Meeting Is a Sin
Chapter 1
The invitation to the centennial celebration
was when I ran into my first love, Garrett.
He gave a speech as an alumni
representative, then, right there in front of
everyone, he pulled out a diamond ring.
“Back then, you said you’d make me a
wedding ring from thorny roses. Now, it’s my
turn to propose.”
“Chloe, marry me.”
The auditorium erupted.
Everyone expected me to cry and joyfully
accept.
After all, back in college, I’d chased him
relentlessly, making a spectacle of myself. But they’d forgotten.
My senior thesis was exposed as plagiarism from Sarah Walker.
Garrett, knowing the truth, framed me as the
At the press conference, he, as a brand
representative, announced the termination of
our collaboration and called for an industry-
wide ban on me.
The day my reputation was ruined, I left the
country.
Now, back here, his friends were all telling
me,
“Garrett’s been waiting for you all these
years. Even though you embarrassed him
back then, you’re still the one he loves.”
“He even went to the principal’s office to fight
for your diploma, Chloe. He really loves you.”
“Put your phone down and give him an
answer!”
Seeing me ignore them, his friend, Mike, got
annoyed.
I calmly put down my phone and looked at
him.
“Garrett may come from a wealthy family, but
<
he hates being fawned over.”
“Even though his father’s a school trustee, he
never used his influence for personal gain.
But for your diploma, he caused a ruckus in
the principal’s office, almost getting
suspended!”
“Chloe, do you even have a heart? Aren’t you
moved at all?”
Mike was furious, recounting past events as if
my lack of emotion was a grave sin.
I frowned and glanced around.
The onlookers, seeing my gaze, quickly
looked away, pretending not to listen, but
eavesdropping nonetheless.
The plagiarism scandal seven years ago was
huge.
Even now, I could still see disdain and
mockery in the faces of these onlookers.
Today, I was just heading to the backstage to
prepare for the celebration when Mike
Г
I didn’t know if he was being loyal to his
friend, blaming me for disappearing seven
years ago.
Or if someone asked him to say these things
because they knew I’d be here.
But to me, it didn’t matter.
I sighed slightly. “What am I supposed to
feel? It’s all in the past.”
My answer wasn’t what Mike expected.
He frowned, staring at me in disbelief.
I understood his reaction.
After all, during my freshman year, I’d
pursued Garrett relentlessly for three months,
creating a campus sensation.
Knowing he loved stargazing, I went to great
lengths to find meteorite fragments and made
him a star necklace.
To spend more time with him, I risked
disciplinary action by skipping curfew,
spending three months lurking in the law
く
library, “coincidentally” running into him and
accompanying him as he studied late into the
night.
On a stormy night, hearing he had a fever, I
climbed the fence to get him medicine,
fracturing my right arm.
When he asked, I laughed and said I was
testing my body’s resilience.
Garrett knew the truth, but listened quietly to
my lie.
It was that night, with my broken arm, that he
agreed to be my boyfriend.
He gave me a moon bracelet, saying we were
a perfect match.
To prevent me from “coincidentally” running
into him, he stopped studying late at night.
He even, a guy who never ate in the cafeteria,
endured the greasy food, waiting in line for
me to get my favorite sweet and sour pork
ribs.
These small things were seeds planted in my
heart, growing into towering trees.
I thought this love would blossom and bear
fruit.
But Sarah’s arrival caused the tree to wither
quickly.
1
P
Initially, Garrett told me Sarah was his
father’s forced business arrangement.
That he only loved me.
As the only son of the Garrett family, he had
the power to refuse anything he didn’t like; I
shouldn’t worry.
I believed him.
So, I never considered Sarah a threat.
But then, I noticed him constantly being late
for our dates, forgetting our anniversaries.
After he started taking over the family
business, he frequented galas with Sarah,
their relationship looking extremely intimate in
the press.
く
After I protested, he toned it down.
But I then saw reports of him fixing Sarah’s
pearl earrings backstage at a jewelry show.
On Valentine’s Day, he promised to apologize
but canceled on me because of a meeting.
I waited at the revolving restaurant until
closing, only to see Sarah’s picture on her
social media.
She and Garrett were smiling side–by–side in
business class.
Seeing the congratulatory comments, I lost all
courage to question anything.
The next day, Garrett came to the design
department with my favorite strawberry
milkshake.
Seeing my swollen eyes, he didn’t offer any
comfort but impatiently threw the milkshake
away.
“Chloe, I’ve promised you many times, you’re
the one I love, Sarah and I are just business
<
partners, must you keep crying?
“Don’t you know, you’re suffocating me!”
Tears streamed down my face. I asked him, “I
never said why I’m crying. You’re admitting
you’re close to Sarah, right?”
Garrett was stunned, frowning at me.
“You’re impossible!”
That day we argued terribly, and our
classmates took the opportunity to criticize
- me.
Gold digger, opportunist, manipulative–every
nasty word was thrown at me.
I was completely discredited.
For a week, I didn’t contact Garrett.
Finally, Mike stepped in, deceiving both of us
into meeting.
Seeing Garrett, I wanted to leave.
Perhaps he’d processed his feelings, he
greeted me with a smile.
Whether I wanted to or not, in front of his
<
Whether I wanted to or not, in front of his
many friends, he hugged me.
“Don’t be mad, I’m sorry.”
I tried to pull away, but a cold necklace was
placed around my neck.
“A late Valentine’s Day gift. I made it myself,
a pair to your star necklace.”
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Hearing his tender voice, seeing the beautiful
gift, my heart softened.
於養收E
My anger subsided, and I was willing to talk
to him.
I showed him the news reports and Sarah’s
post.
“Didn’t you say you were just business
partners? Do business partners need such
intimate contact?”
Garrett hugged me from behind and looked at
my phone.
“It’s a huge misunderstanding. She said her
pearl earrings seemed different sizes and
asked me to check, so she wouldn’t
embarrass herself in front of reporters.”
“I didn’t touch her! You know I’m nearsighted;
I just leaned in to take a look.”
A smile appeared on my face, but I continued,
“What about her social media post? You lied
about a meeting and went to dinner with her,
how do you explain that?”
Garrett turned me around, cupped my face,
and kissed me tenderly.
“My love, I swear, the client changed the meeting time, and Sarah said she hadn’t
eaten all day and had a stomachache, so she
dragged me to dinner.”
I pushed him away, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
I was about to warn him, when Sarah walked
- in.
Tears in her eyes, she came towards me.
“Mike told me you two argued because of me,
so I rushed over. Chloe, although I’m engaged
<
to Garrett, we’re just friends.”
“If you really mind, I can ask my father to talk
to Garrett’s father, we can cancel the
engagement, and I’ll leave the country, I won’t
be a bother anymore.”
It had started to rain heavily outside, and she
was soaked.
After saying this, she shed a few tears and
turned to leave.
I clearly saw a look of pity in Garrett’s eyes.
He released me and quickly caught up to
Sarah.
