Subsequently, the police officer returned her the phone. Pivoting, he then went to the two interrogation rooms and escorted Justin out. “Next time, if you encounter something like this again, just lodge a police report straight away or simply restrain the perpetrator. You don’t need to interfere too much.” At that, he paused for a moment. With his gaze on Yvonne, he continued placidly, “After all, there are quite a lot of ungrateful people in this world.”
Justin was a straightforward man, so he didn’t quite understand the police officer’s words. He was stunned for a while before he nodded blankly, appearing a tad silly.
After the police officer had said a few more words, we then left the police station. Only then did Justin recognize me, and he murmured in embarrassment, “Thank you so much for making this trip. I owe you one.”
I merely smiled and told them to go home first since it was rather late.
Placing her hand on my shoulder, Emery then commented, “That guy seems rather simple and honest, but the girl appears to be quite ambitious. Is she working at Anthony’s company?”
I nodded in affirmation. “Yup. I’ve run into her a few times, and it’s indeed true. But then, it’s normal for a girl, I guess. She’s quite beautiful, so it’s not surprising that she’s ambitious.”
At that, Emery snorted without commenting further. “Dang, it’s almost ten o’clock now! I’ve got to go home, or Hunter will probably chew me out. We’ll hang out again and talk another time, okay?”
As she said that, she drove off.
Thus, it was only Camelia and I left. Looking at me, she hesitantly uttered, “Sienna, I haven’t seen my child in a long time, so I miss him. I’d like to go home and see him.”
Hearing that, I chuckled softly. “I’ll drive you back now. Why are you so forlorn? I didn’t say that you’re not allowed to go home. I just wanted to bring you out for some fresh air and a change of pace. Your emotions are affected by every single action of his because you focus all your time and energy on the child and Marcus.
“Now that the baby has been weaned, you should really find a job or something else to occupy your time instead of making Marcus the center of your life. I know it may be difficult for you to change in a short time, but go slowly and make gradual progress. You’re still young, so you’ve got a long way ahead of you.”
She probably understood me, for she dazedly nodded while gazing at me. With her eyes fixed on me, she then declared solemnly, “Okay. I’ll do as you say.”
In the car, she leaned back against the passenger seat with her eyes closed after such an exhausting day. After driving for a while, White residence came into view. It was still the same, and only the surrounding landscape had been improved throughout the past few years.
The pond in the yard had been filled and replaced with fruit trees instead. It was winter then, so the leaves had all fallen, leaving the trees barren.
I parked the car beside the yard and watched as Camelia walked in. But just after she had taken a few steps, she suddenly turned and stared at me. With a serious expression, she asked, “Scarlet, if… This is just a suppositional question, okay? If Mr. Featherstone is no longer here, would you settle for the next best thing and choose Marcus?”
I was startled for a moment before I stared right at her and locked gazes with her under the dim streetlights that were shining brightly. “No,” I answered resolutely. “As you said, it’s a suppositional question. There are no ifs in my world, and I’m an obstinate person. Since I’ve decided on Anthony, it would only be him for the rest of my life. Other than him, all others are merely ships passing in the night.”
As she looked at me, she heaved a sigh. A long while later, she nodded and murmured, “Okay, I got it.”
Well, well… that was quite a sudden question.
Sending her off with my eyes, I spaced out for a bit while staring at the filled pond. It seems impossible to return to the past. It was here at White residence back when I first met Marcus. At that time, he was taciturn, and indifference was written plainly on his face.
Then, I recalled the day when he brought me back here. When we alighted from the car, he chased after me from behind, and I accidentally pushed him into the pond. The winter that year was extremely chilly, so he fell ill the very next day. Later, my phone malfunctioned. As I pondered back in time, a long time had passed, so much so that I’ve almost forgotten all that.
After an eternity, I spun around to head back.
Unexpectedly, I caught sight of a black Bentley beside my car and froze for a moment. Someone was standing beside the car, and it was none other than Marcus, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time.
He stared at me intently with jet-black eyes without even blinking. In his black suit, he appeared lonely and apathetic. The oppressive aura emanating from him grew increasingly distinct.
“When did you arrive?” I queried as I walked toward the car. I had no idea whether I was so lost in my thoughts that I actually failed to hear the engine of his car.
Pursing his lips, he continued staring at me. His gaze was overly grim that a slither of fear inexplicably crept into me.
“You won’t choose me even if he hadn’t appeared?” he asked out of the blue, stunning me into utter stillness.
So… he heard my conversation with Camelia?
“Uh… As I said, there are no ifs.” As I looked at him, a brief trace of guilt assailed me, but it was merely there for a moment and gone the next. “Actually, we both know full well that there are no ifs. Anthony Featherstone’s existence to me, well… Putting it simply, he’s my husband and lover. We’re like two pieces of driftwood, and it’s destiny as well as a blessing that we could meet amidst the vast sea of people to end up walking together hand in hand.
Putting it into perspective, he’s actually my happiness. He’s tantamount to the beacon in my life. His light enables me to persevere and continue forging on bravely. “Marcus, I don’t know your understanding of love, but to me, it’s definitely not something in which one can settle for the next best thing.
This has nothing to do with anyone because love is independent in itself. We can love a lot of people in our lifetime. Like you, you once loved me, and you’ll also fall in love with someone else in the future. But this thing between Anthony and I is no longer mere love. We’re more like a single entity, and we share the same body, so we need to face life together in the future.”
I had no idea whether he could understand everything I said, but I stared at him and continued, “Camelia is a really nice girl. If you look at her closely, you’ll discover that you’ve missed out on a lot in the past few years. When I was very young, I loved eating rock candy, but I could only have them once a month. Sometimes, my grandmother even forbade me from eating it. Since my craving went unsatisfied, I hankered after rock candy every single second of every day.
“Back then, the pumpkin pie my grandmother made was exceedingly delicious. But because I got to eat it every time I craved it, I didn’t find it delicious anymore as time passed. “After that, when I slowly grew up, I could buy rock candy myself when I had pocket money.
At that time, I was very excited and bought several sticks at one go. However, I got sick of it just after eating two sticks. Actually, things we often yearn for are not necessarily what we truly want. Reflecting back on it now, the most delicious thing in my memories isn’t the rock candy, but pumpkin pie. Alas, my grandmother is no longer here, so the taste could only remain in my memories.”
Marcus’ eyes were fixed intently on me. The bridge of his nose appeared high and his black eyes increasingly profound—perhaps because he had grown thinner. “Sienna, my feelings for you have never been as simple as mere yearning because I couldn’t have you. “Do you still remember how you were when you first came to White residence? Back then, you didn’t talk much. You were very quiet— always silent with a faint smile on your face.
My mother privately told me that a girl like you is very gentle. At that time, I didn’t find anything good about a gentle girl. Later, when we were by the pond, you pushed me in. Now that I think about it, I’ve forgotten how cold the water was. The only thing I remember is your expression, and it remains vivid in my mind.
Although you were angry, you were very beautiful. “When I carried you out of the warehouse, you were covered in blood. You’ve probably forgotten about it, but you clutched at me tightly, insisting persistently and stubbornly that I save the child. Your expression back then was truly distressing. At that time, I felt that Anthony Featherstone wasn’t worthy of you since he couldn’t protect you.”
At that, I pursed my lips and dipped my head slightly. The past was too overwhelming to me that they barely beckoned memories anymore.
Nonetheless, he continued speaking. With a bitter smile tugging at his lips, he said, “Thus, I vowed to always take good care of you in the future no matter what happens. I saw the child after it was born, and it already took form. Afraid that you’d be anguished, I took the child away to spare you the grief of seeing it. “Later, you were always in a trance when you learned that the child was gone.
You kept waking up in the middle of the night and spacing out in the room alone. I didn’t notice it in the beginning, but when I later realized it, I kept you company every single night. As time went by, you’d sit beside me and take my hand, asking me to close my eyes and sleep as though you were coaxing me.
“You probably had no idea, but those days were the happiest I’d ever been in my entire life. You always covered me with a blanket when you woke up in the middle of the night. “Sometimes, you’d go into the kitchen when you woke up in the morning, saying that you want to make me breakfast.
Your mind was fuzzy, so the breakfast you made was often burnt or inedible. You’d put sugar into the noodles instead of salt. Actually, sweet noodles don’t taste half bad. Thereafter, I tried making it myself, but I just couldn’t get the same taste as the ones you made me. You said there are no ifs in your world, but Sienna, you don’t know how cruel it is to me.”
Finally, I looked at him. The past then flashed across my mind. All of a sudden, a wave of sorrow flooded me. I couldn’t deny that I indeed owed him so much that I could never repay him.
In the warehouse, he saved me like a hero, while in Lavelian Village, he took a bullet for me without any regard for his own life. Time and again, he saved me from sure death although I ruthlessly pushed him away every single time. However, when some things had happened, they cannot be undone no matter what.
When confronted with him, I couldn’t even bring myself to say a simple utterance of thanks or apology. That was too trivial, and I knew what he wanted, but I just couldn’t do it.
I simply hadn’t been able to bring myself to utter an apology to him. After a long moment of silence, I asserted, “Camelia is a nice girl, so you should treat her well. Don’t let her end up like… you.”
There were countless possibilities as well as twists and turns in life. Thus, I was well aware that regrets were unavoidable no matter what. It was no different from people lamenting about having failed to cherish their youth and neglected to live life in the moment. All those regrets would accumulate throughout the days to become the most precious and interesting aspect of our memories.
That’s right! Life would be dull without any regrets.
Subsequently, I climbed into my car. Starting the car, I drove away from White residence without bidding him farewell. In truth, I wished him happiness and hoped that he would be able to fall in love with another woman, living a life of his own for the rest of his days.
However, such hope was beyond my control. The only thing I could do was to wish that everything would go well.
When I returned to the villa, I received a phone call from Anthony. He seemed to have been asleep, for his voice was a tad hoarse. “Did you not go to Moore Residence and stay at home alone instead?”
Nodding, I plopped onto the bed and replied, “I was initially going over, but I forgot when I came back. I just felt as though you were waiting for me at home, so I came home.
At that, Anthony chuckled softly. “It looks like Mrs. Featherstone is missing me. What did you have for dinner?”
Likewise, I giggled. Without answering him, I remarked, “Anthony Featherstone, it feels like you have life within you now.” In the past, he used to be cold and indifferent without much warmth. From afar, he always seemed rather chilly, but now that I had been with him for a long time, I found that he was oftentimes no different from the ordinary person—he experienced distress, concern, worry, and he would also nag, badger, and always treat me well.
“Why do you say that all of a sudden?” he queried. His voice was still slightly hoarse, and it sounded as though he had caught a cold.
“You’ve caught a cold! Have you taken any medication?” I blurted even as I resolved to go to A City tomorrow barring any unforeseen circumstances.
“I just caught a cold when I disembarked from the airplane, but it’s no big deal. How’s the weather over at K City?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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