Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Starting from Friends

His expression was complicated. It had only been seven or eight months, but he never expected her to have changed so drastically.

He had woken up in the middle of the night yesterday to find himself in an unfamiliar place. He remembered heading toward Stella Sterling’s apartment complex before he passed out. Waking up in a strange place, his first thought was that Basil Xavier had brought him to Stella, and that she had taken them in.

He later learned that while the situation was similar to what he’d imagined, the details were quite different.

He never imagined so much had happened while he was unconscious!

He listened as Basil Xavier recounted the events, describing how ferocious she was—a life for every slash of her blade, a ruthless she-devil who killed without batting an eye.

It sounded so unreal to him, as if Basil were talking about a complete stranger.

That wasn’t the Stella Sterling he knew. The person he remembered, while strong-willed and resilient, had never practiced any martial arts or learned self-defense.

The woman Basil Xavier described sounded like a completely different person!

His consciousness was still hazy at the time, and he soon fell back asleep. Before he drifted off, he thought, ’Maybe Basil got it wrong. Maybe the person who saved us wasn’t Stella Sterling.’

After all, Basil Xavier didn’t even know her name!

And now, seeing the woman smiling at him, he still couldn’t reconcile her with the person Basil had described.

Eight months had passed, and they had grown distant. Her attitude toward him was much colder than before, but no matter how much a person changed, it was impossible to master skills you never had in such a short period!

’Unless... unless she truly had no other choice and was forced to grow up fast!’

From Basil Xavier’s description of last night, the people in this complex were in chaos. Things like robbing others for food were surely not a one-time occurrence, and she was a woman on her own—

’The hardships she must have endured to survive!’

Gordon Ford’s hands tightened into fists. Agitated, he found it hard to breathe and started coughing lightly. "COUGH COUGH COUGH..."

The coughing tore open the wound that had just been bandaged yesterday.

Stella Sterling started to move, then stopped. "You need to learn to control your emotions," she said. "Getting this worked up isn’t good for your recovery."

Gordon Ford, who was always calm and composed, never thought he’d be lectured by her on this topic.

He stifled his cough. Looking up at Stella Sterling’s indifferent expression, a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. "I’m fine!"

"You two, get in here! Aren’t you cold? And I’m telling you, bro, don’t forget you’re injured. What are you doing just standing there?"

Roused by the noise, Basil Xavier woke up. Seeing Gordon Ford still coughing, he went to support him, speaking to them both as he helped Gordon inside.

Stella Sterling thought for a moment before following them in.

When she caught the faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood in the air, she stopped in her tracks. "Check his wound," she said to Basil Xavier, who was still supporting Gordon Ford. "I think it’s opened up."

Basil Xavier froze for a second, then quickly checked Gordon. It seemed the wound had indeed reopened. He exclaimed, "Man, what are you getting so worked up about? Your wound opened up and you didn’t say a thing? Doesn’t it hurt?"

His rambling trailed off under Gordon Ford’s cold glare. He muttered, "Fine, I guess I owe you one."

Then he resignedly turned to get the first-aid supplies.

Stella Sterling kept her eyes on Gordon Ford. When she saw that cold, sharp gaze—so different from her memories of him—she lowered her own slightly.

Just then, Gordon Ford looked over at her. He was silent for a moment before suddenly saying to Stella Sterling, "It hurts a little."

Stella Sterling met his gaze. "The wound opened up. Of course it hurts. It’ll be better after it’s re-bandaged. Just bear with it."

Gordon Ford felt a pang of hurt. They weren’t a couple, so as a friend, there was nothing wrong with what Stella Sterling had said.

And yet, his hand still subconsciously gripped the sofa beneath him.

After a moment, he reined in his disappointment and spoke in a gentle tone. "You must have had a hard time since the apocalypse began."

With how chaotic things were outside, it was clear how difficult survival had become.

’If only I had woken up sooner, I could have been by her side!’

But there were no "if onlys."

"It was okay."

Stella Sterling thought for a moment before giving her honest assessment.

’I haven’t had it hard at all. I have food and drink, I lack for nothing. In fact, I’m living more freely than before. Plus, my abilities are getting stronger and stronger!’

"I’m sorry."

Gordon Ford said suddenly.

Stella Sterling was confused at first, but seeing the self-reproach and guilt in his eyes, she suddenly understood.

She smiled. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I was upset back then, yes, but I’ve long since moved past it. It’s all in the past. Now, I don’t have any other thoughts except wanting to survive."

Hearing her words, Gordon Ford felt he should be happy for her. He didn’t know why, but his heart ached instead.

’It’s all in the past... but what if I don’t want it to be? In my mind, it was just a moment ago that I was about to confess my feelings to her. Then I fell unconscious, and when I woke up, everything was like this!’

He couldn’t accept it!

Stella Sterling smiled. "Gordon Ford, look at me. You can see I’m not blaming you, so you shouldn’t feel like you’ve wronged me in any way."

Maybe she had blamed him once, but so much had happened since then. She had long ago buried that small matter with Gordon Ford deep in her heart and left it behind.

’After that, I died and was reborn, right back at this very point in time. In my last life, I never saw Gordon Ford again. But in this one, we met, and I even heard his explanation.’

So that little bit of blame from so long ago had long since vanished without a trace.

She had truly let it go.

So much had happened, and her mindset had changed long ago. But learning that things weren’t as she had thought, and even considering that Gordon Ford might have looked for her in her past life, only for them to miss each other—that was enough for her to let go completely.

Now, she saw Gordon Ford as a good friend.

That’s why she could speak to him so casually. In fact, she was quite happy. She couldn’t remember the last time her mind had been this at ease.

She didn’t want him to be stuck in the past.

Gordon Ford gave a low laugh, concealing the complex emotions in his eyes. "In that case," he said, "can we start over as friends?"

’Since their relationship stopped at being friends, then he would start from there again.’