"Look at me, appa,” she whispered. “It’s okay, look at me.”

                Nichkhun finally tore his gaze away from the sofa behind her and looked at her eyes, and he felt his tears about to burst, but he blinked rapidly.

                Victoria smiled that smile he knew so well and released her hands from my face. And immediately, his cheeks felt colder and empty without her hands there.

                “I must have been such an inconvenience, such a bother,” Victoria murmured, still gazing at Nichkhun, who stared back, on the verge of tears.  

                “I am so, so sorry,” Victoria laughed softly. “I hope you might forgive me?”

                Nichkhun didn’t answer to that.

                “I’ll be going now.” His voice scratched and cracked.

                “We can still be friends, right?” Her eyes were big as he walked one step back from being with her ever again. But just looking at her made Nichkhun want to hug her and never let go.

                “No,” Nichkhun said quickly, realizing how harsh he sounded. “It’s best we don’t talk to each other, so it doesn’t cause suspicions.”

                Many thoughts were in his head, right now, one thought coming after another. Why do you look like you don’t care that I’m breaking up with you? Aren’t you upset? Why aren’t you crying?

                “You can cry if you want,” Nichkhun finally spoke, his voice cracked.

                Victoria nodded at the memory, murmuring something he couldn’t hear and stared at the floor. But as if that didn’t happen, she looked back up quickly and smiled brightly. But by then, he had already turned around and was walking to the elevator. Victoria quietly shut the door, turned around, and slid down to the floor. She curled up, her back resting on the door, her arms hugging her knees. She looked left and right, up and down.

                “I only cry when I’m sad,” Victoria recited, the same thing she had said in ‘We Got Married’ months ago. And with that, she burst out in tears, all the tears she had held back ever since Nichkhun broke up with her. No, all the tears she had held back when the articles came out, when Nichkhun became distant with her as the days went by. The tears she had never shed because she didn’t want Nichkhun to see her weak and vulnerable.

                On the other side of the door, Nichkhun was standing right in front of the door. He had ran back after she had closed the door, regretting everything. His head pressed against the cold door, his ears hearing what Victoria said and her sobbing to her heart’s content. His heart ached and his head hurt. He felt his legs give away and he fell to the floor silently, and he cried too.