day at work, Selena and I quickly took a shower and fell asleep together. By the time I remembered to reply to Sylvia''s message, it was already morning.


    As I held my phone, I gazed at the goodnight message Sylvia had sent me. A thought crossed my mind. Someone once exined that saying "goodnight" could be another way of expressing love.


    But I was not Sylvia, and I was left pondering whether her words were infused with deeper meaning. The uncertainty lingered, and no one could provide me with the rity I sought.


    I let out a sigh and greeted Sylvia with a "Good morning." Still, there was no reply.


    As I was sending documents to Selena, I realized I had missed numerous calls from Sylvia, who had repeatedly tried to reach me. Feeling perplexed, I stepped into the bathroom to initiate a video call.


    The connection was immediate, and Sylvia appeared. However, something was clearly off. Her eyes were red as if she had been weeping for quite some time. "What happened to you? Your eyes look so swollen. Did something bite you?" She wiped her tears and murmured, "It''s nothing, just..."


    Sylvia struggled to catch her breath, and despite her efforts to hold back her tears, they continued to stream down her face. Initially, she tried desperately to wipe them away.


    Yet, ultimately, the difort became too much, prompting her to turn off the video. Although I couldn''t see her expression, it was clear that Sylvia was enduring immense pain.


    "It''s so hard to live. Why do others deny me even though I try so hard?"


    She sobbed.


    I was confused.