A broken heart

"Welcome, Sarah! I'm so glad you came," Kevin greeted her warmly.

"Anytime, Kevin," she replied with a smile.

"Well, we are family."

"A family?" Kevin asked, puzzled.

"Well, sort of," she smiled again as she walked inside the hall. Kevin remained standing there, clueless as to why she had referred to them as a family.

Soon, all his friends arrived, even Courtney. Among them was Sam, who showed up with his basketball buddies—the one group Sarah hadn't invited. They all shouted, "Hey, man! Your house is great. Thanks for having us!"

Kevin was puzzled again but thought to himself, Lots of company, lots of merry. However, he didn't realize they had come for a cause, and it would lead to a serious heartbreak.

"Hey, Sarah," Courtney said.

"Um, who are you?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, how silly of me! I'm Leah's best friend."

"Oh! I've heard of Leah. So, didn't she come?"

"Um, about that… Can we talk in private?"

"Sure," said Sarah.

The conversation moved to Kevin's backyard. Courtney hesitated before saying, "Leah has actually loved Kevin for nearly two years. One day, she went to his house, but he was in a bad mood and was a bit rude to her. Her dad, who is a businessman, came home and stayed for a month. They usually either go on tours or spend time together at home.

"Leah was really looking forward to this Thanksgiving, but Kevin ruined everything. So right now, she's in Switzerland with her parents."

Before Courtney could finish, Leah's voice rang out, "Who said I went to Switzerland? You think I would waste this opportunity?"

Courtney, surprised and happy, turned to Leah but didn't say anything. Instead, she quickly walked away, leaving the conversation hanging.

"Hmm," Sarah sighed. "Most people only come for what they need."

Her gaze shifted, and she saw Rose and John approaching. Kevin ran over to them, out of breath, and said, "I… I'm sorry."

"No, I am the one who should apologize," Rose said with tears in her eyes.

Kevin hugged her tightly, feeling the warmth of her body. They held each other for almost five minutes.

John, standing nearby, didn't interrupt this time, but Sam did. He pulled Rose to his side and shouted, "Enough!" with fierce anger. Giving Kevin a scornful look, he added, "She's my wife!"

Everyone in the backyard—Sam, John, Kevin, Leah, Courtney, Sarah, and Rose—was stunned. For Sarah and John, it was obvious that Rose and Kevin were destined to end up together, no matter how things had begun.

Sam's voice broke Sarah's train of thought. "You better watch what you're doing. She's not a toy for you. You never considered her feelings from the start. All you cared about was yourself and your stupid basketball match!"

Sam's anger flared when John repeated, "Stupid basketball match." Without hesitation, Sam punched John in the face. Blood trickled from John's mouth and nostrils.

Seeing this, Rose became furious. "Are you nuts? Why can't you stop bothering me? John is your friend!" she yelled.

Sam didn't reply, seeing how miserable she looked. Her face was red with rage, her eyes filled with agony. All Rose wanted was to run away. She grabbed Kevin's hand and said, "Let's go."

They ran outside to Kevin's car. "Drive me to the beach," Rose instructed.

Leah, having no clue what was happening, decided to follow them. She asked her butler, Mr. Thompson, to drive her car and tail Kevin's. She hoped to catch a glimpse of them inside the car but couldn't see clearly. The weather was cold, and it was 9 PM.

"Thompson, I'm going out. I can't see them inside the car," Leah said.

"But Miss Leah, the weather is so cold. You might catch a fever," Thompson warned.

"I'll be back in five minutes, alright?" Leah insisted.

Reluctantly, Thompson agreed.

Leah stepped out of the car for a closer look. What she saw made her freeze. Her eyes filled with tears, her body trembling. She wished she had never followed them. The sight before her—Kevin and Rose hugging and kissing passionately—would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Thompson, seeing the scene and Leah's dreadful state, quickly carried her back to the car. They drove home in silence.

"Ouch! It hurts, Sarah. Can't you be gentle?" John winced as Sarah cleaned the blood from his lips.

"Oops, sorry. I was lost in thought," Sarah replied.

"What thoughts?"

"Um, nothing. It's just that Rose is being crucified by you boys who can't let her be. No wonder she ran away," Sarah said with a hint of sarcasm.

John gave her a disturbed look. "Look, woman, I always let her be. Sam is the one crucifying her—and Kevin too!" He paused. "Wait… Kevin ran away with her? This is worse. What is he doing to her?"

Sarah laughed. "Rest assured, he's not going to do anything to her."

"How are you so sure?"

Before Sarah could answer, Rose walked in with Kevin by her side. She looked pale from crying. She touched John's cheek gently and said, "I'm very sorry. It's all my fault."

"No, no, I'm really sorry for forcing you to choose me as your boyfriend," John replied.

But before he could finish, Rose hugged him. "Thank you for always being there for me. I will always cherish you in my heart."

Wiping her tears, she added, "This is our last year of school. I want to dance with everyone and make this a memory to treasure. Let's have fun!"

Sarah smiled. "That sounds exciting! But you guys have to shop at our store."

Everyone burst into laughter, including Kevin.