I deliberately stopped mid-sentence to see how she would respond.She had been in a slump for too long because of Flynn. It was time for her to return to her true self."What would happen? I'd get upset? I've reflected on a lot during my recuperation, and many things have become clear to me. I've finally bid farewell to the past, especially after losing the baby. "Julia's wedding came at the right time. Everyone's been feeling down lately because of my matters. Let's use Julia's wedding as a chance to have some fun and dispel the gloom."Flynn had turned himself from someone Queenie loved deeply into her misfortune through his actions.This was quite good."Indeed, Queenie. I'm happy for you."She patted my hand and said, "Lulu, you've been worrying about me a lot during these times. Thank you. I'm very fortunate to have you by my side. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do. "And Colin too. I couldn't express my gratitude directly, so please convey it on my behalf. When
Andrew disappeared for several days without a trace. He didn't even inform Queenie. So, he really needed to explain this. No matter how busy he was, he should have time to at least send a text.Such behavior was definitely not advisable if he wanted Queenie to be happy with him for the rest of her life.Unfortunately for me, I saw Felix and Lilac as soon as I reached the school gate. However, their roles seemed to be reversed.In the past, Felix would fawn over Lilac, doing everything for her.Now, he was standing with his hands in his pockets. He was cold and indifferent, with impatience evident on his face.Lilac seemed oblivious to Felix's indifference. She was clinging to him and rubbing herself against him all over.And she kept on talking with tears streaming down her face, putting on a pitiful appearance.In the past, this move always worked on him.I moved to the side, wondering what Felix would do next. Since I had nothing much to do, I might as well watch the drama un
Honestly, I was quite shocked. I didn't expect him to say something so tasteless.The Felix I knew was a bit indecisive and couldn't always distinguish right from wrong, but he had always been upright and clear-minded. I had known him for over 20 years, and this was the first time I heard him cursing someone—and it was someone he had once loved so deeply.What changed him? Was it hatred?Lilac originally just wanted to find a way out for herself. Otherwise, given her reputation, her being pushed to the ground like this could easily make headlines in the school forum. It would make her the center of a new round of gossip.Now, she urgently needed to find someone to rely on and save her from her failed and humiliating life.Felix was probably the safety net she had chosen.She was barely surviving like a rat in a gutter now. If she faced another setback, I didn't know what she would become.So, when she was publicly rejected by Felix, she chose the stupidest way to degrade herself
I quickly pushed the matter to the back of my mind after locking my phone and putting it away.If Colin was not trustworthy, then who could I trust? Felix? That was just nonsense.Even if there came a day when Colin was no longer worthy of my trust, I would use my own heart to understand the situation and decide. I would not let an unrelated person make such random comments to make me water.I still couldn't figure out why Felix would want to frame his own brother like that.Had he become a fool?At noon, after class, I unexpectedly ran into Helen.Come to think of it, we hadn't met for almost three months. We had only stayed in touch through calls and texts and greeted each other from a distance on campus, but our communication had been much less frequent than before.We had talked about getting together several times, but it had always been delayed by this and that, so we hadn't really been able to meet up.As people said, chance encounters were better than planned meetings.
Helen looked back at him in surprise, a hint of joy gradually appearing in her eyes. She blushed and quickly held his hand, leaning against his arm. Then, she said with a smile that she wanted to eat barbecue.She arrogantly glanced at me from the corners of her eyes where Matthew couldn't see. She was obviously flaunting me.This woman, she really cracked me up.Matthew rubbed the back of her head and rested his hand on her shoulder. Then, he nudged her into the back seat of the car.Suddenly, I felt like I might have unintentionally become a third wheel.If it weren't for me, Helen would be sitting in the front passenger seat.She sat with me together in the back and seemed a little lost in thought. She would occasionally steal glances at Matthew through the rearview mirror. Whenever their eyes met and she saw his smiling face, she would quickly avert her gaze and pretend to look outside. She was both cute and awkward.It seemed that her heart was fluttering.I watched them f
Out of sight, out of mind. This felt nice.I changed into a light blue dress and tied my hair into a bun at the back of my head to appear more mature. Then, I put on a shiny headband and let a few strands of hair fall gently on both sides of my face. I applied a light-colored lipstick and lightly brushed my eyebrows. Overall, it made me charming and elegant.When the professor saw me, he looked slightly amazed. Then, he began to complain about how his wife didn't give birth to a daughter. He complained that his son was useless and just caused trouble. Having a sweet daughter would be much better.Upon arrival, I realized it was a gathering of high-society elites. The so-called high society actually consisted of two main groups. The first was those who were more toward wealth and power, and the second was those with deep family and cultural backgrounds.Previously, Colin mentioned that the Kings where the professor was from had a history of over 200 years. They had connections wit
Mrs. Loxley was wearing an elegant sapphire blue dress, embroidered with patterns in the same color scheme. She wore her hair up with a tiara-like hairpin on her head while the tassels on her earrings sparkled. She held her head high as if only by doing so could she appear superior to me.But what she didn't know was that there had never been any competition between us. Everything was just her own presumptions. I felt sorry for Matthew for having such a person as his mother.I had been shuffling between people with the professor and hadn't noticed her presence until now. Seeing her, I just felt annoyed.Jinovy was so big. How could I bump into her so easily?What a small world!The arrogant Mrs. Loxley obviously recognized me too. Standing proudly among a group of middle-aged women, she looked at me with caution, resistance, and a hint of surprise.But whatever she had in mind, it had nothing to do with me. I simply didn't want to deal with her at all. So, I just looked past her
Judging by the way he dressed and the exquisite box, the shoes inside should have a five-figure price tag.There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. We were complete strangers, yet he came over and offered me a gift out of the blue. This made me wonder and felt the need to be cautious.Why would a stranger spend so much money just to help me out?My feet were hurting, and I needed a pair of comfortable shoes. But not like this.With this in mind, I politely smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Thank you, Mister. But I don't need it.""Why? Your feet are obviously hurting. Why refuse my help? Why endure when you can get comfortable?" The man raised an eyebrow, his playful expression deepening. His curiosity seemed to heighten as well.Was he curious about me? Why?He persisted by extending his hand and continuously pushing the box in my direction. I had to take a couple of steps back to maintain a polite distance."I specially brought this to you. Othe
Luna furiously scolded me, asserting that I didn't deserve Queenie's love and that Queenie had been blind to my true colors all those years. Driven mad by desperation, I chased after Queenie, determined to tell her I was wrong and plead for another chance to prove myself. However, the young man intervened, delivering a swift and punishing combination of punches and kicks that knocked me to the ground. Humiliated, I struggled to get up and fight back, unwilling to lose to another man.Despite his youthful appearance, the look in his eyes as he glanced at Queenie was undeniable. It was a blend of love, desire, and possessiveness only a man could understand.I was consumed by the thought that he wasn't worthy of my precious Queenie's love.Nevertheless, my body felt heavy and powerless. It was as if the strength had been drained from me. The blows rained down on me, bringing with them a strange sense of relief amidst the pain. Part of me yearned for him to kick me harder, inflict
I wanted nothing more than to run to Queenie, to hold her tightly and tell her how much I missed her during those endless days apart. I wanted to kiss her deeply and feel the warmth of her embrace. I called out, "Queenie, I'm here."Seeing me seemed to jolt Queenie from her joyous state, replacing it with a vacant expression. Mere moments before, she had been smiling brightly, her eyes aglow with happiness. Now, she appeared lost, her initial elation dissipating into a blank, unresponsive gaze.I couldn't understand why she had turned so distant upon seeing me. The love and joy that once shone in her eyes were nowhere to be found. As I observed her, I wondered if our time apart had caused her to forget. Or perhaps the events of the past had wounded her so profoundly that she had stopped waiting for me.The thoughts terrified me, and I dared not ask for fear of confirming my suspicions. All I wanted was to hold her, kiss her, and tell her how much I missed her. Yet, it seemed tha
I had no interest in Daniela's pregnancy, so I kicked her out of the house. My friends came to console me, each expressing their sympathies with a drink because they didn't know how else to comfort me.The money I had sent to Queenie's account was quickly returned as the account had been closed. Her phone number became unreachable, and when I sought her at her parents' home, I found the elderly couple waiting anxiously for their daughter's return. I lost not only Queenie but any connection to her. I grew disinterested in everything, neglecting my company and spending my days in a drunken haze.Then, my uncle came. We drank through the night as he shared tales of his hardships, the painful memories of his mother, and the years he spent alone, suffering.He said, "Everyone has their fate, Flynn. And choosing one thing often means losing another. Just as you've chosen to fight for the family business, you've sacrificed a part of yourself. But you must rise and fight me with all you'v
Queenie would then jump off the cliff, leaving me to jolt awake in a cold sweat. I endured each twilight in my hopeless vigil, counting down the days.On the 75th day, the door finally unlocked. I stepped outside and realized that this was the neighborhood where Queenie and I lived. All this time, we had been mere yards apart.My mom truly knew how to break a person's spirit. All I had to do was lift my head to see the pomegranate tree planted in our yard.I stumbled toward our home, my wounds screaming as I desperately called for Queenie. But the immaculate house stood eerily silent, echoing my footsteps like thunder.Except for Queenie, every possession remained meticulously in place—the exquisite clothes, expensive jewelry, and designer cosmetics.Queenie was gone, and the thought of losing her drove me into a frenzy.I collapsed in the middle of the room, sobbing uncontrollably. Regret consumed me. I should have never let my family's threats manipulate me and left Queenie to
I clenched my fists, barely resisting the urge to rush over to Queenie's side. All I wanted was to embrace her and whisper assurances that I would protect her, always. But I knew I had no right to do so.My dad's threat hung heavy in my mind, and the stares of Daniela and her mother bore into Queenie like daggers. One wrong move or word and those blades would descend upon Queenie, cutting her to shreds.The pain was unbearable. I felt sorry for Queenie. I was powerless and couldn't help her. With all my heart, I wished for her to stay strong and survive. She deserved better than me. Daniela's mother slapped Queenie, calling her a whore and a homewrecker, accusing her of seducing other people's boyfriends.Queenie stood rigidly, her gaze filled with humiliation. Her lips trembled, and the light in her eyes gradually faded.I winced in agony but held myself together, picking up Daniela and walking away.Countless times afterward, I berated myself for choosing to take Daniela away
We both knew the truth—neither of us could cross the chasm that had formed between our hearts.After that, I went home almost every day. We managed to maintain a semblance of normalcy in our day-to-day lives. We prepared sumptuous dinners and tended to our garden. I even considered adopting a pet to keep Queenie company while I was away.However, no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't rekindle the warmth we had once shared. Queenie hardly smiled anymore. No matter what I did to cheer her up, she would only give a half-hearted smile, her eyes remaining cold and distant.I knew something had transpired during our separation, but she refused to discuss it. My attempts to uncover the truth through private investigators were in vain. Any evidence had been meticulously erased.Eventually, I realized Queenie was simply biding her time, waiting for the moment when she would be forced to relinquish all hope and leave.A month later, my mother joyfully told me that Daniela was pregnant an
I grabbed a brush from the bathroom and scrubbed myself furiously, desperate to wash away the overwhelming sense of filth. Even as the rough bristles tore into my skin, drawing blood and causing searing pain, I felt no closer to feeling clean.My mind was consumed with thoughts of Queenie and the nearly five years we had spent together—the happy moments, the arguments, every single memory.At that moment, I realized I was terrified. Never before had I experienced such abject fear. Knowing Queenie's uncompromising stance on love and fidelity, I knew she would never forgive me once she discovered my transgression.She would undoubtedly turn and leave, heedless of any pleas I might make. I probably wouldn't even have the courage to ask for her forgiveness in the face of her justified anger.I regretted everything. If I had listened to my friends and taken Queenie away from all this, none of this would have happened. But I had hesitated. Even now, I couldn't be certain if my hesitati
Yesterday afternoon, my dad called and demanded that I make a decision within two days, or they would take action.I felt cornered because I genuinely didn't know how to talk to Queenie about this. The mere idea of her packing her belongings and leaving, accompanied by the unspeakable anguish it would inflict upon me, was a burden too heavy to bear.I wasn't sure if I could ever have a semblance of normality in my life again after that.So, I gathered some friends to drink with me. I drank heavily because I had made a decision—a disgraceful, heartless decision. The thought of what I would have to face the next day made life seem hopeless, so I drank even more.Before losing consciousness, I handed my car keys to my assistant, using my last bit of clarity to tell him to take me home no matter what state I was in.Even if it meant returning to the Hayes family's residence, he should not leave me out on the streets. Despite the imminent breakup, I wanted to part ways with Queenie in
My mom proved to be even more ruthless than my dad. She found me, dropped to her knees without a word, and begged me. She reminded me of the years they had spent raising me, pleading that I ensure they wouldn't be left without a sense of security in their old age.In essence, they were pressuring me to abandon everything. I was to pursue money and power for their sake, secure the Hayes family's head position, and ensure our grip on wealth and influence. Their priority was maintaining their luxurious, elevated lifestyle. My happiness, my desires—whether I even wanted those things—meant nothing to them. Sometimes, it felt like I was nothing more than a tool for achieving their ambitions.My dad told me bluntly that he would go after Queenie if I didn't comply. He said, "You're right. I'm incapable of outmaneuvering your uncle. But no matter how incompetent I am, I can easily make Queenie's life in Harveyton unbearable."To be honest, that day was the coldest my heart had ever felt