Independence

Winter took Miranda’s hand and said, “Come on, let’s go! I planned everything out before coming. I’ll make sure you’ll have the time of your life today!”

Right after that, an endless volley of screams continued for almost five minutes. “Save

me

Miranda rubbed her ringing ears. She looked at Winter, who’d just finished throwing up and looked as pale as a sheet. Feeling amused yet sorry for her, Miranda patted her back gently.

“Do you feel better after vomiting?”

“1-“Winter gagged before she could finish speaking.

Seeing that she was about to throw up into the dustbin again, Miranda quickly pulled out some tissues and opened a bottle of water.

When Winter was done, Miranda quickly passed her the water bottle. Once Winter rinsed her mouth and stopped vomiting; Miranda finally felt relieved.

“They called the roller coasters here “Hell’s ride“. Now I know why. It scared the living daylights out of me.”

Winter had thrown up everything in her stomach. As she wiped her mouth with a tissue, she patted her chest.

Miranda retorted, “Who was the one who wanted to challenge herself? You brought it on yourself.

Winter had a mild fear of heights. Despite that, she’d insisted on going on the ride. She couldn’t handle it, but she’d enjoyed the thrill anyway. She’d truly brought it upon herself.

Winter sobbed. “I’m regretting my decision, okay?” Leaning on Miranda’s shoulder, she gasped for breath.

After resting for a short while, she regained her energy. It was near lunchtime then, so Miranda suggested they get some lunch first.

As they made their way there, it seemed like the other people there had witnessed something. They stopped and excitedly aimed their cameras at the sky.

“There are so many balloons. Is that a surprise event for the theme park’s grand opening?”

“That’s a lot of effort. How long would it have taken them to inflate so many balloons?”

Miranda looked up. A cloud of blue balloons rose into the cloudless sky, the colorful ribbons tied to them hanging from them. When the wind blew, they fluttered in the air like butterflies.

Someone found a reel on social media. Envious, they said, “Here’s what happened! It’s a birthday surprise a rich guy prepared for his girlfriend at Central Court!”

“I missed out on such a romantic event! How unfortunate!”

Miranda wasn’t interested in such wooing methods. She prodded Winter’s arm. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

Winter hummed in response.

There was a huge crowd in the theme park because it was the weekend. So, there was a long queue for the pirate ship ride near Central Court.

Hansel was queuing in line, while Ingrid bought an ice–blended drink. She cast a quick glance at the line before them. “Ten more to go until it’s our turn. Let’s wait a bit more!”

It was almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit that day. Hansel took off his coat and draped it over his arm. While waiting, he scrolled through his phone, feeling bored. Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

When murmurs arose, Ingrid followed the crowd’s gaze and saw numerous balloons slowly floating upward from the merry–go–round right in front.

A man walked toward a woman, holding a bouquet of red roses in his hand. Then, they hugged each other. It was like a scene right out of a fairytale.

“Is that a birthday surprise? How romantic.”

Ingrid was looking forward. It was also her birthday today. She wondered if Hansel had prepared some other surprises besides the birthday present.

Hansel cast a nonchalant glance toward the commotion and coldly looked down at his phone again. What seemed like a romantic gesture to others was nothing but a bore to

him.

He knew what Ingrid was anticipating. However, he’d never planned such superficial events, even when he’d been dating Miranda, much less now.