Waiting For You to Return

Chapter 1

Richard didn’t know why, but he felt something strange. Why did he feel guilty about breaking up with Sofia when their relationship had already reached a dead end and no matter how hard they tried, they wouldn’t get anywhere?

Richard still remembered, last year, in the freezing cold winter weather like this, he still felt warm, even his body was burning with excitement because he didn’t know how to start talking to Sofia.

“What do you want to say to me?” Her soft, gentle voice brushed past his ear, giving Richard goosebumps—not from fear but from enchantment.

She looked up at him, her big, clear eyes staring straight into his with a bewildered and confused expression. Men often liked girls like her. They could be fascinated and amazed, following after hot, seductive, and stylish women. But no guy could refuse a gentle, kind woman like Sofia. Her beauty was poetic, dreamy, and full of artistry.

In Richard’s eyes, Sofia was like a creation of the gods, inviting mortal men like him to fall into that purity.

Melancholic melodies echoed repeatedly in his mind, making his heart race and burn, making him want to immediately sing or play a piece of music.

But artists like Richard, if bold, would be extremely strong; if reserved, would be very cautious. Richard was the latter. It seemed that his entire prepared speech at home had vanished into thin air. He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat, unable to utter even a single sound.

He felt disappointed in himself. Heaven must have been tired of his hesitation and indecision, whether punishing or angry, as a sudden downpour began.

Sofia grabbed his wrist and hurriedly pulled him to find shelter. Richard let Sofia lead him, his mind still busy perfecting the melody that had just played, not even noticing that he was soaking wet.

Thinking back to that moment, oh, Richard just wanted to find a crack in the ground to hide in. If that day it hadn’t been Sofia but another girl, or if Sofia didn’t like him, then that day he would have been left alone in the rain with a slap for being careless and treating a girl badly.

But luckily, that day it was Sofia, and she liked him too.

Richard shivered from the cold. In the middle of winter, a downpour soaked them both to the bone. Sofia quickly bought a scarf at a nearby shop and wrapped it around Richard after drying his hair and brushing off the water on his clothes.

“Why are you so foolish?” Sofia scolded as she brushed off his coat. Her small hands grabbed the collar and gently smoothed down the front of his shirt.

Richard’s heart pounded wildly, as if it was about to burst out of his chest. His young and strong love was restrained by his gentle nature. And at that moment, Richard realized Sofia was not the type of person he had always thought.

She was much bolder.

Richard avoided Sofia’s gaze, perhaps making her annoyed by the wait.

“Look at you,” Sofia said, then suddenly pulled his collar down and pressed her lips against his.

Richard’s eyes widened in surprise as Sofia kissed him.

Things went on like that; neither of them said anything, but Sofia naturally became his lover. At first, their relationship was nothing to worry about, but gradually, Sofia changed.

She was no longer the gentle girl he had been impressed by. Sofia often made big decisions on her own, like canceling their trip, quitting her job because it was too far from home, refusing to meet his family, moving out of the apartment they shared, and at the peak, Richard caught her with another man. Each time, they argued.

But in every argument, Sofia was the one to stop first. Richard gradually couldn’t take it anymore and thought that because they couldn’t resolve their issues clearly, all the discomfort piled up like a balloon being inflated day by day, swelling, stretching, and about to burst.

The music he composed slowly shifted from gentle love songs to dark, heavy tones full of suffering and contradictions.

Finally, Richard couldn’t bear it any longer.

On another rainy winter day, this time Richard was the one who took the initiative to break up with Sofia. She showed no surprise or distress; instead, upon hearing Richard’s words, Sofia seemed mentally prepared, as if she had anticipated this.

Simple words of love are hard to say, but a cold, dismissive breakup could slip easily from the mouth. Though his heart sank and he felt like a terrible man.

Richard didn’t know that at that moment, when he left, the rain grew heavier, and Sofia’s sobbing was swept away by the downpour and disappeared. No one could see her tears fall, nor hear her pain.

After that day, Richard never saw Sofia again; she completely vanished from his life as if no one named Sofia had ever existed.

Richard didn’t know why, but he felt something strange. Why did he have to feel guilty about breaking up with Sofia when their relationship had already reached a dead end and no matter how hard they tried, they wouldn’t get anywhere?

Love is one person’s matter, but to stay together, both have to nurture it. Richard didn’t understand why Sofia changed and left him first. At that time, he thought their love was over, so he felt responsible for freeing Sofia from their bond, right?

Richard was lost in countless thoughts. The piano keys glided through his fingers, the sounds of longing and conflict stretched mournfully, etched deeply in Richard’s heart, stirring strong emotions in his fans.