Chapter 2

Betsy's delighted voice immediately came through the phone. "That's wonderful, Cece! We'll start the paperwork then. Once it's done, there won't be any turning back." Cecilia gripped her phone, her fingertips trembling slightly, but she replied with determination, "I won't regret it." Just as Betsy was about to hang up, she hesitated and asked tentatively, "By the way, what about that boyfriend of yours? Didn't you try for so long to be with him? Weren't you crazy about him?" The word "boyfriend" felt like a thorn, stabbing deep into Cecilia's heart. Her mind immediately flashed back to the harsh laughter in the hospital ward. The moment when Edmund was lounging lazily on the bed playing with his phone, the group's shameless mockery, and the cruelty of him wasting three years of his life just to take revenge on her for Leena's sake. Her heart clenched violently as if an invisible hand had seized it. The pain was so intense she could barely breathe. "I don't like him anymore," she heard herself say, her voice hoarse but calm. "And I'll never like him again." After hanging up, Cecilia stood by the roadside, letting the cold wind tangle her hair. She looked up at the gray, overcast sky before taking a deep breath and turning to walk in the direction of her "home". A familiar scent washed over her when she pushed the door open. Cecilia paused at the doorway, staring at the familiar layout of the living room in a daze. This was Edmund's house. He had given her the key after he agreed to be with her. That day, he had leaned casually against the doorframe and said offhandedly, "Let's move in together." Back then, Cecilia had been shy and overjoyed, thinking that it was the beginning of their love story. She had even secretly fantasized about a future where they would marry, have children, and spend their lives together in this very place. Now, it all felt like a cruel joke. Moving in together? It was probably just to make it easier for him to carry out his revenge. She wondered how much Edmund loved Leena to go to such lengths to waste three years on her. He had lived with her and even slept with her many times. He had done all that just to make Cecilia believe that he loved her. For the next three days, Cecilia didn't visit Edmund in the hospital once. She shut herself inside the house and began sorting through everything that reminded her of him. She pulled out the diary she had kept during her years of secretly loving him. It was a thick notebook filled with her innermost thoughts on every page. "Today, I saw him again in the library. He was wearing a white shirt, and he looked so handsome. "He spoke to me today. It was just a polite request to pass him something, but it made me happy all day. "He agreed to be with me. Am I dreaming?" Cecilia flipped through the diary page by page as tears silently streamed down her face. She tossed the diary into a trash bag as if stripping away the love she once felt for him piece by piece. Next, she tackled the gifts she had given him. There was a necklace, a watch, and a coat. Each item carried the joy and anticipation she had once felt. Finally, there were all the photos she had secretly taken of him. In the pictures, Edmund was either giving a speech, playing basketball, or leaning against a hallway chatting with someone. Every single one had made her heart flutter. She threw all these into the trash as if bidding farewell to her past self. By the evening of the third day, Cecilia finally finished sorting through the last item. She stood in the center of the living room and looked around the now-empty house, feeling an unexpected sense of relief. Just then, Edmund walked through the door. His eyes scanned the noticeably emptier space, and his brow furrowed. "What did you throw away?" Cecilia looked up. Her gaze was calm as she said, "Nothing important. Just some things I didn't need anymore." Edmund took a few steps closer, his tone tinged with displeasure. "I was badly injured. Why didn't you come to see me?" Cecilia's lips curved into a faint, cold smile. "Aren't you already discharged? If you were that badly hurt, how could you come back so soon?" He paused, then explained, "I heard you donated a lot of blood for me. I was worried about you, so I returned to check on you." His gaze fell on her arm, and his voice softened unusually. "Does it hurt?" Cecilia pulled her arm back and said indifferently, "No. It doesn't." Edmund noticed her coldness, and his frown deepened. "What's going on lately? Why do you seem so different after I was hospitalized?" Cecilia's lips twitched into a faint smile. She then asked, "How am I different?" Edmund didn't respond, but both of them knew the truth. The old Cecilia would have looked at him with eyes full of adoration. Even if he caught a cold, she would have acted as if it were a crisis, wanting to stay by his side every second. But now, after three days in the hospital, she hadn't even called him once. Edmund's gaze lingered on her face as if trying to decipher something from her expression. Suddenly, he said softly and gently, "Are you feeling a bit more tired lately? They're throwing a welcome-back party for me. Come with me, okay?"