"Ethan!"

Janice, who had hurriedly run out after him, looked at him in utter bewilderment.

Ethan shot her a cold glance, withdrew his hand, stood in silence for a brief moment, and turned to leave.

"Ethan, what's wrong with you?" Janice stepped forward, trying to support him, but he shoved her hand away.

Janice watched Ethan walking down the street, her heart filled with suspicion. How could he turn into this state just from a trip to the restroom?

Suddenly, she recalled the voice she had heard earlier, which seemed to shout "Seraphina." She instantly grew vigilant.

But in the next second, she found it utterly absurd. Seraphina had been dead for nearly two months, and she had died in the Scottish Highlands—there was no way she could be here.

Janice glared at his retreating figure, let out a disdainful snort, and turned around to get her car.

The apartment.

Julian handed the bag back to Seraphina.

"Get some rest early."

Seraphina nodded, signing "Thank you" to him, followed by "Goodnight."

Seeing this, Julian froze slightly. Why was she using sign language?

By the time he snapped out of it, Seraphina had already gone inside. He could only sigh, turning back to his own apartment across the hall.

Seraphina switched on the lights, staring at the empty living room. For a split second, she felt as though she were still inside that estate she shared with Ethan.

A trace of loneliness flitted across her eyes, and she looked down at the paper and pen in her hands.

While in the car earlier, she had looked up details regarding vocal cord nerve repair surgery; the risks were immense, and the success rate was a mere twenty percent.

She let out a bitter smile. To tell the truth, upon seeing that result, she no longer wanted to undergo the surgery. There was no point in wasting so much money on such a massive gamble. Consequently, she had learned a few simple signs; perhaps sign language would become her "voice" from now on.

Seraphina walked to the sofa and sat down, leaning back against the cushions in exhaustion.

The silhouette of the man she had seen outside the restroom unexpectedly flashed through her mind.

He looked a bit like Ethan.

But she shook her head, convinced she must have misseen. How could she possibly run into him by such a coincidence?

He was probably with Janice right now...

Chapter 22: A Hair's Breadth

The next morning, Julian left a message for Seraphina, saying he was heading to the hospital first to consult the doctors.

After watching some television, Seraphina prepared a simple lunch for herself, ate quickly, and rested for a bit.

She looked at the sky outside. It was gloomy, and though it wasn't snowing, the cold was biting.

Choosing a black, belted trench coat, she put on her face mask and stepped out the door.

It had been nearly two months since she last visited her father.

At that thought, her chest felt increasingly stifled. Yet, she didn't regret her choices; Julian had told her that the little girl was completely healthy now and had gone abroad with her parents.

The scent of fireworks still lingered in the air, but Seraphina let out a soft sigh, unable to feel any of the festive joy.

The cemetery.

As far as the eye could see, there was no one else but Seraphina. The cold wind blew in gusts, making her slender figure look rather desolate.

Seraphina gently set the flowers before her father's grave. Lowering her face mask, she stroked the freezing, hard tombstone, thinking in her heart: Dad, I'm sorry. It took me this long to come see you.

The rims of her eyes grew red, and a tear slipped out uncontrollably, splashing onto the ground.

She sniffed her nose, turning her gaze to her mother's tombstone beside his, her tears cascading even more violently.

If they were still alive, seeing her like this would surely break their hearts.

Seraphina lowered her head in profound guilt, slowly sitting down between the two tombstones. She stared up at the overcast sky, continuously speaking to them in her mind.

When she felt wronged, her eyes reddened as she lowered her head; when she felt sorrow, her tears flowed; and when she thought of something happy, she let out a tearful smile.

It seemed that only in a place like this, at a moment like this, could she unreservedly release her joys and sorrows...

Suddenly, her phone chimed.

Seraphina pulled it out to look; it was a message from Julian.

Something came up at work. I'll be back a bit late. Remember to eat dinner.

After replying to the message, Seraphina stood up. She lingered for a short while longer before leaving.

The sky had completely darkened by the time Seraphina walked down the street, watching the passersby, each wearing a smile on their face.

She walked up to that boutique display window once again, where the wind chimes were still hanging.

Seraphina's gaze locked. It seemed that a month before her divorce from Ethan, she had personally made a string of seashell wind chimes, intending to mail them to him for his birthday.

But...

She lowered her eyes and let out a self-deprecating smile. Perhaps he had received them, but that string of wind chimes was surely rotting away in some landfill by now.

Seraphina withdrew her gaze, shook her head to clear her thoughts, and left the boutique.

A little boy of about two or three years old, playing with a balloon, came skipping past Seraphina. The boy's mother, cradling another child in her arms, shouted from behind for him to be careful.

Seraphina watched the little boy's figure, her gaze gradually turning soft. If her marriage had been normal, perhaps her child would be around this age by now.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the blue balloon, causing it to roll toward the middle of the road. The little boy immediately stretched out his hands and chased after it.

"Balloon, balloon..."

"Tommy! Come back!" the boy's mother shrieked in absolute terror.

From around the corner, a black car came driving up.

In that split second, Seraphina felt as though she were seeing her father. On that horrific night, he had wandered blindly onto the road, only to be struck by a speeding vehicle.

Her heart seized violently. Slipping her bag entirely from her shoulder, she charged toward the little boy stranded in the middle of the street.

It was night, and since the little boy was small and crouching down, Leo didn't notice him at all. By the time the boy stood up, the car was a mere four or five meters away.

Leo's eyes widened in horror, and he slammed his foot onto the brakes. But suddenly, a figure bolted out in front of the car, scooping the little boy up fiercely.

Accompanied by a sharp, piercing screech of brakes, Seraphina tumbled to the ground, a drilling pain tearing through her right ankle.

"Tommy! Tommy!" The boy's mother ran over frantically. Seeing her child was unharmed, she kept thanking Seraphina, "Thank you! Thank you so much, sweetheart!"

The car had stopped ten meters away. Leo was panting heavily with lingering fear, while in the backseat, Ethan's face was completely black.

Chapter 23: Settling the Score

"C-CEO..." Leo wiped away a cold sweat. "I'm sorry, a child suddenly dashed out."

Ethan's forehead throbbed with a slight pain from the impact just now. His dark, brooding eyes stared at the scattered onlookers reflected in the rearview mirror.

Seraphina tried to stand up, but putting any weight on her right foot sent a bone-shattering wave of pain through her.

She pulled off her face mask, her face contorting as she gasped for air. Yet, she felt a small sense of relief; at least this time she hadn't nearly lost half her life like before.

"Sweetheart, let me call a car to take you to the hospital." The boy's mother was filled with both gratitude and guilt.

Bracing herself against a streetlight, Seraphina managed to stand up with great difficulty. She smiled and shook her head at the mother, signaling that it was nothing.

It was at that exact split second that Ethan’s pupils contracted violently. He stared with a slight tremor at that blurry yet deeply familiar face.

It was Seraphina!

Just as Leo was about to start the car, he heard the sound of a door swinging open. Looking back, Ethan was already stepping out of the backseat.

"CEO Vance?" Leo quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out of the car as well.

Ethan fixed his gaze on the figure whose back was turned to him. A distance of a mere dozen meters suddenly felt like thousands of miles. Every step he took felt as though he were walking through a tossing, churning sea.

"Sweetheart, your foot is completely swollen. You really should go to the hospital."

The boy's mother was far too worried. Just as she was about to flag down a car, a tall, imposing figure pushed his way through.