𝐃𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐌𝐄 • 𝖤．𝖩𝖠𝖤𝖦𝖤𝖱 𝖪．𝖲𝖧𝖨𝖭𝖩𝖮

00 | Prologue.

It was about 8 am at Sina University; as usual, Kiaran dragged herself to her morning class, Culinary Arts. It was her most hated class because she had to see him. As she entered through the doors, the sudden breeze of the fan in the classroom hit her lengthy hair, knocking it out of her bun.

Her hair flew loose. She went to pick up the scrunchie and began smoothing her hair back to gather it into a bun.

Pausing in the doorway, her eyes scanned the room to make sure it was safe to take a seat at an empty countertop. But today must have been a team project as there weren't a lot of spaces left.

Her body was sluggish as she forced herself to move inside and take the first empty spot in the far back of the class on the right-hand side, as there was a kid she had never seen before. Making her way through the aisle, she spotted him, her eyes avoiding his as he tried to greet her.

"Good morning, Kiaran,"

She heard him call out but ignored him: Levi Ackerman, her ex-boyfriend. As much as she couldn't stand to see him, she still needed to focus on herself and no one else. He would be graduating soon anyway, and she would be alone again. As she made her way to the back seat, she slumped down on the stool as she dropped her bag onto the floor it with a light thump.

While reading the paper for the project, she felt a sudden poke at her hand with a pencil. She kept her head down and lost in thought.

But then, hearing the person clear their throat, she looked up as she was faced with a lovely pair of teal green eyes; his hair was long, a bit shabby, but to the best of his ability, was kept up nicely in a bun with a few flyaway strands. As she sat there, she couldn't help but notice how perfectly aligned his jawline was with the stubble on his chin. His face was smooth and friendly, and he flashed her a warm smile. Despite his friendly demeanor, she remained silent, unsure how to respond.

"Sorry to bother you. Do you mind if I see the paper for today?... teach didn't give me one," he asked.

Kiaran looked back down before letting out a long sigh, slowly sliding over the papers for him. "Thanks," he said, his eyes still on her for a moment before reading over the sheet.

Soon enough, the bell rang as class had begun; the teacher went to explain that everyone would be making a pasta dish of their choice as long as it contained the following ingredients listed on the paper.

Feeling uninterested in the project, Kiaran had an urge to leave the classroom. Despite her run-down appearance, she was already top of the class.

Hearing the clatter of pots and pans in the room, followed by the mindless chatter of her classmates, everything in the room started to bother her.

Kiaran soon reached down, picked up her backpack, and stood up from her stool. "Miss Shinjo leaving us so soon?" the teacher asked, noticing her sudden change.

Ignoring everything they had just said, Kiaran picked herself up with the rest of her strength and left the room. Making her way down the hallway, she pulled out her phone, swiping to unlock it as she dialed the hospital.

She waited for the phone to stop ringing, leaning against the wall. Eventually, a receptionist at Sina Mercy Health answered, "How can I assist you?"

Kiaran sighed into the phone for a moment as it was the same receptionist as last time, as they probably weren't going to give her any updates. "Erwin Smith, please," was all she could say.

"Kiaran, sweetheart... you can't keep calling about your father," the receptionist said blankly.

"Erwin. Smith," Kiaran repeated herself.