Independence

Sam shrugged and quickly admitted, “I’ve been taking it easy lately, so yeah, I’m not up for it.”

Hansel’s attempt at a jab didn’t get the reaction he wanted; instead, it backfired and left him feeling frustrated.

“Sam Cooper, are you really this spineless? No fight, no temper? Are you even a man?”

“First of all, drinking has nothing to do with having guts or a temper. Secondly, whether I’m a man or not is something even the blind could see.”

Hansel scoffed. “Is this how you went after Miranda? By lecturing her?”

“No, no, no.” Sam shook his finger with a smirk. “She’s really reasonable, so there’s no need.”

“Oh? Then what do you talk about?”

“We talk about experiences, fun stories, professional knowledge, poetry, philosophy, or even… romantic things. There’s so much to discuss; it’s hard to list it all at once.”

Hansel felt a sting at that.

Upon noticing this, Sam twisted the knife further, “Wanna hear more? We can set up a time, and I’ll share

all the details.”

Losing ground verbally, Hansel resorted t

wning his drink in silence. After two shots of tequila, he started feeling a bit tipsy. He loosened his tie and undid the top two buttons of his shirt.

Watching him drink like that, Sam frowned. “Has your stomach issues cleared up?”

“No.”

“Figures. Miranda’s gone. No one’s keeping an eye on you, so you’re just letting yourself go, huh?”

Sam bringing up Miranda stung Hansel worse; his eyes and nose burned; he was even on the verge of tearing up. He tried to brush it off as just the alcohol affecting him.

Suddenly, Hansel muttered, “12 boxes.”

“…What does that even mean?” Sam asked in confusion.

Hansel kept his head down, making it impossible for Sam to read his expression. “Since she left, I’ve gone through 12 boxes of stomach pain medicine,” Hansel mumbled.

Sam’s eyes darkened. “Looks like you have a death wish. Do you think that by wrecking yourself like this, she’ll feel sorry for you? Or that she’ll come back?”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Hansel snapped his head up. His eyes now bloodshot with anger.

Sam scoffed. “If that’s really what you think, then it just proves that you never understood Miranda at all.”

He gestured for the waiter and calmly instructed, “Take away all the alcohol. Bring us two cups of tea.”

“Uh…” The waiter hesitated. “Sir, we don’t serve normal tea here at the bar…

Sam’s gaze turned serious. “Then bring two glasses of water. You have that, right?”

“Yes, yes, of course. Please wait a moment.” The waiter quickly cleared the drinks and soon set down two cups of warm water in front of them.

Hansel smirked bitterly. “You think I don’t understand Miranda? Who the hell are you to say that? I was with her for six years! Six years, do you get that!”

“No need to shout. I’m well aware of how long you two were together. And so what? If you spent six years with her and still didn’t truly understand her, that only shows your negligence and failure. To put it blu you didn’t love her enough.”

“Bullshit!” Hansel suddenly erupted. “I loved her more than anyone!”

Sam looked up with a steady gaze. “If you loved her, why did you break up with her?”

Hansel was tongue–tied.

“See, every word you say contradicts itself. Every action you take is just digging your own grave. Love isn’t about who shouts the loudest. So what if it’s been six years? All you did was spend six years losing her.”

When the veil of denial was lifted, the harsh reality lay bare, all raw and bloody. The truth was as brutal as

a knife.

Sam continued, “You keep saying you love her, but every single thing you did was to trample on her. To trample on her wishes, her dignity, and even… her body,