Once Upon a Time I Loved You - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kathleen ended the call with Clive. After calming down, she quietly cleaned up the mess on the floor. “Mr. Atwood’s visa has expired. At his age, he can’t physically travel here to take care of the renewal. He asked me for help.”

Nathan questioned, “But isn’t his daughter in the country? He could have asked her to help.”

She snapped impatiently, “Well, why don’t you call his daughter and ask about it?”

“I’m not that free.”

“Stop asking questions, then.”

It took Kathleen a whole night to clean up the mess in her bedroom. She no longer wanted to pack the clothes that Kelsey rummaged through. Instead, she temporarily dumped them in a corner of the closet.

She managed to save a few film rolls, but they were too damaged for use after they were flooded. Her cosmetic products, especially the liquids, had spilled everywhere, and the powdered ones. were ruined by the water.

Kelsey sent her a WhatsApp message, “This is just a warning.”

Almost two minutes after the message was sent, Kelsey unsent it. She just wanted Kathleen to read it without leaving any evidence behind.

However, Kathleen had learned her lesson from her last exchange with Kelsey. She immediately took a screenshot when Kelsey messaged her. Sneering, she sent Kelsey the screenshot.

Kelsey did not reply.

Kathleen thought, “How ridiculous! Does she think she could get away with it every time? And does she think I am defenseless against her?”

Kelsey clearly underestimated her intelligence.

It took Kelsey 10 minutes to reply. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Kathleen messaged her, “Nothing. That was just a warning.” Then, she turned off her phone. She could not care less if Kelsey had unsent all the previous messages, and neither could she bring herself to care whether Nathan had read those messages.

She harbored no expectations of Nathan from the day she decided to leave.

The next morning, Heather noticed Kathleen’s pale face at breakfast. Concerned, she inquired, “Kathy, did you lose sleep last night? You look unwell.”

“Yeah. I didn’t sleep well, but it’s fine. I just need a few days‘ rest.”

Heather agreed, “Right. You need to rest up. You’ll be very busy come Nate’s wedding.”

Kathleen’s head shot up. “Have they decided on a date?”

“Yeah, the wedding falls on next weekend. Didn’t Nate tell you? Gosh, that rascal used to tell you every single thing. I can’t believe he didn’t inform you about his big day.”

Kathleen checked the calendar. Nathan’s wedding fell on the same day as her departure.

At that moment, Nathan and Kelsey left their bedroom. Kelsey greeted Kathleen with a grin as though nothing had happened. “Kathy, I’ve discussed this with Nate. You’ll be the wedding photographer. Please take nice photos of me!”

Kathleen immediately declined, “I can’t attend the wedding. I have something else going on.”

Kelsey pouted. “Are you still mad at me over what happened last night? I’ll apologize. I’m sorry! If that’s not enough, I… I can go on my knees…”

Kelsey then proceeded to kneel. Nathan hurriedly pulled her up. “Kathleen does not deserve that.”

Heather had to mediate. “Kelsey, you don’t have to go to such length. I’m sure Kathy was very angry because she treated those film rolls as her babies, but you don’t have to kneel and apologize.”

Kelsey said pitifully, “I feel like I’m a good–for–nothing. I’m so sorry, Kathy.”

Nathan comforted her, “Just be careful in the future. Come, let’s have breakfast. Weren’t you complaining about feeling hungry?”

She stuck her tongue out. “And that’s all because of you! I wouldn’t have felt famished if you hadn’t jumped on me this morning and-”

“Alright. Yeah, it was all my fault. Now, take your seat and have breakfast.” Nathan pulled out a chair for Kelsey, sat her down, and placed a napkin on her lap. He finally sat beside Kelsey when he was done.

While spreading jam on toast, he told Kathleen, Kathleen, you need to put aside all your events on my wedding day. Be our photographer if you still cherish your 20 years of kinship with me.”

The doorbell rang without warning. The maid answered the door and found a stranger at the doorstep. “Who are you looking for?”

A humbly dressed middle–aged lady showed up with a smile. “Hi there, is Kathleen Floss at

home? I’m working at a charity. Ms. Floss informed me that she wished to donate bundles of clothes to the impoverished community in the mountains. I agreed to pick up the clothes. today.”

Kathleen shot up from her seat. “Yes, I’m Kathleen Floss. I’ve packed the clothes. Please give me a moment.”

She went to the second floor and placed all her clothes into a few bags. Then, she handed the bags to the middle–aged woman.

The woman looked thankful. “Ms. Floss, thank you for your kindness. It’s getting colder lately. Many girls in the community do not have enough to layer up. Your generous donation will help a lot of people.”

“Don’t mention it. Please hand out the clothes as soon as you can.”

“Sure. Don’t worry about that—”

“Hey. Wait a minute.” Nathan approached them and stared at the seven bags of clothes by the door with a frown. “Kathleen, did you just donate all your clothes?”