Spring Came When I Left Chapter 2

I thought I would be able to sleep.

But I couldn't.

Tossing and turning, memories flooded back like a relentless tide.

When I first met Randall, he wasn't the CEO he was today. He was the handsome, broke scholar, juggling three part-time jobs a day. He had an alcoholic father, a gambling-addicted mother, and a grandfather who had raised him but was now gravely ill.

People at school were always circling him, drawn to that face of his. It was too striking. The boys were jealous, the girls were obsessed. I wasn't the first person to offer him help, but I was the only one who stuck around until the end.

"I like you," I'd told him. "You don't have to give me anything in return for what I'm doing. Just… don't push me away."

I held out my debit card. It contained my entire life's savings. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to cover his grandfather's hospital bills.

Young love is foolish and pure. At that moment, I truly just wanted to help him. Even if it was all a scam, I didn't care.

Randall took the card. He looked at me, his eyes serious. "Thank you."

But his grandfather still died.

I went to the funeral to help, ignoring my family's objections. I watched Randall's father beat him, watched his mother scream at him, all because his grandfather had left him the family's only house.

When his father raised a beer bottle to smash it over Randall's head, I ran in front of him.

It didn't hurt. Because the bottle never landed.

I stood in front of Randall, and he had raised his arm to shield my head.

Blood streamed down his arm, splattering my face in red. I cried as I called the police, then grabbed Randall's hand and ran.

"Don't go back, Randall," I pleaded. "From now on, I'll take care of you."

I don't know where I found the courage. A college student still living on an allowance, making such a bold declaration.

But Randall believed me. Maybe the sight of my snot and tears streaming down my face had shocked him. He held me, patting my back comfortingly. "Okay, okay, I believe you."

By the river, the reeds swayed in the wind. Randall looked up, and for the first time, he gave me a smile more beautiful than any rainbow.

"Chloe," he said, "I'll take care of you for the rest of my life."