Yet even such resolute love couldn't escape the erosion of time.

My eyes grew inexplicably red, and I struggled to turn my wheelchair away.

No matter how much love there is, once one party becomes a burden, this love probably cannot withstand the attrition...

...

Ethan felt as if his consciousness were drifting in the sea, unable to escape the sense of weightlessness.

In a daze, he heard my voice.

"Ethan, Ethan..."

The medicine in the IV tube dripped silently, and Ethan’s unconscious mutterings echoed faintly in the quiet room.

"Clara..."

Hearing Ethan, who had been in a coma for five days, finally open his mouth, my father-in-law’s previously dim eyes lit up: "Ethan, you're finally awake!"

"Clara..."

When he heard the name lingering on his lips clearly, my father-in-law’s face stiffened.

He masked the helplessness in his eyes and pressed the nurse's call button.

Not long after, the doctor arrived with a nurse to perform a check-up on Ethan.

The soreness in his arm helped Ethan slowly regain clarity.

He opened his eyes slowly, and what greeted him was a plain white ceiling.

This is... the ward?

"The patient has no major problems for now; he can be discharged after recuperating for a period of time."

Hearing the doctor’s words, Ethan’s hazy eyes slowly sharpened.

Clara...

She was threatened by Melanie; she must have been terrified!

Before his body had gathered any strength, he forcibly threw off the blanket, preparing to get out of bed and find me.

My father-in-law was startled and hurriedly stopped him: "What are you doing? Do you not want to live!?"

Ethan didn't even look at him, directly ripping the needle from the back of his hand: "I’m going to find Clara, let me go..."

The remaining strength was exhausted during his struggle, and he fell weakly back onto the bed.

Seeing this, my father-in-law stopped speaking, caught between words.

Just as he was about to tell him the truth, Qi Ming, dressed in plain clothes, arrived.

Chapter 42

Seeing Ethan awake, Qi Ming felt relieved: "Mr. Ethan, Melanie has fallen to her death. Liam was arrested two days ago while preparing to leave the country. The 10 million he defrauded using Melanie has been recovered. After you are discharged, please go to the Public Security Bureau to confirm."

Ethan felt his brain was in a total mess, and he could only respond with a low sound.

Qi Ming offered a few words of concern and then left.

Gathering a bit of strength, Ethan stumbled and ran out.

"Ethan!"

My father-in-law panicked and hurriedly chased after him.

Pushing open the door to my ward, Ethan called out hoarsely: "Clara!"

However, the room was empty.

The blanket was folded neatly; there was only an empty medical tray on the table. Everything in the room looked as if no one had ever lived there.

Ethan stood frozen, his thoughts short-circuiting in a daze.

Where had I gone?

Watching Ethan search for traces of me in the room, my father-in-law finally spoke: "Four days ago, Clara left after leaving a letter for you."

As he spoke, he took the letter out of his pocket.

Hearing this, Ethan’s pupils constricted violently: "What did you say?"

My father-in-law handed over the letter: "I thought she would come around, but I didn't expect her to leave so suddenly. Not even Julian knows where she went..."

"Boom!"

In that instant, Ethan felt a thunderclap explode in his ears, leaving his brain completely blank.

He stared at the letter in my father-in-law’s hand, slow to reach out for it.

As if, as long as he didn't take it, I wouldn't truly be gone.

I wouldn't leave; why would I leave? Clearly, back then... he had seen himself in my eyes once more!

"No... it can't be, it can't be..."

Ethan muttered, his eyes filled with helplessness, finding nowhere to rest.

My father-in-law felt heartbroken. He didn't want Ethan to suffer so much, but perhaps for me, I would never be able to let go of the past. Continuing to be with Ethan would only make the burden in my heart heavier and heavier.

He sighed tremblingly: "Ethan, let go."

That sentence, full of helplessness, made Ethan’s breathing choke.

Everything about me played in his mind like a movie, over and over, fading with each replay.

Letting go meant that he might never see me again, not even for one last time.

How could he... how could he!

Ethan clenched his fists: "I'm going to find her."

After saying that, ignoring my father-in-law's obstruction, he rushed out of the ward.

The warm spring sun shone on the bustling streets.

A taxi slowly drove to the downstairs of the Lin residence, and before it had even fully stopped, Ethan rushed out of the car.

"I'm sorry, the user you have dialed is switched off, please try again later..."

For the thirteenth time, the cold, mechanical voice sounded from the phone; every word felt like a knife leaving bloody scars on his heart again and again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Ethan pounded on the door, screaming hoarsely: "Clara! Clara!"

But no matter how he shouted, there was no response from inside.

Until the door next door opened, and an old woman with white hair stepped out, reminding him: "Young man, stop knocking. That girl moved out days ago; there’s no one in there anymore."

Hearing this, Ethan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, his last support collapsing in that moment.

I was gone.

No one knew where I had gone.

I was like the wind; after existing for a time, I had disappeared completely from the city.

The night was like ink.

The entire city looked like an island made of neon lights—lonely yet brilliant.

In the villa, only a single warm yellow floor lamp was lit in the vast living room.

Ethan sat on the sofa, his hollow gaze fixed on my photo and the letter on the table.

"Ethan, by the time you read this letter, I will have already left—not because of hatred, but because of love. I once thought I could never forgive you in this lifetime, because I didn't want to have no face to see my mother and child after I died. But I overestimated my own cold-heartedness. I simply couldn't completely let go of you, nor could I face myself walking toward death step by step in front of you. Perhaps only by leaving can I love you without reservations, and face the end of my life with equanimity. I'm sorry, don't look for me anymore. Clara."

Chapter 43

The few words were brief, yet every syllable seemed filled with Clara's helplessness and heartache.

The half-open door was pushed aside, and her father-in-law walked in.

He turned on the light, and the entire living room brightened, yet it felt indescribably desolate.

Looking at Ethan, who sat on the sofa with a vacant expression, he felt both angry and pained: "Clara has been gone for over three months now; how long do you intend to remain this dejected?"

Ethan’s eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

From the very first day Clara left, his entire world seemed to have lost its color.

Even the most basic emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—had become incredibly dull.

Seeing that he refused to speak, his father finally disclosed a piece of news he had worked hard to uncover: "There is a special nursing home in Linchuan City. Three months ago, ten ALS patients were registered for admission. All patient information is kept confidential, but two of the patients have conditions that match Clara's basics very closely."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light finally returned to Ethan's eyes.

He stared intensely at his father, afraid that he was merely trying to comfort him: "Dad, is what you said true?"

His father frowned: "Of course it's true."

The withered heart seemed to be showered with sweet rain, allowing Ethan to find hope once more.

He did not hesitate for a second and immediately had Tang Hui buy the earliest flight ticket.

At 5:00 a.m., he rushed to the airport.

After a two-hour flight, Ethan arrived in Linchuan City.

Following the address provided by his father, he took a three-hour car ride to reach the nursing home.

It was very quiet here; the trees along both sides of the road were lush, and as a breeze blew through, the shadows of the trees dappled the ground like stars.

The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and every corner was incomparably tranquil.

Standing at the gate of the nursing home, Ethan felt as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

Anticipation, worry, and fear squeezed his thoughts, making him even more terrified that if Clara wasn't here, he would truly never find her again.

After several deep breaths, Ethan finally stepped inside.

At the triage desk, a nurse was recording something. Seeing Ethan enter, she asked politely: "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"