Gideon stood to the side and smiled thinly.

"Luna, do you love me?"

She put down her chopsticks and gave him a faint smile. "Perhaps."

At least, she had once loved him deeply.

"Gideon, I once had a dream. I dreamt that I married you. In three whole years, you didn't say more than ten sentences to me. You wouldn't even look at me. I knew you liked Serena, and I knew you hated me for tearing you apart. But because I loved you too much, I couldn't bear to let go, so I chose to die.

Oh, right. Before I jumped off the building, I also asked if you loved me. Your answer was the same as it is now. So, Gideon, you don't love me—what right do you have to ask for my love?"

Gideon’s lips curled, the emotion in his eyes bottomless. "What if I said I did?"

"I've asked you three times, and the answer has always been the same."

Once in her past life, and twice in this one.

Chapter 31: Unable to Bear His Hatred

It wasn't easy for Luna to finish her meal, but her mood improved significantly. She held out her hand toward him. "Give it to me."

Gideon gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, but instead of handing her a document, he leaned over and slid a ring onto her extended finger. "This is what I owe you. The divorce agreement is on the desk in the study; go and get it."

Having said that, he suddenly turned and left.

Luna stared blankly at the ring that had appeared on her hand, her mind momentarily stalling.

What on earth was going on now?

Was there something wrong with Gideon? He always seemed to enjoy doing these inexplicable things!

By the time she chased after him, he was already nowhere to be found.

Luna frowned deeply. After a brief moment of reflection, she entered the study. The thing she wanted was lying there quietly.

However, this divorce agreement was different from the one she had signed before. The property division gave her more than half of the assets, the restrictive additional clauses were gone, and all that remained was Gideon’s signature.

This wasn't what she wanted at all!

A fire burned in Luna's heart, but she had no way to vent it.

Whatever. She would move out first and figure the rest out later.

Luna finally got her wish and escaped the large, cold house, but the ring on her ring finger stung as if it were burning her.

She had thought a piece of paper would be her final destination, but as she left, her heart felt strangely empty.

From now on, the name Gideon might never have anything to do with her again.

That was fine.

Luna began to laugh, but as she laughed, she started to cry. It was finally over.

Gideon, I love you. Whether in the past or now—if it were so easy to stop loving, why would she have struggled for so many years?

It was just that her love could not withstand his hatred, his loathing, and his cold indifference.

So, let it end like this.

...

Luna vanished completely. No one knew where she had gone, and no one could contact her.

Winter arrived in the city.

Silver-white specks danced across the sky. While the sight was breathtakingly beautiful, it was also cold enough to freeze everything.

Recently, Luke had discovered a startling issue. The once cold and taciturn Gideon now carried a dirty, ugly little doll with him wherever he went. Luke had tried to sneak a peek at it a few times, but he was always driven back by Gideon’s icy glare.

No one was allowed to touch that thing.

Luke had also brought up Luna's name intentionally or otherwise, but Gideon acted as if he hadn't heard and never answered.

Until one day, Luke said, "Luna is back with a man, and she’s holding a child."

Gideon looked up at him as if waking from a dream. He frowned, appearing as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.

"I once asked you if you loved her, and your answer was 'no.' So what have these past two years been about? Gideon, I truly look down on you."

"She won't forgive me."

"How do you know she won't forgive you if you haven't even tried?"

Gideon gave a faint smile and lowered his gaze again. "Luke, there was once someone I desperately wanted to protect. Because of her death, I directed all my hatred toward Luna. But if one day I found out she wasn't actually dead, what do you think I should do?"

"So you gave up on Luna for her sake?"

"No, for Luna's sake, I gave up on her." Gideon closed his eyes. "Go now. Don't come back."

Luke frowned, sighed, and shook his head as he left.

He didn't understand what Gideon meant. Who exactly did Gideon give up on? There had only ever been two women around him: Luna and Serena.

Luna was gone, and for the past two years, Serena had also...

Chapter 32: Everything Was Reversed

Luke invited Luna to dinner, but when he saw the child she brought along, he couldn't help but pout. "Are you trying to show off to a single guy? Did the kid's father not come with you?"

"No, he's busy." Luna’s complexion was vastly different from before. The child in her arms, just over a year old, was incredibly adorable, staring at Luke with large, round eyes. After a while, the boy reached out toward Luna. "Auntie, Tang wants milky."

Luna put the prepared bottle in his mouth and coaxed him for a moment before looking at the stunned man opposite her. "Anyway, why did you want to see me?"

"He... isn't your son?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is my nephew." Speaking of this, Luna's eyes seemed to light up. "I found my brother. It turns out I was kidnapped back then, not abandoned."

Luke finally smiled. "You aren't married?"

"Am I crazy? Is the game not fun enough or the wine not good enough?"

"..." Luke coughed twice, appearing hesitant.

Luna hated this "wanting to speak but not speaking" act of his. "Why are you more dramatic than me? Just say it; it's not like I'm going to eat you."

"Gideon... he didn't get married either."

"And?" Luna looked at him in confusion. "Doesn't he like Serena? Why didn't he marry her?"

Luke was stunned. "Who told you he likes Serena? Did he say it?"

"He never said it personally, but are my eyes blind? What, are you going to deliver a wedding invitation to me on their behalf? Let me tell you now, I have no money for a gift!"

"Gideon doesn't like Serena. The person he likes is..." Now that Luke had started, he couldn't take it back. Even though Luna showed a strong lack of interest in hearing more, he continued, "Gideon has liked her since he was a child. He even had a doll custom-made for her, but that girl supposedly died in a car accident."

Tang had just finished his milk, and Luna placed the bottle on the table, frowning at him. "A doll?"

"Yeah, I only found out recently. I heard that girl had a scar on her face when she was little and was very thin and weak. Actually, come to think of it, that girl is a lot like you; she was also in a car accident. It’s no wonder you and Gideon were so entangled. Wait..."

The more Luke spoke, the more he felt something was off. He looked up at Luna, who was also wearing an expression of shock.

"The car accident you're talking about... it couldn't be the one you asked me about back then, right?"

"I didn't pay attention; I just knew it was a car accident."

If it were the same accident, then... could they be the same person?

Luke’s eyes widened instantly. Holy crap!

Luna was stunned. Based on what Serena had said, everyone back then thought the one who died in the accident was the Ugly Duckling—her!

But the one Gideon liked was...

Impossible, impossible!

Luna's mind was a complete mess. She felt as if something was weighing on her heart, making it hard to breathe.

Luke knew she might find this hard to accept, but the truth of the matter went far beyond this. "Luna, do you know why I suddenly asked you about the accident two years ago? It was because Gideon found the hit-and-run driver from that year. And do you know why he hated you so much? Serena reversed every single detail and person in that story."

Luna looked at him in disbelief.

"According to her, you were the one who pushed them... No, she had already swapped your identities back then. The Ugly Duckling died, she was injured, and you 'disappeared' under a different identity. Then she pinned everything on you. Doesn't it all look very convenient when laid out like that?"