Chapter 3 Interested in Him

Catherine lucked out and scored an appointment with Manuel, probably because someone else bailed last minute, giving her the chance to swoop in.

"What's on your mind? Did you fall for Manuel after just one visit?" Alison drummed her fingers on the table, snapping Catherine out of her daydream. "You better not. Manuel had a first love he was crazy about."

Catherine recalled the girl Gabriel had mentioned earlier in the exam room.

"I never said I was into him. Stop making stuff up." Catherine waved down the waiter and ordered a small cake. She hadn't even told Alison about her fling last night. Honestly, she wasn't sure how to bring it up.

"But I think Manuel might be into your type," Alison pressed on.

"Why?" Catherine asked, intrigued.

"Remember that charity gala Henry took you to last time?" Alison continued, seeing Catherine's interest. "You wore that super short dress. When you walked in, a lot of guys were checking you out, including Manuel. I saw him giving you the once-over."

Catherine went quiet. She didn't think it meant anything.

That ultra-short, tight dress was something Henry had picked out for her. At the time, she thought it was fitting for the event. Looking back, no guy would want his girlfriend dressed like that for everyone to see.

Plus, the way his friends ogled her made it clear Henry didn't respect her in front of them, and even Manuel didn't take her seriously. It seemed Gabriel had taken the spot.

Thinking about it made Catherine mad; Henry was a total jerk.

"Everyone loves eye candy. If a hot guy walked by, I'd stare too." Catherine pushed down her anger and brushed off Alison's theory.

After parting ways with Alison, Catherine headed home, feeling down.

Even though she was the one who suggested breaking up with Henry, she had a strong hunch he'd been cheating on her, probably with multiple women.

She wanted to dig up some dirt on his Facebook, but she'd already blocked him.

After mulling it over, she realized she had no way to snoop on Henry's private life. Catherine felt pretty ridiculous.

The relationship she'd taken so seriously had turned into a joke. Besides Facebook and his phone number, she had no other way to contact Henry.

On a whim, she checked Twitter. Henry's page was a dead end, but she found Manuel's account among the suggested profiles.

Curious, she clicked on Manuel's profile and saw a post from seven years ago: [That's it, then.]

Such a short line, yet it was packed with emotion, full of helplessness and resignation.

Catherine raised an eyebrow, surprised that the seemingly untouchable Manuel had such a tender past.

She couldn't imagine what kind of woman could make him fall so hard, only to leave him heartbroken.

Compared to Manuel's experienced moves in bed that night, it seemed like guys gotmore reckless after a heartbreak.

That one line brought back a flood of memories. Seven years ago, she and Manuel went to the same university and were in the same club.

She was in the debate club, which was pretty popular among local colleges. They often had debate competitions, and the members would gather to discuss topics and their viewpoints.

She and Manuel were in the same group, always helping each other out and practicing as opponents. But they only focused on the competitions and never talked about personal stuff. He probably didn't even know her name back then.

Suddenly, a pang of sadness surged in Catherine as she turned off her phone.

Back then, she had a crush on Manuel, but she didn't dare to confess. Instead, she only brought it up casually during a club event when everyone was tipsy, pretending to ask nonchalantly.

She asked Manuel why he didn't date anyone despite having so many great girls around him and what type of girl he liked.

He answered bluntly, "It doesn't matter what type, as long as it's not someone like you."

Her budding feelings were crushed instantly. She never told anyone about it. The next day, she quit the club and never joined another debate competition.

Until near graduation, Catherine heard some rumors about Manuel, saying he had liked an amazing girl for years and had pursued her from high school to junior year in college. But what happened after that, Catherine didn't know.

The girl mentioned in those rumors was probably the same one Gabriel mentioned at the hospital today.

Maybe she was too exhausted from last night, and Catherine fell asleep holding her phone.

She didn't know how long she slept. Suddenly, she was woken up by a vibrating message on her phone.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she reluctantly opened her phone. It was two photos from Alison.

Then another message followed: [Do you think this is Henry?]

After reading the message, Catherine was wide awake.

She opened the photo, which was a selfie of a blonde woman leaning against a headboard. The other photo showed her sitting in the passenger seat, with a pair of intertwined hands resting on her slender legs.

The more Catherine looked at the first photo, the more familiar the headboard seemed. She suddenly remembered—it was the bed in Henry's house.

Henry's furniture was all custom-made, and she was sure it was highly unlikely to find the same one elsewhere.

Her heart skipped a beat as she typed: [It looks like it. Where did you see this?]

Alison replied quickly: [A somewhat famous woman on the internet posted it on Facebook. I saw it and sent it to you. Henry's car is limited edition. The interior looks like his.]

Alison usually loved cars and knew a lot about them. Catherine often joked about her interest in seemingly useless things. But now it came in handy.

Catherine sat up in bed, urgently wanting to know more details.

Catherine: [Check when she first posted about being with Henry.]