Before long, a reply came back.

[We know you and Sienna are close, but we’ve heard about her condition. You need to think this through carefully.]

Julian frowned with displeasure after reading this.

He set his phone down, went into the bathroom, and let the cold water stimulate his skin to wake himself up.

Julian propped his hands on both sides of the sink, and the star bracelet peeked out from his sleeve.

His fair fingers pinched the star charm, rubbing away some dried blood.

"I’ve already thought it through," he said to the mirror, as if reminding himself.

At the hospital.

My condition had improved; even during an episode, I would just sit quietly.

However, my sitting in a daze also caused great concern.

"The current state is an illusion. Once she encounters a trigger, the situation will turn bad," the attending physician warned. "We still recommend she stays in the hospital."

Sienna's parents asked, "Would it be better if we took her on a trip to clear her mind?"

They worried their daughter would become more withdrawn by staying in the hospital for too long.

The doctor naturally disagreed, but he couldn't overcome the will of the family.

Finally, he compromised, requiring her to return for a check-up every month; if her condition worsened, she would have to be readmitted.

Thus, Sienna went abroad with her parents.

Occasionally, Jude would receive many photos—some on snowy mountains, some by the sea.

Seeing his sister slowly regaining her vitality, even he began to waver—perhaps keeping her and Julian apart was indeed the best choice.

One day, Julian went to find Jude as usual to ask about Sienna.

Jude showed him the photos.

Jude said, "Brother, I know it's unfair to say this to you, but for her sake... it’s better if you two don't meet anymore."

Julian froze, looking at Jude in disbelief.

"Impossible," Julian said.

Jude said angrily, "Do you want to see her turn back into the way she was before?"

Julian naturally didn't want that, but he had worked so hard to find her and get her to change her mind—how could he let go?

He said, "I must hear her say she doesn't love me anymore with her own ears before I let go. Tell her I will wait for her."

Jude was exasperated and speechless for a moment.

"You can't afford to wait." After saying this, Jude turned and left abruptly.

Julian stood there alone under the streetlight.

His lonely shadow stretched long and far, but it would never touch another's shadow again.

...

At a terrace café, I held a cup of authentic Americano. The bitterness reached the tip of my tongue, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Sitting here, I could look down upon the entire village at the edge of the forest. The breeze stirred my thoughts.

Since coming abroad, I hadn't thought about Julian for a long time.

Even I found it hard to believe.

It turns out that time really can heal a person and help them forget someone.

I finished the dessert on the table and walked into the shop.

My parents were waiting in the corner. When I walked over, I noticed their expressions were off.

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

My parents exchanged a look, and my mother said, "Nothing, just some trouble with your brother's work. It'll be resolved soon."

My father nodded in agreement, but his eyes were slightly guilty.

I could naturally see their discomfort, so I asked again, "What exactly is it?"

My father sighed helplessly. "Julian... he over worked himself and was taken to the emergency room."

The sentence hit me like a bolt from the blue.

"Sienna!" My mother stood up and grabbed my hand. "Listen to me, you are not allowed to go back! He’s not in mortal danger. If you go back and make your own condition worse, what are we supposed to do?!"

My chest, which had been tight with difficulty breathing, suddenly calmed down.

That’s right, I had already caused too much trouble for my family; I couldn't go back to the way I was.

I smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mom. I won't go back."

Chapter 36

In the hospital, Jude threw a package filled with clothes at Julian.

"Madman! You're both madmen!"

Julian helplessly pushed the package aside, an IV still dripping into his hand. "I'm the patient here. Be careful."

"You haven't even taken on that many cases lately! Who would believe you're this exhausted because of work!"

Julian lay weakly on the hospital bed, watching Jude ramble on.

"Where's Sienna?" he asked.

Jude suddenly stopped his shouting, looked at Julian with a complex expression, and said, "She won't come back."

"Is that so." Julian didn't seem to care and closed his eyes.

Seeing him like this, Jude felt truly weary.

This relationship was already doomed; why hurt yourself so much?

One risked cutting her wrist just to avoid him, and the other nearly gave himself a cardiac arrest just to see her.

Did they not realize that one mistake could lead to death?

Jude suddenly understood—they knew they might die, yet they were willing to give up their lives for each other.

"If my death could completely cure her, that would be a fine choice as well."

Jude looked at the man speaking.

His eyes were tightly shut, and his face was peaceful, yet he uttered such chilling words.

"Madman," he said.

Julian chuckled softly. "Love is a thing that makes people go mad."

In the past, Jude never imagined such words coming from Julian’s mouth.

He was a cold person; no girl had ever caught his eye.

Thinking back, only Sienna's presence was tolerated by him.

Jude felt that in this battlefield of love, Julian was likely the one who fell first.

On the other hand, after learning that Julian was hospitalized, I chose not to go back on the surface, but I couldn't help but worry afterward.

Julian had always been fit; why would this happen to him?

How is he doing now?

I held out my hand, looking at my bony palm, and clenched it tightly.

My nails dug into my flesh, which finally calmed me down a bit.

—It’s fine, my brother is with him.

"Sienna, time to eat," came my mother’s voice from the door.

I got up quickly, opened the door halfway, and took the meal my mother brought.

"Are you still eating by yourself today? Can't you join us?"

I hid behind the door, not wanting to see anyone, and closed it firmly.

The food emitted an inviting aroma, but I couldn't smell a thing. I swallowed the food like I was chewing wax.

By the time I finished, I felt uncomfortably full and lay on the bed tossing and turning.

Gradually, drowsiness took over, and I began to dream.

My past nightmares made me afraid of dreaming, and this time was no different. I stood in the void in a panic.

The man before me was no longer holding a blade; instead, he was walking away step by step, watching his silhouette disappear.

My limbs were out of control, and I stood there helplessly.

In reality, my face was already covered in tears.

At the moment his silhouette vanished, I woke up with a start. I stared blankly at the wall, falling into a hallucination.

As if sleepwalking, I stood up, saw the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and suddenly picked up a bowl and smashed it on the floor.

Crash—!

My parents downstairs heard the loud noise and were startled.

They rushed upstairs and used the spare key to open the door.

The moment the door opened, they saw me holding a shard pointed at my wrist.

"Sienna—" my mother screamed in panic, stepping forward to grab the shard.

In an instant, blood splattered.

My father quickly grabbed me from behind, giving my mother the chance to snatch the shard away.

A deep gash was left in my mother’s palm.

I remained indifferent, my head lowered and my eyes vacant and unfocused. I whispered softly: "I'm coming to see you right now..."

The moment those words were spoken, my mother broke down in tears.

Chapter 37

I don't know how much time passed, but I finally regained my clarity.

Looking at the deep gash in my mother’s palm, I broke into tears, repeating "I'm sorry" over and over again.

Unable to bear seeing me cry, my mother comforted me, saying, "It’s fine. This is a good excuse for me to rest for a while. I’ll let your father do all the cooking!"

My father nodded. "I will work hard on my culinary skills."

My mother retorted teasingly, "As long as it's edible, I'll be satisfied."

Wiping away my tears, I watched my parents playfully bickering, feeling a sudden surge of envy.

Regrettably, I might never be able to have such a happy love in this lifetime.

Soon, the month's journey came to an end, and I returned to the country for a follow-up check-up.