I ate, drank, slept, read books occasionally, and sometimes watched videos of runway shows.

It seemed as though nothing had changed from before.

Except for one thing: I was unwilling to step foot outside that room.

It was as if there were something beyond that door that I refused to face.

And indeed, there was. After being discharged from the hospital, Xavier had come straight to the hotel.

However, he simply waited outside the room.

Waiting for me to come out, waiting for me to... see him.

It became a tug-of-war of time.

And I did not leave the room.

I could hear Mrs. Hannigan going out to tell him that my three meals a day were normal and my appetite was fine.

Mrs. Hannigan tried to persuade him to go back, but Xavier refused.

Xavier said he was fine and would continue to wait right there.

Several times, Celine couldn't bear to watch any longer and ran over to try and drag Xavier back.

After being pushed away by him, she rushed to the door, pounding on it and shouting, "My brother is right out here! Do you even know that, Sister?!"

Of course, I knew.

But I remained unmoved.

"Clara, go out and get some fresh air."

In the afternoon, Mrs. Hannigan made a suggestion with a smile, adding, "You’ve kept yourself locked in this room for three days. If you don't go out, you're going to get depressed."

I only shook my head.

Seeing that I was dead set against stepping out of the room, Mrs. Hannigan frowned and said, "Do you still want to continue working? All your work has been suspended since the last press conference. It’s time to go out and—"

Before she could finish, I lifted my eyes to look at her and asked, "What work do I need to do now? Runway shows?"

"All the current work is related to Celine’s new product design launch."

After what happened, how could Celine possibly have the energy to focus on business matters?

Mrs. Hannigan was speechless.

"As for Miss Riverton..."

"You haven't signed the contract with her yet, have you? In that case, forget it. I don't want to be her spokesperson, nor do I want to take any endorsements related to the Riverton Corporation."

"This..."

Those words were essentially blocking my own professional path for the future.

But Mrs. Hannigan would not allow it.

"Clara, I don't care what happened between you and President Riverton, but right now you are my model and I am your manager. I have the right to arrange your work. You cannot make a joke out of your own future."

Future...

Hearing those words, my lips curled into a self-deprecating smile. "So, I actually still have a 'future' to speak of."

True, if I had truly forgotten that unbearable past, I would indeed have a bright future ahead.

But now that I remembered everything, I could no longer face the Clara of the past.

Humble, pained, and filthy...

"Mrs. Hannigan, I’m sorry."

Despite a thousand things I could have said, in the end, I had failed her years of cultivation.

Mrs. Hannigan couldn't take it anymore. She sat down beside me and patted my shoulder.

"Clara, if you're hurting inside, just tell me. I will always be with you."

I smiled faintly and shook my head.

"No, I stopped hurting a long time ago."

The person living now is just a Clara who wants a mundane life.

Chapter 25

"Mrs. Hannigan, let that man in."

"Hmm?"

"I’m willing to meet Xavier once, but tell him—this is the last time."

Don't say I never gave him a chance.

This final meeting; whatever needs to be said or done, let’s settle it all at once.

Mrs. Hannigan nodded frantically, terrified that I might change my mind.

"By the way, help me find a knife."

In that instant, Mrs. Hannigan’s heart leaped into her throat.

"What... what do you want a knife for?"

"Clara, don't you dare—"

I curled my lips helplessly. "Don't worry. As for seeking death, I already did that once four years ago. Having faced death, I don't dare try it again."

Only those who have died once know how terrifying death truly is.

That evening, Xavier entered the room and saw me standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.

There were only a few steps between us.

He wanted to come closer, but I spoke indifferently: "Stay right there. Don't come any closer."

The man stopped. At that moment, he lacked the courage to take a single step further.

He looked at me, while my gaze merely drifted away to look out the window.

The sun was setting; the light of the day was coming to an end.

"Say what you have to say."

I trust Mrs. Hannigan already told him—this is the last time I will see him.

The last time. He could interpret those words however he wished.

The death of one party, or... two parties never meeting again.

There was a knife on the table. Naturally, I hoped that neither he nor I would have to use it.

But if he insisted...

Then that would be another matter entirely.

Xavier looked at the knife on the table, his eyes darkening.

"Clara, it is impossible for me to let you go."

Therefore, there was only one choice left.

Xavier walked over, picked up the knife from the table, and walked toward me step by step.

I stood my ground, my eyes dull as I watched the man approach me.

In the end, we still ended up on this path of no return.

"Have you considered this? If you make me kill you, I will truly become a murderer, and then... I’ll have to go to prison again."

Those last few words made Xavier’s body tremble.

Yet he still came to stand before me, and in the next second, he handed the knife to me.

"Before I came here, I already wrote a suicide note. You are not a murderer."

And he would have committed suicide.

Hearing this, my eyelashes fluttered.

A suicide note...

It seemed he had already made all the preparations.

Waiting for me to kill him with my own hands.

Even so—even at the cost of his life—he still couldn't bring himself to say we should walk away as strangers?

"Xavier, do you think I won't dare?"

I laughed coldly and took the handle of the knife. At that moment, all the hatred surged back into my heart.

He was provoking me, thinking I wouldn't dare?

Then I would let him know what death feels like!

Xavier pulled me into an embrace with his injured hand.

That touch made my heart tremble. Like a small animal losing control, I acted without regard for anything else and drove the knife into his chest.

The blade sank in deep.

But—

It did not pierce his heart.

Xavier smiled and held me tightly in his arms. Dark red blood soaked through his clothes and stained my hands.

Looking at his smile and the vivid red on my hands, I panicked.

"Why..."

Why didn't you dodge?

"Clara, this is what I owe you. Now I’m giving it back."

I abruptly let go of the handle, wanting only to flee.

But Xavier’s tall frame held me fast, the blood staining my clothes as well.

That strike had hit him right in the chest.

"Xavier, I still hate you."

"Hating me is still better than forgetting me for the rest of your life..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker until finally, those dark pupils gradually dimmed.

Yet the hands holding me tight refused to let go.

Even in death, he would not release me.

I watched as this man gradually lost consciousness, lost his breath.

And I remained as quiet as stone.

No tears, no heartache—only silence.

Perhaps Clara had already died four years ago.

Xavier died. The police ruled it a suicide.

But I still went to the police station to surrender and confess.

This ill-fated entanglement finally ended with us separated by life and death.

No one won.

How can one explain the word "love" when both sides are destroyed?

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[END]