"Have you heard? Catherine is Professor Sean's fiancee!"

"It's true. I have seen Professor Sean pick her up. Have you seen his car? It's badass."

​​

"So Catherine isn't cheating on him at all. Professor Sean is smitten with her. I've seen how he showed his love for her before. It's so cute. They perfectly match made in heaven," cried one of the students.

"That's right. Professor Sean seems like a rich man. Why does Catherine have to find another sugar daddy? Some posted the photos to set up a trap. That's how we misunderstand her. That's despicable!"

Catherine was the target of despising and vicious gossip before Sean announced Catherine was his fiancee in public. It was because of her positive attitude that she didn't fall apart.

Anyway, Catherine's relationship with Sean was spread to every corner on campus. Everyone that once accused Catherine of cheating couldn't be more mortified.

The girl that Catherine slapped across the face was so ashamed for using such insulting words. She only wished Sean would never find out about it.

Jealousy is a terrible thing. Once the seed of hatred is buried, it makes one hideous.

However, Sean and Catherine had utter confidence in one another. It was almost impossible to drive a wedge between them.

Catherine pouted, seeing how focused Sean was on driving, "Sean, why don't you talk to me about announcing our relationship? I'm totally surprised. I didn't expect that you would be going to announce it, " If she had known his plan, she wouldn't have evaded any vicious gossip about her.

"I'm sorry, Catherine. It's kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I don't want you to live under such pressure because of me." said Sean.

Catherine looked at Sean and put on a warm smile.

Sean could not let others smear Catherine's name no matter what. Disrespecting Catherine really got under his skin. Although he was waiting for her to turn 20, he already treated her like his wife.

"You're not ashamed of me, are you?" asked Sean.

"Of course not. I appreciate you looking out for me." Catherine answered.

"Hey, earlier on campus, you told me you have a surprise for me. Are you going to tell me now?" Catherine asked. Her eyes were as bright as stars.

"I'm taking you there now." He glanced at her quickly.

"Come one, tell me." She pouted her lips and tried to force him.

"I'm taking you on a getaway in Carmela Resort in the country."

"Really? Wait, how about school?" asked Catherine.

"It's okay. I asked for an absence of leave on your behalf."

"Okay. That's wonderful news! I could use a break from the stuff on campus." A sweet smile formed at the corner of her lips.

"I know you would enjoy it. They offer a lot of fun activities like hiking, picking up fresh fruits in an orchard, and having a wine tasting. I'm sure you're gonna love it." Sean said with an expectation. Catherine wasn't the only one that got stressed out from messed-up stuff in life. He was also tired of how their relationship was perceived. This was as good an opportunity to unwind for Catherine as for him.

It was late in the afternoon when they arrived at the resort. Sean went to ask for a dinner menu, and Catherine was left in the room to unpack. As she took Sean's shirts from his suitcase, she noticed a delicate antique box put neatly around the edge of the suitcase. Catherine knew it was wrong to snoop, but she was curious as to what was inside the box, especially when the box looked too pretty for a straight man like Sean to possess.

***

On the golden box was carved intricate patterns. It was a small square box that was about the size of her wallet. With one look, Catherine could tell it was a designer's brand and had to be expensive. What could it contain? Catherine wondered. She guessed it could be a piece of earring or bracelet Sean's family passed down as an heirloom. She was so concentrated on making guesses that she didn't realize Sean came in.

"Catherine, what are you doing?" asked Sean.

Catherine got shocked and almost dropped the box. She looked around and asked, "Sean, I've never seen this before. What's in it?"

"Sean put on a mysterious smile and said, "Why don't you go ahead and open it?"

Catherine slowly opened the lid. Inside the box was a pair of butterfly hairpins. It looked like they belonged to a small girl a long time ago since the edge got rusty.

"Sean, where did you get those pins?" asked Catherine.

Sean approached her and hugged her, "They are hairpins."

"Why do you keep them? They look ancient. Do you take Iris's stuff by mistake?" This was the only explanation Catherine could think of.

"No."

Catherine got upset and broke free from Sean's hugs.

"Who do they belong to?" asked Catherine.

"Well, they're from my friend."

"A female friend?"

"I picked them up as a kid."

"Why?"

" I keep it for her remembrance."

"What was she like?" Even if it was a long time ago, Catherine couldn't help feeling jealous. But for the same reason, she didn't want to make a big deal of it.

"She was a cute and brave little girl. I remember her big and round eyes. They were like fresh grapes. And she was very kind." answered Sean as this brought him back.

"Okay. Where is she now?" Catherine asked casually as she felt so bitter and jealous.

"It doesn't matter."

As Catherine was about to ask more about her, Sean grabbed her hands, saying, "Let's go. I've ordered a salad and cranberry juice, your favorite."

Catherine had so many questions, but she couldn't ask them. To her, the little girl remained a puzzle in Sean's childhood she had to solve. She needed to figure out why she seemed so important since Sean was so happy when he talked about her.

For the rest of the getaway, Sean seemed to enjoy every second while Catherine couldn't let that little girl get out of her mind for one second.