The British air hit her with its signature chill as Nina emerged from Gatwick, dragging her oversized suitcase toward her new life.
British rushed past chattering in accents she struggled to follow, and homesickness washed over her relentlessly those first few weeks.
Her cramped but spotless bedsit needed furnishing from scratch–hello, IKEA runs and endless council tax
forms.
At school, professors lectured in technical terms that might as well have been hieroglyphics, and during
group discussions she often couldn’t get a word in, stuck in awkward silence.
Late at night, anxiety and frustration nearly drowned her.
The physical scars from those ninety–nine blows gradually faded from angry purple to faint marks as time
passed.
But the wounds in Nina’s heart still ached during every quiet night alone.
Declan’s impatient tone in that final phone call, the image of Ruby snuggled against him, the sound of those blows falling while she was blindfolded… they remained her persistent nightmares.
But Nina didn’t give up.
She gritted her teeth and pushed through. The library became her second home–one lamp, stacks of thick books and notebooks, often keeping her company until dawn.
She practiced speaking over and over, forced herself to join group discussions even when she stumbled through her words at first.
Hard work paid off.
By the end of first semester, her report card showed a beautiful A.
The professor praised her paper in class, and during group work, she could clearly express her ideas. That long–lost confidence slowly returned.
During one particularly demanding group project, Nina’s workload was heavy.
It was through this project that she met Oliver Bennett, a second–year PhD student in her group.
He was two years ahead of Nina, professionally outstanding, and quite well–known in the department for his
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achievements.
At their first group meeting, he wore a simple white sweater and khakis, with a gentle, clean demeanor. When he spoke, his logic was crystal clear and precise, but without any aggressive edge.
During their collaboration, Nina’s careful attitude and quick learning ability caught Oliver’s attention.
He appreciated her clever thinking and would offer perfectly timed guidance when she hit technical roadblocks, providing key reference papers without overstepping, maintaining full respect for her
autonomy.
He always spoke with warm politeness, maintaining comfortable boundaries that gradually improved Nina’s opinion of him.
One night they were pulling an all–nighter in the lab when Nina’s stomach problems suddenly flared up. Her face went pale and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
She tried to power through without affecting their progress, but her subtle trembling didn’t escape Oliver’s
notice.
“You okay?”
He immediately stopped his work, brow furrowing with pure concern.
“Take a break. The lab keeps basic medicines–I think there’s stomach stuff. Let me find some.”
Watching his retreating figure, Nina felt a long–absent warmth in her chest.
He returned with medicine and warm water, watching her take it.
“Thanks…” Nina opened her mouth gratefully to thank him.
Oliver smiled, then naturally shifted to interesting topics to distract her.
That kind of effortless thoughtfulness made Nina feel a solid sense of safety for the first time in this foreign
country.
A few days later when the weather suddenly turned hot, Nina switched to short sleeves.
While handing materials to Oliver, her sleeve rode up slightly, revealing a small section of her arm where faint scar tissue hadn’t completely faded.
Oliver’s gaze inadvertently caught it and paused briefly.
Nina realized what happened and quickly yanked her sleeve down like she’d been burned, fingertips ice–cold as a mix of embarrassment and pain flooded her eyes.
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However, Oliver didn’t ask anything.
He showed no curiosity or pity, just a barely perceptible flash of heartache in his usually gentle eyes.
He naturally took the materials and, as if nothing had happened, pointed to a tree blooming outside the
window with a smile.
“Look, this year’s cherry blossoms seem especially early. I heard the botanical garden has way more varieties. If you have time, it might be nice to take a walk and relax.”
He skillfully changed the subject. This kind of respect and protection flowed like a gentle stream, silently warming Nina’s long–frozen heart.
“Sounds good, after the project’s done.”
“Yeah, I’ll come with you…”
Looking into Oliver’s sincere eyes, Nina actually felt her face warm.
Being with him, she didn’t need to fake being strong or explain her past–she could just be Nina herself.
With his encouragement and companionship, Nina’s smiles gradually became more frequent.
She’d discuss interesting viewpoints from class with him, accept pastries he’d “happened to buy extra of that suited her tastes, and on a particularly sunny afternoon, actually went to the botanical garden with him.
Wind scattered cherry blossom petals that landed in her hair.
Oliver watched her tilt her head back slightly and close her eyes to feel the sunlight, his gaze tender and
focused.
Nina seemed to sense something and opened her eyes, suddenly meeting his direct stare.
He paused slightly, while Nina smiled at him softly.
‘You look really good when you smile…”
In that moment, warm sunlight bathed them both.
Nina suddenly felt like the solid ice in her heart–the part about the past–had cracked open just a tiny bit, letting in a sliver of long–lost light.
Letting go might be a long and difficult process.
But at least she was starting to try looking forward.
– Vue Fightert
Chapter 11
