“I’ve only been blind for a little while. You’ve been in Madrid for about a month, right?”“You’re really blind?” She sounded relieved. “How did that happen?”“My ex-husband.” I kept it brief.She was surprised. “Zach did this? I thought you two were divorced. Why is this happening? Men are all terrible.” She actually seemed to understand me. “No matter how good you are to them, they’ll ditch you without a second thought.”I leaned against the window. I was sweaty from our previous struggle, so the wind felt chilly.However, Ms. Fowler seemed eager to chat. “Do you want to know why Cameron suddenly broke up with me?”I was not interested in their story. So, I just pursed my lips and stayed in my position.She shook my hand. “He didn’t say much. He just told me that I wasn’t suitable to be his wife. Then, he gave me some money and sent me away. Did he think I was a beggar?”“If being a beggar could get someone so much money, everyone would do it.”“What do you mean?” She was re
Cameron’s call quickly followed, and Ms. Fowler snatched the phone to answer it.She was excited, so she spoke quickly and nervously. I could not see her face well, but I could tell that deep down, she knew that things were over with Cameron. She sounded desperate.“Cameron, Cassia has a boyfriend now. She’s also having her ex-husband’s babies. Do you really want to marry someone like her?”I covered my ears because I did not want to hear anymore.Cameron did not love her anymore. No matter what she did, nothing would change that.I had no idea what Cameron said, but Ms. Fowler started crying. “Cameron, you know I love you. I really love you,” she said.Love caused so many people so much pain.Ms. Fowler kept talking to Cameron. He wanted to talk to me, but she would not give me the phone. Instead, she cried and yelled, “What do you want to say to her? She has a boyfriend now!”I could not take it anymore. I grabbed the phone and hung up. “Ms. Fowler, what do you think you’ll a
“He already agreed to marry you. What are you still worried about?”“Right.” She squeezed my wrist tightly, and she was clearly excited. “Cassia, will you be attending the ceremony?”“I can’t see.”“Oh, right.” She contemplated for a moment and muttered, “You shouldn’t come. You might get jealous.”She really had some serious issues.Even though I had never seen her, I was certain that she was attractive. Otherwise, Cameron would not have been interested in her. He almost married her after all.She had been on the cusp of entering high society, so it was no wonder that Ms. Fowler became a bit unstable.Honestly, it was her greed that kept her so obsessed.The rich could not find true love.My love for Zach had been sincere. My family was rich, so I did not need to marry him to improve my life.One piece of bread was not enough. I slumped on the couch because I had become too weak from hunger. Ms. Fowler was super excited, and she would not stop talking.While she chattered,
“Cassia.” Cameron’s voice trembled as he called out to me. I could tell that he was scared. “Are you okay?”His face was so close that I could smell the light scent of his cologne.“I’m fine. Just hungry,” I said.“I’ll take you home for food.”As someone who had just been kidnapped, the only thing I wanted after being saved was food.The moment we stepped inside his house, I heard loud crying.“What’s going on?” I changed my shoes. Before I could move further, I saw two figures—one big, one small—rush into my arms.“Cassia, I was so scared!” Sophie hugged me tightly and sobbed. I did not think I had ever seen her cry like that before. She would always try to act tough, like a “hardcore warrior.”Well, this warrior just melted into a mess in my arms.Rachel hugged my leg and sobbed too.I sighed. “Girls, I’m fine. There’s no need to cry this much.”“Cassia, if something had happened to you, I might as well have died in Somalia.”“Madrid, not Somalia,” I corrected her.She
I kept eating as Rachel sat quietly next to me. I figured everything that happened today must have scared her. I reached over and patted her head. “That was just a freak incident. There’s no need to be scared.”“I’m not scared. Cassia, thank you for saving me.” Rachel held my hand. “At kindergarten, I learned that what you did is called ‘self-sacrifice.’”I was surprised and kind of proud that she learned this in kindergarten. “You’re giving me too much credit.”“Credit? I’m not giving you money,” she said.I had just complimented her Sommersettese in my mind. “Ask your dad to find you a teacher so that you can learn more about Sommerset’s culture,” I said.Meanwhile, my phone kept buzzing. Sophie must have told everyone. People kept calling in a panic and asking if I was okay. I told them that I was fine and safe.Eloise and Mary knew about it too, and even Tyler gave me a call.His tone was serious. “If you need a break, I support that. Just be careful.”I was not taking a br
Cameron came back long after we had finished dinner. I was telling Rachel a story.She had become more dependent on me after what happened. She wrapped her arms around my neck while I spoke.When Cameron arrived, he picked Rachel up from my arms. “Cassia’s tired today. You need to let her rest.”“But I want Cassia to sleep with me.”“You move a lot in your sleep, and Cassia’s pregnant.”After some convincing, Rachel finally agreed to let me return to my room. Cameron said, “I’ve never seen her so attached to someone.”While it was nice, it was not entirely good for Rachel to rely on me so much. I was Cameron’s friend, and our relationship would not go further.“Rachel’s an insecure child. She tends to be hostile toward the women around me. She used to feel that way about you too, but her hostility faded over time. After what happened this morning, she sees you as someone who can protect her.”“I didn’t think much about this morning. Since Winter was after you, I was worried tha
“I passed it to the other doctors. I’m not the only doctor around, but I only have one girlfriend, which is you.” I really could not see Hayden’s face clearly through the white film, but he sounded like he had a stuffy nose. He seemed like a really emotional man. He cried the last time I fell, and he was crying over this small incident that had happened to me. However, apart from Oliver, no other men had cried for me before. I wiped his tears with my sleeve. “Don’t listen to Sophie. Winter was just acting crazy because of her unrequited love. She was only using me to threaten Cameron so that she could see him.” “Sorry, Cassia.” He pressed his face into my palm. Why did he apologize to me? “Why are you saying sorry? It’s not your fault.” “I should’ve accompanied you. Then, you would’ve been fine.” I saw his blurry figure crouch before me, and a weird feeling came over me. There was a man who cared only about me, and he was willing to travel to another country for me.
I was not going to try and reason with a child. I knew that Hayden would not be mad at her too.However, Rachel was furious at him. She ignored Hayden as she clung to me when she ate. It was as if he was a monster that would gobble me up at any time. However, Hayden was good at making sand castles and origami. For instance, he could make paper frogs and planes. He even knew how to fold a heart out of money. These crafts caught Rachel’s attention. When Hayden folded the heart, Rachel wanted to go over and have a look. But she was shy, so she kept hiding behind me. Nevertheless, Hayden folded a heart for Rachel. “Do you want to learn how to do this?” She wanted to take it, but she did not want to change her stance. So, I challenged her on purpose. “I bet Rachel wouldn’t be able to learn how to do it. It’s so hard that even I can’t do it.” That immediately activated her competitive side. She leaped out from behind me and said, “Who says I can’t do it? It’s so simple. I can do i
Sophie knocked on my door the next day around 7 a.m.I only managed to fall asleep at about 2 a.m., so I had a bad headache. I sat on the bed as she ran over excitedly and asked, “Are you busy this morning?” “Go away.” I lay down again. “Come to the city hall with me. I’m getting married!”“Why do you need me there? Am I going to breastfeed you?”“You don’t have milk right now.” I was disgusted by our conversation. Rachel sat up from the bed and asked, “Why are you going to the city hall?”“To get married.”“Shouldn’t you be going to a church for that? There’s supposed to be a priest with a bible that asks if you’re willing to marry this person next to you regardless of… something?”“That’s a religious wedding. Besides, it has to be lawful. What we’re doing today is the legal side of things.” Sophie carried Rachel up from the bed. “Do you want to be a witness to our marriage?” “Yay, sure!” Rachel immediately beamed and agreed. “I want to be the priest who holds the bibl
Cecilia had no shame at all. I would be speechless if this worked on Zach. After a while, she walked out dejectedly with her flowers. It seemed like she did not even manage to enter his office. She stood there in annoyance for a while before she suddenly looked over in my direction. I could see her, but she might not be able to see me. I was on a high floor, and the sun was blinding. Right then, Hailey gave me a call. I knew that she wanted to rant about Cecilia. Sure enough, Hailey started to complain, “Ms. Freeman, Cecilia is really shameless. I’ve never seen such a shameless woman. When Mr. Gordon was cut off from Gordon Corporation, she abandoned him immediately. Now that she knows he’s going to be Gordon Corporation’s acting CEO, she instantly starts visiting him again. I really can’t stand her.” “Hasn’t she always been like this?” I was unfazed. “Fortunately, Mr. Gordon is not willing to see her.” Hailey sounded relieved. “Do you really think he won’t see her fo
I looked at Austin’s pale face, and I was at a loss for words. His argument was reasonable, and I had no way to refute it. I was upset, but I could not cry. I felt a heavy feeling in my chest, and I found it hard to breathe. He looked at me and suddenly smiled. “Look at your face. Have I ever said that I liked Sophie? I don’t like girls like her. I prefer girls like you who are smart, beautiful, and decisive. Why don’t you marry me after you give birth to your babies?”I did not want to joke around with him. It was not funny.After that, Lucy exited the bridal shop and got into the backseat of the car. I stood in front of the bridal shop and watched as his car disappeared into the corner. “Cassia,” Sophie called out to me. I turned around. “What?”“Whose side are you on? I realize you’ve been extra nice to Austin recently. Have you forgotten that he’s a jerk?”“Watch your mouth.”I got into my car unhappily. “I’ll make a move first.”“Aren’t we having dinner together to
I knew that he was looking at the photos of him and Sophie in her wedding gown. Perhaps this would be the only time in his entire life that he could stand next to Sophie while she was dressed in a wedding gown. I felt the waterworks coming. When I tried to look for tissue papers in my bag, Zach called me. He sounded a bit excited. “Cassia, there’s this person overseas who has the same blood type as Austin. He has ALS, which is a fatal motor neuron disease. His family has already signed an organ donation form for him, and his condition recently worsened. He may pass in a month’s time, so I got in contact with them. His family has agreed to donate his heart to Austin.” “Really?” It was good news, and I almost leaped in joy. I glanced at Austin excitedly. He was staring intently at his phone, so he did not notice me. “Does Austin have to leave immediately?”“It’s still early. We can leave when the donor’s condition worsens.” I estimated the time. Zach said that it would ta
Sophie could easily start a fight wherever she went. I immediately went over and saw that Austin’s forehead had turned red. It seemed to be getting swollen. I kicked Sophie in anger. “Is there something wrong with you? What are you doing?” “Why did you kick me? Didn’t you hear what he just said?”Austin bent down and picked up Sophie’s phone for her. “Luckily, your phone screen isn’t cracked. It’s fine if my skull is cracked; it can heal.” Sophie took her phone, and it immediately unlocked due to face ID. Her wallpaper was a photo of Kingston and her. She had just changed the wallpaper yesterday. It used to be a photo of me and her. Austin was the one who had taken that photo. Even though Austin was not directly in the photo, it felt like it was a photo of the three of us. He must have noticed it. He smiled and said, “I’ll make a move. Tell Lucy I’ll be waiting for her in the car.” Austin walked out of the bridal shop, and Sophie looked dispirited. “I was quite happy, bu
“You’re getting married too?”“I’ll be your best man or maid of honor. What? You’re too cheap to pay for the outfits?”“You, my best man?”“Look around you. Are there any single people left?”Sophie rolled her eyes. “Hah, I wasn’t planning on inviting you.”Kingston tried to shake Austin’s hand, but Austin ignored him. Sophie got mad and pulled Kingston away. “Don’t pay attention to him. He thinks he’s too good for anyone. He’s crazy.”“Sophie,” I warned.“What? He’s always acting crazy!” she yelled.I was not sure if Austin really wanted to be Sophie’s best man, or if it was just an excuse to come here.Anyway, Austin went to change too. I could not tell the difference between the best man’s and groom’s outfits. However, the difference between the bridesmaid and bride was clear.While Sophie was posing in front of the mirror in her wedding dress, Austin came out of the fitting room.Austin was very thin, and the suit hung loosely on him, but it still looked good.He had a
Sophie’s wedding preparations were progressing quickly. She limped to work in the mornings and dragged me along in the afternoons to buy wedding stuff.I felt like the wedding was just an excuse for her to go shopping.“This afternoon, Kingston and I are trying on our wedding outfits. You should come too.”“It’s your wedding. Why should I come?”“To help me choose! I look good in everything, so it’s hard to pick.”“If it’s that hard, just buy them all. Aren’t you rich?”“Why are you so grouchy?” She leaned closer and observed me. “Cassia, are your hormones off balance?”“I’m pregnant, so everything’s a mess right now.”After some thought, I called Austin and told him, “Sophie’s trying on wedding dresses this afternoon.”“Okay,” he replied in his usual lifeless tone.“Aren’t you going to say anything to her?”“Don’t eat too much. The wedding dress will be a pain to alter.”I was so angry that I hung up. He was so stubborn. I was sure that he would regret it and cry later.M
Austin was the weakest among us when we were kids. He could not climb trees, run, or do anything physically demanding. Instead, he would play board games and puzzles with us.Sophie always thought that he was smart, and she admired him.I never imagined that someone I grew up with might die so soon.“You should leave,” he said weakly. “She should be done by now.”“Austin.” I wanted to say something more, but he turned his back to me.He did not want to listen, so I had no choice but to leave.As I reached the door, I heard him say, “Actually, this is a good thing.”Was he saying that Sophie marrying Kingston was a good thing?What was good about it?I felt like grabbing Sophie over. I wanted to point at the dying man in bed and say, “This guy loves you more than you know. He helped you test Kingston’s character. He thinks about you all the time. He comes to see you every night using his half-sister as an excuse, but he’s dying. He doesn’t want you to be sad, so he plans to die
“I just went for a checkup.” Austin walked over to me. “Why are you sweating so much?”He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me. Honestly, only Austin would still carry a handkerchief in his condition.I wiped my sweat. “I came with Sophie to get her cast off, and I thought I’d stop by to see you.”“Get her cast off? I thought that wasn’t until next month?”“She insisted on getting it off today. The doctor checked, and her bone is healing well, so it’s fine for her to take it off.”“When did she start caring so much about her looks?” Austin walked back to his room, and I followed him.He sat down and seemed a little out of breath. I had already asked the doctor about him. Austin could not engage in any physical activity; he could not even walk fast.I was about to pour him some water, but he waved me off. “Don’t bother. I’m not thirsty. How could I let you take care of me? I might be a patient, but you’re pregnant.”At least, he could still joke. If I were him