So, Clara had understood their conversation back then!

She had known all along that he and Selene had registered their marriage, and she had watched as he and everyone else tried to keep her in the dark.

Night’s heart raced with a violent sense of panic.

He had truly believed he could hide it well enough to have both Selene and Clara in his life. He thought he was being cautious. To him, Selene was merely a lingering obsession—he resented her for leaving with another man and had been driven almost to madness by the desire to keep her by his side forever.

But she was supposed to be the one hidden away. He never intended for Clara to find out about their relationship, because the person he truly loved had been Clara ever since those years of darkness.

Yet, he never expected that she had learned Italian. She had understood that entire conversation; she had discovered everything!

How could she be so heartless? He only had a lingering obsession with the past and felt a bit of pity for Selene—how could Clara deactivate all her information and vanish completely from his world?

His eyes welled up, and his vision blurred as tears spilled over.

He remembered those years when Clara was by his side. In that pitch-black void, her voice was the only thing steady and warm.

"Don't be afraid, Night. I’ll stay with you forever."

"Forever?"

"As long as you don't do anything to betray me, then of course it will be forever."

Back then, Night had pulled the young girl into his arms, his voice thick with emotion.

"I would never betray you, Clara. It’s a promise, then—you have to stay with me forever."

But when did it all change?

Was it Selene’s repeated pleading, or her tear-streaked, aggrieved face?

Gradually, he began to take Clara’s presence for granted. He started thinking about the woman who had once abandoned him—the woman who just happened to fall on hard times, and who just happened to be waiting for him to rescue her.

He had been confident that he could keep everything firmly within his grasp.

But he had forgotten that while Clara had no one else but him, she was never the type to settle for a compromised life. Rather than endure internal torment, she would choose to leave him entirely.

Clara knew him too well. She knew that if Night caught wind of her plan to leave, he would stop at nothing to force her to stay.

So, she cast everything aside—including every possible way to find her—and vanished from Night Knightley’s world once and for all.

As the realization sank in, Night suppressed the surging desperation in his heart.

"Clara, it’s impossible. I will never let you go!"

He whispered her name over and over, his eyes filled with a raw, aching longing.

"Clara, it’s my fault. I shouldn't have treated you like that for another woman."

"You can do whatever you want to me—hit me, curse me, anything—but please, just don't leave my side."

He repeated his apologies countless times until his voice turned hoarse. But the person who was supposed to hear them was no longer there.

Everything he said was in vain.

"Clara Jiang, I will find you. Even if I have to search to the ends of the earth, we will meet again!"

Night’s gaze turned fierce and resolute. He would never let go; Clara could only ever belong to him. He would admit his faults, he would kneel and beg for forgiveness, and he would find a way to make her forgive him—but he would never allow her to leave him.

Filled with grim determination, Night’s hands trembled as he opened his phone's gallery and pressed a reverent, desperate kiss against her photo.

——————————

When the plane touched down in Melbourne, it was exactly the middle of the night.

The immigration officer flipped through her documents and asked a few routine questions.

"Ms. Clara Jiang, how long do you intend to stay in Australia?"

"Hello. I’ve accepted an offer from a company here in Melbourne. My work visa is already processed, and I expect to be working here for at least two years."

Hearing her fluent English, the officer didn't press further and stamped her passport for entry.

Clara thanked him politely, collected her luggage, and stepped out of the airport. She used her newly purchased phone to look up her hotel's location and hailed a cab.

The driver was an Australian-Chinese woman who immediately struck up a conversation upon seeing Clara’s face. Hearing her native language in a foreign land made Clara feel an immediate sense of warmth.

As they chatted along the way, the driver shared many tips about living in Melbourne, all of which Clara noted down carefully. By the time they reached the hotel, the two had even exchanged contact information. The driver helped her move her bags to the elevator before taking her leave.

Clara used her key card to open the door. Seeing the clean, tidy room, the tension she had been holding finally snapped. She unpacked her essentials, went downstairs for a quick dinner, and returned to wash up. Falling onto the soft, large bed, she was asleep almost instantly.

She slept soundly through the night.

The next day, she woke up groggy around two in the afternoon. Seeing the completely unfamiliar room, Clara felt a momentary sense of displacement. It took about five minutes for the reality to sink in: she had left her hometown and arrived in a brand-new country.

Melbourne was in the height of summer, and the weather was sweltering. She picked out a light dress, headed out for a late lunch, and then took a taxi to the area near her office to view the apartment she had reserved.

The landlord met her on time and handed over the keys. After touring her new home, Clara made a list of things she needed to buy and hired a professional cleaner to tidy the place up.

By evening, she moved her luggage into the apartment and settled in.

Over the next few days, Clara purchased various life essentials, and the once-empty rooms slowly began to feel like a home. While organizing her things, she stayed in touch with the roommate who was scheduled to arrive in a few days.

Slowly but surely, she adapted to local life. Because she was a talented cook and lived near several universities, she—being quite young herself—naturally fell in with a group of international students and befriended two girls who lived nearby.

They took her out shopping, introduced her to local restaurants, and visited famous landmarks together. Clara spent her days working at the office and her free time exploring with them; life was becoming quite pleasant.

One morning, she heard a commotion outside her door. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she stepped out of the bedroom to find a girl in her early twenties pushing a suitcase, greeting her with a shy smile.

"Hi, are you Clara Jiang? I’m Simmy Sun, your roommate."

Clara then remembered her roommate mentioning she would arrive in Melbourne today. She quickly stepped forward to welcome her, helping her settle her luggage and showing her the layout of the apartment.

In a single morning, the two—who had only chatted online—became fast friends. By afternoon, they were already heading to the supermarket together.

Since Simmy was a student and classes were starting in a few days, Clara personally cooked a feast and invited the friends she had made recently for a housewarming dinner. After spending time together, everyone’s bond grew significantly closer.