"Don't go, Ian!" Vanessa's sudden scream cut through the banquet hall.Desperate to stop Ian, she staggered and crashed into the carved table corner. Blood gushed from the wound on her forehead. Shards of porcelain dug into her palms, yet she stubbornly reached toward Ian..The crowd instinctively stepped back. The only sound that could be heard was that of blood dripping onto the floor.When Ian turned around, his gaze locked onto Vanessa's bloodshot eyes.Those ever cheerful-looking eyes were now brimming with tears. Her eyelashes were clumped together with sticky blood, and her pale lips kept whispering broken pleas."Ian, don't leave me. You're all I have. I'll do anything if you just come back."Seeing Vanessa in this state, Ryan couldn't help but shed tears. "Her medicine is still in my bag. The doctor said if she gets agitated again–""Sorry." Ian hesitated for a moment. But in the end, he turned away and left the banquet hall.A suffocating sense of dread gnawed at him,
Those who truly wished to leave never made a scene. They simply pull on a coat one ordinary morning, push open the door, and never return, just like a fallen leaf carried away by the wind.No goodbyes. Not even a single farewell. That, too, would be a waste.Ian covered his face and broke into sobs.He should have seen this coming. He had the feeling all along.It had started when he saw Selena burning every last photo of them. That day, she had sat in the courtyard as usual, but her gaze was empty and devoid of light.If only he had talked to her then, maybe things wouldn't have come to this.No, perhaps it was already too late even then. From the moment he stood with the Carter family and forced Selena to give up her patent, she had already been thoroughly disappointed.This wasn't a sudden decision. It was the final breath of someone whose hopes had been crushed, again and again, until there was nothing left."No, I have to find her."Ian staggered to his feet. The fracture
The twilight was blood-red as Ian stepped through the Carter family's house. His shadow stretched across the marble floor.Smack!A medical report, reeking of disinfectant, was flung hard against Vanessa's face. The sharp edge of the paper left a red welt on her pale cheek.Vanessa, who was curled up on the leather sofa, shuddered violently like a frightened fawn caught in the hunter's gaze."Your serotonin levels are normal. Dopamine receptor activity is stable. Every indicator is perfectly fine." Ian's voice was cold. "Vanessa, you were never depressed. Why did you lie to us?"The air felt dense.Ryan, standing off to the side, crumpled the report into a ball and tossed it into the trash. "Who do you think you are, checking Vanessa's private medical records? Mental illness isn't something you can diagnose with a simple blood test–""Then what about this?" Ian threw down a fraudulent diagnosis report, his gaze growing sterner. "There's no psychiatrist named Dr. Zayn. "There w
Seeing that Zachary was about to toss the recorder into the trash, Ian immediately stepped forward."Wait. I want to hear what's on that tape."What the Carter family said had actually given him a reminder.Selena had deliberately placed the recorder inside a gift box and left it somewhere obvious. There had to be a reason."What's there to listen to? It's probably just some curses against us. So unlucky. We should just throw it away," Vanessa said hastily. She seemed uncharacteristically flustered.She abruptly got up and reached for the tape, her panic completely unlike the calm and composed demeanor she usually maintained."Stop." Ian wasn't about to let her have her way. He immediately stepped forward to block her.As the two of them struggled over the recorder, Ian managed to press the play button first.A burst of static crackled, followed by an arrogant voice."Selena, get on your knees and beg me. I can make Dad forgive you."On the tape, Vanessa's tone wasn't timid i
The dull thud of fists landing on flesh could be heard clearly in the living room.Vanessa's wails grew weaker, and her body convulsed like a fish struggling out of water. Her face was smeared with tears and snot. "I-I'm sorry, Zachary. I'm nothing but an orphan. I wanted a family so badly. That's why I lied," she choked out.Suddenly, she clutched at Zachary's clothing, getting on her knees and bowing, slamming her forehead against the floor so hard that bruises began to form. "Please, spare me. I won't lie again, I swear. Please, I'm begging you!"Zachary stared at her with bloodshot eyes. His response was another brutal swing of his fist.By the time he finally stopped, Vanessa lay limp on the floor. She was barely breathing."Dad." Ryan's voice was cold as ice. "That day of the car accident, whose blood was actually transfused into me?"Zachary's body trembled violently. His hands curled into fists before he suddenly slapped himself, over and over."It was your sister, Sel
Beside a maple tree on the west lawn of the National Medical Research Institute, Selena found a warm spot to sit down.The lingering scent of disinfectant from the lab still clung to her nose. She unfastened her collar, taking in the fresh air outside as she scattered crumbled whole wheat bread for the pigeons.It had been three months since she arrived at the National Medical Research Institute.Once she entered the lab, she often stayed there for an entire day. The access card in her pocket had practically left an imprint on her lab coat.Such an intense workload would be unbearable for most people, but for Selena, who had endured so many hardships, it was nothing.In the lab's new drug research team, her fellow members were either renowned experts in the medical field or esteemed figures of the profession. Though she was only an assistant for now, in just three short months, she had learned more than she had in the past twenty-odd years combined.Even now, on the pillow besi
The stars stretched like a chain across the sky, while Henry quietly curled up on a stone bench bathed in moonlight. He rested his forearm on Selena's knee, but his gaze remained fixed on her face, unable to look away.The moonlight gathered like a thin frost on her skin, making her shine even in the dark.It wasn't until the cooling ointment touched his burn that he sucked in a sharp breath and snapped back to reality."This burn is pretty serious. If you don't take care of it properly, it'll leave a scar. You're a medical student. How can you be so careless?""It's fine. I'm a grown man. It's just a tiny scar on my arm. Who's going to care–""I care." Selena sighed, leaving Henry momentarily stunned.After applying the ointment, she looked at him seriously. "Henry, you should go back to school tomorrow. I understand how you feel, but I don't have time for romance right now, and I don't want you wasting your youth here for me."Henry opened his mouth, about to protest, but be
The air was so cold it felt like frost was about to form.It wasn't until the metallic taste of blood spread across his tongue that Ian realized he had bitten through his lip.For this reunion, he had spent twelve months scouring nearly every corner of the city, completely neglecting his studies. It was only because Edward couldn't bear to see the once top student wasting away in despair that he finally told Ian where Selena was.The moment Ian got the information, he booked the next flight to get to her.He had rushed over without pause, barely stopping for a sip of water. His only thought was to see the person who had haunted his dreams.But when he finally found Selena, he was forced to face a cruel truth.She was no longer the girl in his memories, the one who had once tolerated everything and treated him with endless kindness.No matter how hard he searched, there was nothing left in her cold, dark eyes. There wasn't a single trace of warmth.They were like the mountains a
"Is there really no chance for us?"Ian still didn't want to give up.Selena didn't answer, but her silence was already an answer in itself.It wasn't that she couldn't reject him. She just didn't know how to say goodbye without hurting him. This silence was the last bit of kindness she could offer him."I understand." Ian lowered his head and finally let go.Selena helped him up and took out a cassette tape from the pocket of her lab coat.Ian recognized it instantly. It was the first gift Selena had ever given him, a tape with his favorite songs recorded on it.Back then, when he had ended things with Selena to be with Vanessa, he had returned both the tape and the recorder to Selena, wanting to sever all ties with her completely.It was the decision he regretted the most.Later, when he couldn't find the tape in the recorder, he assumed Selena had burned it along with everything else. But now he realized she had kept it with her all this time."I should have burned it," Se
The air was so cold it felt like frost was about to form.It wasn't until the metallic taste of blood spread across his tongue that Ian realized he had bitten through his lip.For this reunion, he had spent twelve months scouring nearly every corner of the city, completely neglecting his studies. It was only because Edward couldn't bear to see the once top student wasting away in despair that he finally told Ian where Selena was.The moment Ian got the information, he booked the next flight to get to her.He had rushed over without pause, barely stopping for a sip of water. His only thought was to see the person who had haunted his dreams.But when he finally found Selena, he was forced to face a cruel truth.She was no longer the girl in his memories, the one who had once tolerated everything and treated him with endless kindness.No matter how hard he searched, there was nothing left in her cold, dark eyes. There wasn't a single trace of warmth.They were like the mountains a
The stars stretched like a chain across the sky, while Henry quietly curled up on a stone bench bathed in moonlight. He rested his forearm on Selena's knee, but his gaze remained fixed on her face, unable to look away.The moonlight gathered like a thin frost on her skin, making her shine even in the dark.It wasn't until the cooling ointment touched his burn that he sucked in a sharp breath and snapped back to reality."This burn is pretty serious. If you don't take care of it properly, it'll leave a scar. You're a medical student. How can you be so careless?""It's fine. I'm a grown man. It's just a tiny scar on my arm. Who's going to care–""I care." Selena sighed, leaving Henry momentarily stunned.After applying the ointment, she looked at him seriously. "Henry, you should go back to school tomorrow. I understand how you feel, but I don't have time for romance right now, and I don't want you wasting your youth here for me."Henry opened his mouth, about to protest, but be
Beside a maple tree on the west lawn of the National Medical Research Institute, Selena found a warm spot to sit down.The lingering scent of disinfectant from the lab still clung to her nose. She unfastened her collar, taking in the fresh air outside as she scattered crumbled whole wheat bread for the pigeons.It had been three months since she arrived at the National Medical Research Institute.Once she entered the lab, she often stayed there for an entire day. The access card in her pocket had practically left an imprint on her lab coat.Such an intense workload would be unbearable for most people, but for Selena, who had endured so many hardships, it was nothing.In the lab's new drug research team, her fellow members were either renowned experts in the medical field or esteemed figures of the profession. Though she was only an assistant for now, in just three short months, she had learned more than she had in the past twenty-odd years combined.Even now, on the pillow besi
The dull thud of fists landing on flesh could be heard clearly in the living room.Vanessa's wails grew weaker, and her body convulsed like a fish struggling out of water. Her face was smeared with tears and snot. "I-I'm sorry, Zachary. I'm nothing but an orphan. I wanted a family so badly. That's why I lied," she choked out.Suddenly, she clutched at Zachary's clothing, getting on her knees and bowing, slamming her forehead against the floor so hard that bruises began to form. "Please, spare me. I won't lie again, I swear. Please, I'm begging you!"Zachary stared at her with bloodshot eyes. His response was another brutal swing of his fist.By the time he finally stopped, Vanessa lay limp on the floor. She was barely breathing."Dad." Ryan's voice was cold as ice. "That day of the car accident, whose blood was actually transfused into me?"Zachary's body trembled violently. His hands curled into fists before he suddenly slapped himself, over and over."It was your sister, Sel
Seeing that Zachary was about to toss the recorder into the trash, Ian immediately stepped forward."Wait. I want to hear what's on that tape."What the Carter family said had actually given him a reminder.Selena had deliberately placed the recorder inside a gift box and left it somewhere obvious. There had to be a reason."What's there to listen to? It's probably just some curses against us. So unlucky. We should just throw it away," Vanessa said hastily. She seemed uncharacteristically flustered.She abruptly got up and reached for the tape, her panic completely unlike the calm and composed demeanor she usually maintained."Stop." Ian wasn't about to let her have her way. He immediately stepped forward to block her.As the two of them struggled over the recorder, Ian managed to press the play button first.A burst of static crackled, followed by an arrogant voice."Selena, get on your knees and beg me. I can make Dad forgive you."On the tape, Vanessa's tone wasn't timid i
The twilight was blood-red as Ian stepped through the Carter family's house. His shadow stretched across the marble floor.Smack!A medical report, reeking of disinfectant, was flung hard against Vanessa's face. The sharp edge of the paper left a red welt on her pale cheek.Vanessa, who was curled up on the leather sofa, shuddered violently like a frightened fawn caught in the hunter's gaze."Your serotonin levels are normal. Dopamine receptor activity is stable. Every indicator is perfectly fine." Ian's voice was cold. "Vanessa, you were never depressed. Why did you lie to us?"The air felt dense.Ryan, standing off to the side, crumpled the report into a ball and tossed it into the trash. "Who do you think you are, checking Vanessa's private medical records? Mental illness isn't something you can diagnose with a simple blood test–""Then what about this?" Ian threw down a fraudulent diagnosis report, his gaze growing sterner. "There's no psychiatrist named Dr. Zayn. "There w
Those who truly wished to leave never made a scene. They simply pull on a coat one ordinary morning, push open the door, and never return, just like a fallen leaf carried away by the wind.No goodbyes. Not even a single farewell. That, too, would be a waste.Ian covered his face and broke into sobs.He should have seen this coming. He had the feeling all along.It had started when he saw Selena burning every last photo of them. That day, she had sat in the courtyard as usual, but her gaze was empty and devoid of light.If only he had talked to her then, maybe things wouldn't have come to this.No, perhaps it was already too late even then. From the moment he stood with the Carter family and forced Selena to give up her patent, she had already been thoroughly disappointed.This wasn't a sudden decision. It was the final breath of someone whose hopes had been crushed, again and again, until there was nothing left."No, I have to find her."Ian staggered to his feet. The fracture
"Don't go, Ian!" Vanessa's sudden scream cut through the banquet hall.Desperate to stop Ian, she staggered and crashed into the carved table corner. Blood gushed from the wound on her forehead. Shards of porcelain dug into her palms, yet she stubbornly reached toward Ian..The crowd instinctively stepped back. The only sound that could be heard was that of blood dripping onto the floor.When Ian turned around, his gaze locked onto Vanessa's bloodshot eyes.Those ever cheerful-looking eyes were now brimming with tears. Her eyelashes were clumped together with sticky blood, and her pale lips kept whispering broken pleas."Ian, don't leave me. You're all I have. I'll do anything if you just come back."Seeing Vanessa in this state, Ryan couldn't help but shed tears. "Her medicine is still in my bag. The doctor said if she gets agitated again–""Sorry." Ian hesitated for a moment. But in the end, he turned away and left the banquet hall.A suffocating sense of dread gnawed at him,