I rubbed my knees, which were sore and numb from kneeling for so long, feeling an overwhelming sense of desolation.
The boy who once defended me at all costs was ultimately gone.
I did not care about the mess that Kirsten and the others had made in the room.
I just packed my belongings, took the cross I had brought with me and left.
While waiting for my flight at the airport in the middle of the night, I received a voice message from Sergio.
"Elsie, if you had any sense, you would hurry up and apologize to Kirsten and my other friends!
"They are right; I have spoiled you too much, which is why you are so reckless!
"If you keep being so willful, I'll just break up with you!"
On my phone, Sergio's drunken voice came through, occasionally mixed with the sounds of Kirsten and the others egging him on.
From the noise of Kirsten and the others, I could easily guess that they had already decided I, "the sick one", could not leave Sergio.
And Sergio, having discarded me as a "burden", had a bright future ahead of him; he shouldn't be held back by me, "the patient".
From the messages Sergio sent, it was clear he also agreed with their viewpoint.