The Bitter Past

Oliver stroked Ava's hair gently and tried to make her as comfortable as he could. After a while, he asked softly. "Baby you know that tune right? I have heard you play it before. Why did you react like that listening to it?"

Ava's reaction confused Oliver, he wanted to know why Ava was so scared hearing that tune. He knew it was Melody's tune, if she found out Melody was alive then shouldn't she be happy? Melody was her best friend after all.

Ava held Oliver even more tightly then nodded her head lightly. "Yes, I know that tune because I composed it myself. It's called Star."

"Then why did you get so excited hearing it?" Oliver asked indifferently but his eyes became dark and gloomy.

"Oliver, you have been asking questions about my past for a while and I kept avoiding it. I think it's time that I tell you everything about my past." Ava moved slightly and looked Oliver in the eye and said seriously. Her hand subconsciously reached the place where she had the scar from the accident.

"OK! I'm all ears." Oliver's deep eyes flashed a touch of uneasiness in them. He has been waiting for this moment since the beginning, but now that she was ready to tell him everything, Oliver didn't know if he really wanted to know about the past anymore.

"I had a friend in high school, Melody, she was my best friend. Actually, she was more like a sister to me. We would always stick together no matter what. We studied together, played music together, and even dreamt of getting a higher degree in music and travel the world together. We were just inseparable, she understood me in such a way that no one ever did. But everything changed on the day of our college entrance exam. That day she asked to me accompany her to meet her boyfriend. That was the first time she ever mentioned that to me. I was very happy for her and couldn't refuse her. However, on the way, we had a terrible accident. It was so bloody I can still see her blood cover face in my dreams sometimes. I didn't know what happened later when I woke up I found out I had a heart transplant. When I asked my parent about Melody they said she passed away. I couldn't accept it for a long time, I would always have nightmares and wake up screaming. That was one of the reasons I have nightmares. I guess deep down I still couldn't let her go. I wasn't getting any better, I was always depressed, sit in my room quietly for hours, looking at nothing. I knew everyone was worried about me but I just couldn't accept the truth."

Ava closed her eyes in pain and took a deep breath then continued."It was not after a few months I found out that Melody also needed a heart transplant but the hospital couldn't match her heart so she couldn't make it. That was the reason I decided to study medicine and joined Beijing Tiantian hospital after I graduated. She died in that hospital and I wanted to honor her by saving as many people as possible. I miss her so much, she was the reason I stopped playing the piano because she was the soul of my music. Oliver, you know sometimes I wonder if I didn't go with her that day would she still be alive. Today whoever was playing that tune played exactly like Melody used to play and that's why I panicked." Tears flow down Ava's eyes as she told about her bitter past to Oliver.

Oliver closed his eyes in pain, he couldn't breathe. He felt like someone was choking him to death. All these years he has been blaming Ava and wishing she was dead instead of Melody but it turns out she was as innocent as Melody. She didn't know anything and even gave up her dream for Melody. Oliver suddenly felt very angry at himself, Ava was innocent yet he kept torturing her and mistreated her from the beginning. He even took her first time when she was delirious. Oliver really regretted everything he did to her. If he didn't go to the bar that night, the story probably would be different.

Seeing the pain and tears in Ava's eyes for the first time Oliver understood, what true love was. Love meant never to see tears in her eyes, never to let her suffer any grievance, and never to let her down in any way. This love was pure and simple.

There was silence in the bedroom, even the weeping sound of Ava slowly stopped at some point. She leaned on Oliver's chest and listened to his strong heartbeat. After sharing all the things with Oliver, Ava felt lighter as if a heavy stone has been lifted from her heart. She has been holding all these things in her heart for so long that even she didn't know that she needed to open up her heart to someone. Ava was mentally so exhausted that she slowly fell asleep on Oliver's chest.

Ava slept all afternoon, and Oliver stayed there beside her but his heart was even in more chaos than Ava at that moment. Today Ava told him everything, he also wanted to tell her about Melody but after knowing how innocent she actually was, he didn't know if he had the courage to tell her anything. Moreover, the woman in the car and the tune at the school today were making him uncomfortable, what if Melody was really alive? What would he do then? Didn't he promise Melody to love her for the whole life? Now that he was in love with Ava how would he choose? Oliver looked at the sleeping woman beside him and his eyes gradually became dim. For a moment, Oliver was afraid that Melody was really back. He slowly closed his heavy eye, his heart was full of guilt, heavier than a truck full of rocks.