Fading Slowly but Surely

"Your application for the exchange program has been approved, Isla. You're the only person who got through, so congratulations!" Isla Stokerton feels at peace when she hears the good news from her professor, Richard Langham. "Thanks, Mr. Langham. I'll make sure to achieve great things and not disappoint you." Chapter 1 "Your application for the exchange program has been approved, Isla. You're the only one in the university to get the spot. Congratulations!" Richard Langham said. Isla Stokerton felt relieved hearing the good news from him. "Thank you, Mr. Langham. I'll make sure to live up to your expectations!" Richard had always been confident in the students he mentored. With a cheerful smile, he asked, "When are you planning to depart?" Isla replied, "I've already applied for the visa. I'll be able to leave once it's processed in a month." Richard was pleased to know that she had already arranged for everything. He continued, "You'll be away for three years. What about Emmett then? You've been pursuing him for so long—you've even confessed to him 99 times. Shouldn't the two of you get together soon?" Isla was momentarily stunned to hear gossip about her from a professor she respected. It seemed like gossip traveled fast. She wasn't aware that her story had already made it this far. But then again, it was pretty hard to ignore someone who had confessed 99 times. Isla smiled bitterly as she recalled the secret she stumbled upon several days ago. She let out a soft sigh and replied firmly, "I'm not going to confess anymore. It's exhausting to keep on pursuing him like that." Richard was surprised to hear the news. However, he did not push further seeing that she didn't want to talk about it. The reminder alarm went off just as Isla ended the call. She opened it and realized that it was something she'd set months ago, with only a couple of words—"Emmett's birthday." Upon recalling the bar address she received yesterday, Isla lowered her gaze, got changed, and went down to hail a cab. … The birthday party was already ongoing by the time she arrived at the location. Familiar voices sounded from the private room. Someone said, "How could Isla be late? Could she be preparing for a surprise now? She's confessed 99 times already, and it's about to be the 100th. Don't you think it's time to say yes, Emmett?" Another replied, "That's right, and you clearly liked her too. You might really lose her for good if you reject her again!" Isla's hand on the door paused when she heard the guys' teasing, yet she remained calm. She had known for a while that Emmett Cosworth liked her. A week ago, Emmett had a basketball game. Isla watched the entire thing, then rushed over afterward to offer him some water. However, he wore a cold expression as always. He barely spared her a glance as he turned around and walked away. Even though Isla was used to his indifference, she still felt upset about it. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed his phone on the bench. She picked it up, intending to catch up with Emmett, but her finger accidentally hit the power button, lighting the screen. Glancing down, she immediately saw his lock screen wallpaper. It was a photo of a woman. There was nothing particularly strange about it, but what shocked Isla was that the woman in the photo was her. The high ponytail tied with a floral hair tie, the charms hanging on her bag, the knee-length plaid dress, and the mole on the inner side of her wrist. It was her—down to the little details. Looking at this photo, which was taken without her knowing, Isla was both surprised and confused. Emmett had always ignored her, so why would he use her photo as his wallpaper? Just as the screen was about to dim, Isla pressed the power button again and was immediately brought to the password screen. She tried keying in her own birthday as the password on a whim. To her surprise, the screen unlocked the home page after she pressed the confirmation button. Isla's mind went blank before she clicked on the photo album. Countless thumbnail images appeared in the next instant. A quick glance was all it took for her to realize that there were thousands of photos of her face. She was completely shocked. It was one thing for Emmett to have her photo as his wallpaper, but he'd actually saved thousands of her photos in his gallery. At the very bottom was a photo from the day they first met two years ago—one of her dancing solos during the freshman performances. The photo was titled "The first day I fell for her at first sight." Shocked, Isla couldn't understand why Emmett wouldn't accept her feelings all this while when he had fallen for her the first day they met. She only learned the true intentions behind his actions after talking to several people. Emmett had liked her, but at the same time, he enjoyed being pursued by a woman. As such, he had delayed accepting her confession until now. When Isla found out the person she liked felt the same way, she wasn't happy at all. Instead, she felt a mix of anger and helplessness. For the past two years, she had given up all her pride just to be with Emmett, enduring endless mocking from their classmates. Isla brought him breakfast every day and always showed up with an umbrella at the first signs of rain. She had poured her heart into it all. Having received nothing in return, she had cried alone in the countless nights, only to pull herself together the next day to continue pursuing Emmett. Isla had almost come close to giving up the hard-to-get exchange program opportunity, all just to stay by his side. The conversation in the room continued, and Emmett was heard saying, "She likes me, so she's not going anywhere. I'll say yes to her the next time she confesses." Isla couldn't help but chuckle at his calm and confident tone. There wouldn't be a "next time" anymore, as she had already given up on the 100th confession. Now, Isla wanted nothing more than to leave and completely disappear from his life altogether. Chapter 2 The chatter in the private room came to an abrupt halt as soon as Isla pushed the door open. Everyone turned away tacitly and started switching topics. They pretended they hadn't seen her. Emmett had also picked up a glass of wine before joining the game on one of the tables. He did not bother looking up. He wore an indifferent expression. Isla glanced at him. She couldn't help but marvel at how good his acting was. She wasn't at all disappointed seeing how everyone had ignored her. Instead, she calmly walked over and sat down in a corner. Everyone was busy chatting in the next hour, yet she remained seated on her own as she scrolled on her phone. In the past, Isla would find a way to approach Emmett whenever he appeared. She would come up with all sorts of topics just to catch his attention. Even this birthday party was something she had to pester him about for a long time. She had asked many to help her out before he finally invited her. Logically, something so hard to come by should be valued more. However, with the way Isla had come barefaced, in sportswear, and looking carefree, she didn't seem to be taking Emmett's birthday seriously at all. Her indifferent attitude, unlike before, made him break his cold front. He couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. It was soon time for the gift-giving session after the birthday song and cake-cutting. Isla waited until everyone had their turn before getting up leisurely. She then took out a calendar from her back and handed it to Emmett. Everyone stared at her in shock. The calendar was no bigger than the size of a palm, with only 30 pages in total, making it look rather shabby. Isla disregarded their shocked expressions. She looked at Emmett and calmly said, "Starting from today, you should tear off one page every day, Emmett. When you get to the last page, there will be a surprise waiting—it's my belated birthday gift for you." Upon hearing her words, his roommates started laughing. "It's your 100th confession, right? You're truly persistent—it's been two years, and you're still going strong. Do you really like Emmett that much?" Influenced by their words, Emmett naturally assumed that it was a countdown calendar for her 100th confession. He smiled briefly before catching himself. He turned expressionless once again. "I only said that I might consider it when it's your 100th time, but I've never said I'll say yes to you." Isla knew that they all had gotten the wrong idea. She wasn't about to confess by the time he tore off the last page. It was the day she would completely disappear from his life. She did not bother explaining. Instead, she chuckled and deliberately said, "I've pursued you for a long time, yet I never managed to move you. I really want to know what your ideal type is like." The room fell silent after Isla's words. Everyone turned to look at Emmett with a curious look. He stared at her intensely and stayed silent for a while. "My ideal type—" The door was pushed open just as Emmett started talking, instantly drawing everyone's attention away. Sadie Lynch walked in under the gaze of everyone, holding a beautifully wrapped box. She flashed him a sweet smile and said, "Happy birthday, Emmett!" Emmett's gaze landed on her when he heard her greeting. He tapped a finger lightly against the table and continued, "My ideal type is of course a lively and sweet girl next door." Sadie's cheeks immediately flared red having heard such an ambiguous confession as soon as she entered. She skipped over to Emmett and handed him the gift she had carefully prepared, urging him to open it at once. Everyone's attention was quickly diverted, and no one brought up that topic again. Isla did not show any signs of sadness looking at the two who were surrounded by everyone. Instead, she returned to her seat while looking indifferent. Throughout the night, Sadie was there no matter where Emmett went. They were laughing and talking happily, taking turns to drink on each other's behalf, and sharing the same piece of cake. Memories flooded Isla as she quietly watched their intimate moments. Although Emmett, the campus heartthrob of Quintessa University, had countless admirers, he had always kept his distance from women. The only exception was Sadie, his childhood friend. He would help fix her messy fringe, help her with her bag, and go to classes with her. He would even make bets and host basketball games with guys from other universities, all just for her. Emmett's favoritism toward Sadie felt like a thorn in Isla's side. However, it wasn't until the day Isla learned the truth that she realized it. Although Emmett and Sadie were childhood friends, they weren't close before this. Sadie had always pestered Emmett, yet he never paid her much attention. It wasn't until Isla showed up that he started deliberately getting close to Sadie. All his actions were just to make her jealous. He was hoping it would push her to pursue him even more. Chapter 3 That was why Isla only thought it was ironic when she saw Emmett putting on this act in front of her again. She placed her wine glass down and left for the washroom. After splashing her face with some water, she felt more sober and pulled out a tissue from her bag to wipe her face. As her vision was blocked, Isla did not realize that someone had come to stand beside her. She only found something amiss and glanced to the side when she heard Sadie's peculiar tone. Sadie said, "You've been pursuing Emmett for so many years, Isla, and he never accepted you. Yet you still dared to show your face at his birthday party? "Oh please—he doesn't like you at all. Can't you have some self-awareness? You're so cheap with your obsessive pining!" She looked so well-behaved, yet her words were beyond vulgar. Isla did not show any signs of displeasure upon hearing Sadie's words. She merely looked at Sadie calmly and asked, "Are you done cursing at me?" Sadie was stunned as she wasn't expecting Isla to have such a small reaction. However, she refused to back down and planted her hands on her hips. She continued, "Of course not! Do you know what everyone has been saying about you? You're the "obsessive pining woman that confessed 99 times"! Can you stop being this shameless? Everyone can tell that Emmett likes me. Why can't you just see that?" Isla was still unperturbed seeing Sadie's shrew-like behavior. She simply shifted her gaze to look behind Sadie and said, "You might want to look behind you before you continue cursing me." Following her gaze, Sadie turned around looking perplexed. She immediately noticed Emmett, who was standing outside the door. He seemed to have been standing there for quite some time. He likely witnessed everything that had happened. The thought of it made Sadie panic instantly. Her expression quickly morphed into a pitiful look. All traces of her earlier arrogance disappeared. She hurriedly walked over to Emmett and took his arm. She started explaining herself nervously, "It's not what you think, Emmett. Isla was the one who bullied me first—" But Emmett seemed completely unfazed. Even though he had clearly witnessed Sadie cursing at Isla, he acted as if he didn't see anything. He looked up at Isla before removing his coat and draping it over Sadie. His tone was gentle when he said, "It's so windy outside. You should be careful not to catch a cold when you're dressed so lightly." Emmett then took her hand and walked back to the private room. Sadie wasn't expecting him to act this way. He seemed unbothered that she had just cursed at Isla. Sadie immediately gained confidence and smugly turned around. She flashed Isla a mocking smile as if laughing at her audacity. Isla, who had her head lowered, did not notice Sadie's provocation. She crumpled the used tissue into a ball and tossed it into the trash can. She then turned around and headed downstairs. The hallway was silent save for her footsteps. She recalled what had just happened and let out a cold chuckle in the dark. Emmett's gaze was clearly on Isla when he draped the coat over Sadie earlier, yet he was expressing his worry toward Sadie. Isla had to give it to him—his acting skills were way too good. If she hadn't known about his little secret, she might have fallen into his trap and ended up upset for a long time. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Over the years, Isla had set aside all her pride and reserve just to pursue him. No matter how much others mocked or insulted her to her face, she had never taken it to heart. She only wanted to focus on herself and achieve her goals without any regrets. As such, she was determined to confess 99 times. However, the person Isla had liked for two years chose to ignore the rumors and insult just because he enjoyed the pursuit—that hurt her more than any other curses and mocking ever could. Chapter 4 It was raining heavily outside, and almost all the taxis had stopped running. The group was stuck waiting at the entrance of the bar. Emmett called for his family chauffeur. He intended to send Sadie back. She immediately put on a smug expression as she glanced sideways at Isla. Sadie deliberately asked, "It's so late now, and everyone has left. Is it really okay for Isla to be the only one left here waiting for a taxi?" Emmett took the umbrella from his chauffeur and replied indifferently, "She can walk." After that, he got into the car with Sadie without giving another look at Isla. Isla remained unbothered as she watched the sports car leave in the rain. She continued to hail a ride on her taxi app. The rain only eased up after she waited in the cold for more than two hours. Only then did a driver finally accept her ride request. … It was already 2:00 am by the time Isla arrived home. She brushed off the raindrops from her trench coat and slowly made her way to the door. She entered the passcode. Just as she opened her door, the door opposite to hers opened up as well. Emmett walked out and looked at her coldly. "Come back earlier next time. You're being too loud with the door, and it's disturbing my rest." Isla glanced at the way he was still in his earlier outfit and understood what was going on. She chucked coldly and hummed perfunctorily before walking right into her room. She then turned on the lights and closed the door. It wasn't until she got her shoes changed that she heard a loud bang from outside. Isla paid it no mind. She stripped off her wet clothes, turned on the air conditioner, and curled up on the couch with a blanket. She had bought this apartment six months ago after hearing that Emmett had moved out of his dorm. Isla had also moved out just to be his neighbor. She sent him breakfast in the mornings and bid him good night each night. She tried to create all sorts of daily encounters just to win his heart. Yet no matter how much she showed concern for Emmett, he always ignored her. He rarely responded. It wasn't until she had found out about his secret that she realized he had been pretending not to care all along. Just like tonight—he'd clearly been home for a while, yet he hadn't even changed out of his clothes. He had kept himself awake as he was worried for her safety. Isla was already tired of Emmett's mixed signals and mind games. She no longer wanted to play along. She opened her phone and clicked on the real estate app to list her property. Now that Isla had decided to leave, she wanted to cut ties completely. … The agent came to inspect the apartment the next morning. Isla opened the door groggily and briefly introduced the details of the apartment. After they were done, she was about to see the agent out when the door across the hallway suddenly opened. Emmett was holding his car keys and was about to leave. He instinctively frowned when he saw the male stranger beside Isla. "Who's he?" "This is my uncle. He came to bring some things to me," she lied effortlessly. The agent turned to her in shock, yet he was professional enough not to call her out for her lie. He soon gave an excuse and left. Isla returned to her room to get changed for class. As soon as she rounded a corner, she saw someone standing in front of the elevator and blocking her way. She looked up and saw that it was Emmett. She felt perplexed seeing that he was still here even though he wanted to leave earlier. He noticed the confusion on her face and replied awkwardly, "I'll send you to the university today." Isla wasn't sure why he was acting differently today. She shook her head and declined his offer. However, Emmett insisted on sending her and came up with excuse after excuse, from being almost late to claiming it was on his way. He might even blurt out that it was eco-friendly at this point. Seeing that she couldn't win against him, and she did not want to delay any longer, Isla agreed to his offer. Both of them stayed silent in the car throughout their journey. Emmett was not used to Isla being so quiet. He was used to hearing her chatter whenever he was beside her. He was surprised to find that it wasn't his imagination—she had truly changed in the past few days. And for some reason, these changes made him feel uneasy. … Once they arrived at the university, Isla unbuckled her seatbelt, thanked him, and left soon after. She briskly walked into the campus, yet she noticed that everyone was staring at her weirdly and whispering among themselves. One asked, "That's Isla Stokerton, right?" "Yes, she's the one who's trending. What an embarrassment!" Hearing those baffling words, Isla quickly pulled out her phone and saw the links sent by her friends. Upon clicking into it, she realized someone had submitted the story of her confessing to Emmett to the rant bot, and it had even made it to the trending topics. Isla was shocked to see the entries in the hashtag "Quintessa Uni's obsessive pining woman." The most popular entry was that post, which compiled all her effort in pursuing Emmett in great detail, even putting out the content of her love letters. From a distance, Isla saw a crowd gathering in front of the university's bulletin board, which was full of the love letters she had written. They were all laughing and commenting on the love letters. Someone commented, "What does she mean by 'I'm lost in your eyes'? That's so cheesy!" Another said, "All 99 love letters were written in every possible way. How scary are those lovestruck fools!" One asked, "Isn't she supposed to be the most talented woman in Quintessa University? Why is she pining so obsessively?" Isla's heart sank when she heard the unforgiving mocking. She pushed past the crowd and started tearing the love letters down. Sadie's sharp voice sounded just as Isla finished taking down the last piece. "Isla confessed to you so many times, Emmett. So, how fond are you toward her?" Emmett's voice sounded as cold as usual when he uttered, "Not at all." Chapter 5 As the two protagonists—Emmett and Isla—showed up, the crowd's laughter grew louder when they saw Isla get publicly humiliated. Some of the onlookers were eager to stir things up. They deliberately asked her in a sarcastic tone, "You've confessed 99 times yet he's not fond of you at all, Isla. Aren't you supposed to work harder on it then? "When's the next confession? We can all come watch and give you some pointers. How about it?" Isla tightened her grip on the tattered love letters. Her knuckles turned white from the effort. She was about to speak up when she saw the mocking gazes from around her. She decided to hold her tongue. She scoffed and raised the love letter high in her hand. She then declared loudly, "Fine, the 100th confession will be at the central square of the university, at 9:00 am on December 3rd. Everyone is welcome to come and watch!" After that, Isla ignored everyone's reactions. With reddening eyes and gritted teeth, she left the scene with her head held high. That day, she skipped her morning classes and headed home. Water poured steadily from the faucet, filling the basin to the brim. Isla dunked her head into the water without a second thought. She only got up when her lungs started to burn. She gripped the counter as she gasped for breath. The haze of anger clouding her mind finally started to lift. Isla stared at her calm reflection. She then started ripping apart the entire stack of love letters. Then, she started burning them. Finally, she flushed them down the drain. … The club, which had been dormant for some time, suddenly announced a meetup over the weekend. Isla decided to attend as she needed to submit her club withdrawal application. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Emmett, who never attended such activities, unexpectedly there. She pretended not to notice him and kept her gaze straight. She sat in a corner alone. Sadie's best friends immediately slipped into their usual routine when they saw Isla. One said, "How did you manage to get Emmett to come, Sades?" Another replied, "It's definitely because Sades loves a lively crowd! After all, everyone knows that the campus heartthrob only listens to Sades." Isla couldn't be bothered with their little tricks. She casually reached out for an orange and started peeling it. Once everyone had arrived, the club president, Candice Draketon, announced the start of the game. Isla was not interested at all, but she was dragged into it anyway. She could only force herself to play along with the dull truth-or-dare game. Emmett finally lost after seven or eight rounds. The group erupted in excited cheers. "Oh my!" someone exclaimed. Another announced, "Emmett drew the card that requires him to kiss anyone of the opposite sex in the room for three minutes!" Someone asked, "Hurry and tell us who you'll pick to take the punishment with you, Emmett!" Isla knew Emmett would never pick her, and she was uninterested in who his choice was. She looked down and toyed with the dice in her hand. As expected, he picked Sadie, but he requested for the lights to be turned off. The room was pitch black, with only the sounds of heavy breathing and the occasional whispers from the members. The lights went on after three minutes, and Emmett returned to his seat. Sadie stood stunned in place, looking pale. Her lipstick was still vibrant on her. Emmett had not kissed her. lsla briefly glanced at Sadie. When Candice announced the start of the next round, Isla tossed the three dice in her hand casually. Unfortunately, all three dice landed at one—the lowest possible score in the game. She accepted her loss without a word and pulled out a card from the stack. It was the same card as before, with the exact same punishment. Everyone present started getting excited at once. Their gazes flickered between Isla, Emmett, and Sadie. Isla pretended not to notice it. She casually spun the game wheel, and the pointer landed on Adrian Greyson, a junior who was sitting across from her. For a moment, everyone held their breaths, thinking that she was about to back out. However, Isla got up without further ado and made her way to Adrian. She said nonchalantly, "Sorry in advance, Adrian." Adrian was dumbstruck. Just as he was about to stand up, Emmett got up abruptly and kicked the coffee table away. When everyone was confused, he coldly interrupted, "We've been playing for so long, I'm a little tired now. Don't you think it's time for a break?" Emmett's roommates immediately agreed with him. Candice had no choice but to announce the halt of the punishment. Chapter 6 During their break, some of the women said that they were hungry. Emmett's roommates immediately dragged the other guys in the room downstairs to buy snacks. They were gone for 20 minutes. Seeing that they were still not back, Candice got tired of waiting and announced that the game would continue. Isla placed her phone down and looked around. She noticed that Adrian was now gone—or to be exact, all other guys except for Emmett were now gone. She knew this was another of his schemes, yet she refused to play along. As such, Isla picked up the 17-ounce wine glass and raised it. "Since my appointed partner left, I'll finish the drink as punishment according to the game rules." After that, she tilted her head up and easily finished the wine in her glass. Emmett's expression instantly darkened. He hadn't expected Isla to pick drinking over him. He stared at her face, which was flushing quickly, and tightened his grip on the dice. With half the group gone, the game lost its fun. As such, the meetup came to an end. Isla was tipsy. She waited until everyone had left before taking out the club withdrawal application from her bag and passing it to Candice. She then leaned against the wall while trying to make it downstairs. Just as she reached the stairway entrance, Isla groggily saw Sadie, who was nearby. Isla was about to pretend not to see her when she grabbed Isla's arm suddenly. Sadie's eyes were filled with anger. "What's that look in your eyes when the lights came back earlier? I'm telling you—there must be a reason even if Emmett didn't kiss me! It means he cherishes me a lot!" Isla almost burst out laughing when she heard Sadie's words. However, she knew that Sadie wouldn't listen no matter what Isla said to her now. She nodded and said, "What you said is right." Isla tried to shake Sadie's hand off and leave. But Sadie tightened her grip as she continued to curse at Isla, refusing to let it go. As the two of them struggled, Isla, whose steps were already unsteady, lost her balance and fell from the steep stairs. Shocked, Sadie lost her footing and also tumbled down the stairs. Hearing the commotion from upstairs, those who hadn't gone far quickly turned around to check what was going on. Panic spread among them instantly when they saw that both of them were seriously injured. In the end, Emmett was the one who contacted someone and got them sent to his family's hospital. … After the examination, the doctor said it was a bone fracture. There could be a risk of permanent disability if not treated immediately. After finding out that both Sadie and Isla were injured, Emmett's gaze never left Isla. His heart broke when he saw sweat dripping down constantly from her pale face. The operating room was ready, but there was only one surgeon capable of performing the surgery currently. Emmett had to decide the order in which to treat them. He subconsciously glanced over to Isla, meeting her eyes coincidentally. There was no longer longing and passion in her eyes—only a lifeless calm. Her gaze shocked Emmett to the core. "Please make your decision soon, Mr. Cosworth. Who's going for the operation first?" Isla lay on the stretcher, looking deathly pale. Just as she was about to black out, she heard him firmly say, "Sadie. Save Sadie first!" The doctor soon pushed Sadie into the operating room. As soon as the doors shut, Isla lost consciousness. … It was a day after when Isla regained consciousness. As soon as she opened her eyes, she reached for her legs. She let out a relieved sigh after feeling that her legs were still there and were still responsive. Tears welled up in her eyes when she realized that she had survived the fall without becoming disabled. Isla's parents rushed over as soon as they heard the news. They then upgraded her to the VIP ward on the top floor, where they took care of her carefully. Sadie occupied the ward across hers two hours later. Emmett was the one who personally carried her in. The doors to both wards were opened to make check-ups easier. As such, Isla could clearly see what was happening in the ward across from hers. Sadie kept crying out in pain, so Emmett tried to distract her with various topics. The hospital meals made by the logistics department did not suit her taste, so he personally went back to make her light meals. When she complained about being bored in the ward, Emmett brought all sorts of interesting toys to keep her entertained. Over the past ten days, Emmett and Sadie were so intimate that even the nurses couldn't help but gossip. They wondered if the hospital director, Dominic Cosworth, was about to get himself a daughter-in-law soon. Isla listened quietly without getting involved. However, she knew that Emmett was doing all this to put on a show for her. After all, she had closed the door to her hospital ward countless times. As soon as it was closed, a nurse would come in to check on her. The door was opened every time. There was no way for it to be a coincidence.