Inside his own living room.

Seeing him enter, his mother spoke up: "The family next door moved away yesterday. They said their youngest daughter is going to the Capital for her internship, and since they were worried, they decided to move with her."

At this point, his mother paused and smiled. "Though it was odd—when your name came up, Mrs. Song said that in the future, Sienna might not even remember you."

"We've known that family for so many years, and you two were always so close. How could she forget you just because they moved away for a few years!"

Sienna... moved away?!

She hadn't said a word to him about such a major event.

For a moment, Julian felt a wave of discomfort, but he quickly rationalized that perhaps the move was rushed, as her internship couldn't be delayed.

Besides, with so many ways to communicate in the modern world, they wouldn't lose touch.

He never imagined that with this move, Sienna would completely vanish from his life.

For two whole years.

During this time, Julian had tried to reach out, but every message he sent was like a stone sinking into the ocean.

He even asked Jude, only to receive a single sentence in reply: "Sienna has finally managed to give up on you. Don't come back to disturb her."

Looking at that message, an inexplicable irritability rose in Julian’s heart.

He opened a booking app and prepared to enter the address of the family’s new home, which he had specifically asked his mother for.

But the moment he went to pay, his finger faltered.

Jude’s words flashed through his mind again. In his hesitation, a knock sounded on his office door, and he was pulled back into his busy schedule...

Julian tried to use this busyness to cover up the void left by Sienna.

But whenever colleagues asked about her, he would often fall into a sudden trance, before steadying the waves in his heart and replying: "She’s busy with her internship."

Deep down, however, Julian knew this was just an excuse to brush off his colleagues and maintain a facade of peace.

The suppressed concern he felt for Sienna had, without him even noticing, already crossed the boundaries he once set.

In the dead of night.

Julian gazed at the thick darkness outside the window, his lit phone screen frozen on Sienna’s social media feed, which hadn't been updated in years.

The background photo was still a picture of the two of them.

Looking at the smile on the girl's face, he couldn't help but ask himself: if he had known that the result of Sienna giving up on him was her complete disappearance from his life, would he still have rejected her so firmly?

It was a question Julian had no answer for.

When dawn broke the next day, he habitually composed his emotions and threw himself into work.

By the time everything was finished and he returned home, another half-month had passed.

Passing by the house next door, Julian glanced over out of habit, only to find that the house which had been dark for two years was suddenly lit up.

They were back?!

Julian’s exhausted spirit jolted, and the calm heart in his chest began to beat rapidly.

He grabbed his phone and quickly sent a message to Jude: "Did you guys move back?"

There was no reply.

Julian tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, the chaotic rhythm betraying his agitation.

He even considered going inside right now to check.

But seeing his weary face in the side mirror, he decided to go home first to freshen up.

Driving into his driveway.

Julian hurried inside, intending to head straight to his room, but saw his parents sitting on the sofa with grim expressions.

He slowed his pace and walked over. "What’s wrong?"

His mother was clearly upset. "The family is back. They’re holding a banquet at the Grand Hotel and invited everyone in our circle, except for us!"

"We used to be so close. How can things become this estranged after just two years!"

His father tried to soothe her from the side. "If we aren't invited, we won't go. We’re going to be neighbors again, so let’s not be so petty."

"We’re going," Julian suddenly spoke up, startling both his parents.

Ignoring them, he stood up. "Let’s go."

He never expected that upon arriving at the hotel, he would discover it was actually Sienna’s engagement party!

Julian couldn't believe it.

He scanned the room, his gaze locking onto Sienna in a corner, wearing a white formal dress.

Her long, straight black hair had been dyed chestnut, and her makeup was exquisite. She had shed the innocence of a young girl and looked more like a mature adult.

She was leaning on the arm of the man beside her, chatting as they walked toward him.

Closer and closer...

Julian could even clearly see the heat and radiance in her eyes as she looked at the man beside her.

Just like the way she used to look at him!

Realizing this, Julian’s breath hitched.

Sienna giving up was exactly what he had once wanted, but now that it was real, he felt utterly out of place and at a loss!

The next second, the approaching Sienna didn't even spare him a glance, brushing right past him—

Julian’s heart skipped a beat, and an unreasoning panic flooded his chest.

Subconsciously, he reached out and grabbed her. "Sienna..."

He called her name, then lost his voice, not knowing what to say.

In the silence, I looked at him, my eyes full of strangeness and confusion: "Sir, do we know each other?"

Chapter 12

The moment those words left my mouth, Julian forgot how to breathe.

He stared blankly at the incredibly familiar girl before him, a suspicion screaming in the depths of his mind.

Julian’s throat felt parched. "You... you don't remember me?"

I shook my head and promptly pulled my hand back. "I need to go see my brother with my fiancé. I won't trouble you any further."

With that, I turned and walked away without stopping.

It wasn't until I left the hall and turned a corner, making sure Julian could no longer see me, that I came to a halt.

Just then, Jude arrived, having heard the news.

He looked at me in my dazed state with concern. "Sienna, are you okay?"

I blinked, coming back to my senses, and forced a bitter smile.

"Jude, it’s been two years. I thought... I thought I could pretend not to know him and interact normally, but..."

"But I... I still can't do it!"

My voice was trembling.

Jude saw this, and his heart ached for me.

Two years ago, he had taken me to a psychological clinic, hoping that hypnosis would help me forget Julian.

But at the very last moment, I couldn't go through with it.

In the end, Jude chose to move the whole family, and fortunately, our parents agreed.

Two years passed in a flash.

During this time, I never mentioned Julian again, and Jude even thought I was getting better.

That was why he decided to move back today.

But he never expected that Julian would show up uninvited and run right into me...

"Jude."

I suddenly spoke, interrupting Jude’s thoughts.

"What is it?"

My hands at my sides were still clutching my skirt tightly. I hesitated, but finally spoke: "I want to go away for a while."

For the past two years, I had pretended I was cured. I stopped mentioning Julian and acted like a normal person.

But only I knew that my heart had long been riddled with holes in a dark place where the light couldn't reach!

Meeting him again, I couldn't stay composed. I could only flee in disgrace, just like I did two years ago.

Jude remained silent for a long time before agreeing.

"Alright. I'll tell Mom and Dad. When do you want to leave?"

"Now."

I didn't dare stay a moment longer. I was afraid of running into Julian again; if that happened, I didn't know if I would still have the acting skills to pretend I’d forgotten him!

Understanding my meaning, Jude took out his phone and transferred a sum of money to me. "Use this for now. Tell me if it’s not enough."

"Since you're going out to have fun, don't think about anything else. Being happy is the most important thing."

I nodded, gave Jude a brief hug, then quickly walked out of the hotel and left in a taxi.

Within a minute of my departure, Julian walked out of the hall.

He looked at Jude, who was standing alone at the entrance, and asked in a deep voice, "Where is Sienna?"

Composing his emotions, Jude looked back at him. "She’s gone."

Julian was stunned. "Gone? Where to?"

"I don't know," Jude replied, attempting to walk past him back into the hall.

Julian grabbed him, his eyes filled with a rare urgency. "You're her brother. She’s a girl out there all on her own—don't you care?"