Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 2518

Everyone expressed a few more words of concern, but once they realized Eugene needed to rest, they all said their goodbyes and left.

Sylvia started to leave as well, but Eugene spoke softly, “Sylvia, would you stay with me a little longer?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

After the others had gone, Sylvia walked over to his bedside, her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry—I didn’t know you couldn’t eat tomatoes.”

Eugene immediately shook his head. “Please, don’t apologize. It’s my own fault; the smell was just so tempting. It’s not your responsibility at all. My mom exaggerates how bad it is. It’s really just a minor allergy—just a couple of red spots.”

But Sylvia knew the truth—Vicky had said he’d had a high fever. That didn’t sound minor at all.

“You don’t have to pretend it’s nothing,” she said quietly. “If you can’t eat something, just tell me. If anything happened to you because of something I made, I’d feel terrible.”

Eugene dropped his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper. “I just wanted to know what you meant when you said it tasted good. I want to experience everything about you. That way, I feel a little closer to you.”

“Eugene.” Sylvia looked at him evenly. “Let’s not see each other anymore.”

He froze, his face paling with panic. “Why? Did I upset you? Am I making things difficult for you?”

She nodded. “Yes. What you’re doing… it’s too much for me. I feel overwhelmed.”

Eugene’s eyes dimmed. “You don’t like me, do you? So even the good things I do for you just make you uncomfortable?”

Sylvia looked at him, her voice steady. “I don’t like being indebted to anyone. If I owe money or a favor, I can pay it back. But your feelings—I can’t return those.”

His voice rose, almost desperate. “I don’t want you to pay me back!”

“That’s exactly why I feel even more uneasy,” she said. “If you had some ulterior motive, I could just play along. But when you’re sincere like this, I can only keep my distance.”

She didn’t want his genuine affection to be misplaced—she’d been down that road before, and it only led to emptiness. She knew how much that hurt and had no wish to inflict it on someone else.

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