When Julian had taken this necklace without hesitation just to please Summer, he had never considered what it meant to Elena.

Now, he was insisting it was their "token of love."

He had known all along that the necklace was significant; he had simply never considered Elena’s feelings.

Elena let out a low laugh and casually tossed the necklace into the trash can.

"What token of love? I don't recognize it."

Chapter 16

The light in Julian’s eyes seemed to sink into darkness along with that necklace.

【Elena kissed that maple leaf countless times, but Julian never knew once...】

【His heart was entirely on Summer; what could he know? Besides, even if he did know, he wouldn't care.】

【Turning the gesture of love for you into a signature move for 'Elena' in the boxing ring—can Elena really let go...】

Julian’s gaze landed on the comments, and he realized in a daze:

So this necklace had carried Elena’s silent love for three years.

He suddenly remembered when he went to watch Elena’s match a year ago; the audience started cheering the moment she appeared, and many of them did the gesture of bowing their heads to kiss their necklaces.

But he hadn't finished watching that match. Upon hearing that Summer had sprained her ankle, he had rushed over immediately.

After all, Elena’s boxing matches could be watched anytime, but Summer was different—anything concerning her was, to Julian at that time, of supreme importance.

After that, he never went to watch Elena’s boxing matches again, focusing all his heart and mind on Summer.

As a result, he had missed out on Elena’s persistent and intense love.

Elena watched his dazed expression and frowned slightly.

She turned to look at Summer and understood:

"If you want to talk to Summer privately, then go outside and talk. Don't be an eyesore to me."

Julian snapped back to reality and shook his head vigorously:

"I don't have the slightest bit of affection for her! Elena, I was blind before; the person I’ve always loved is you!"

"Summer is no longer any concern of mine!"

Summer’s eyes widened as well, and she grabbed Elena’s arm tightly, tears beginning to well up in her eyes again:

"Sister Elena, I have nothing to do with him! Beat me if you’re angry; I must atone for my sins!"

Elena only felt a headache coming on.

She took one look at Julian, who seemed ready to swear on his life, and sighed.

She had once thought that as long as Julian let Summer go, she could immediately be by his side.

But now, Elena’s mind kept flashing back to the sight of him forsaking her for Summer’s sake.

The nail in her heart had been pulled out, but the scar it left remained.

Julian was afraid that if he stayed here, it would only deepen Elena’s misunderstanding. He picked up the necklace from the trash, clutched it to his chest, and turned to leave.

Summer didn't know what to do; she only clung to Elena, tears streaming down:

"Sister Elena, I know you’re the one who treats me the best. They only ever treated me as a vase to be fought over..."

"Before, everything that happened before was my fault!"

【Baby, how can you say that! The male lead and the second male lead shed countless tears and blood for you!】

【But it’s a fact that Cole has been neglecting Summer; now that he doesn't come home all day, it’s inevitable for Summer to overthink...】

【Besides, the second male lead also left her. You could say there’s no one left by Summer’s side to spoil her.】

Elena watched the debate in the comments quietly.

She looked down at Summer, who was trying hard not to cry out loud, and suddenly thought: perhaps the love Cole and Julian spoke of wasn't what Summer wanted at all.

Just like how she hated the underground boxing ring from the bottom of her heart but had no right to choose.

Summer hadn't done anything wrong.

Julian returned to the long-forgotten underground boxing ring in a daze.

The owner smiled, victory already in his grasp:

"Black Hawk, I knew you’d return."

Julian said in a low voice:

"I just want to vent."

The owner smilingly arranged a boxing match for him.

When Julian stood on the ring, his opponent already showed fear due to the reputation of "Black Hawk."

But as he looked at the other person, the face before him slowly transformed into Elena’s.

During every life-or-death match, Elena must have been terrified and afraid too...

Julian’s mind was wandering; he didn't even hear the order to "Start." It wasn't until the opponent’s fierce punch came straight at his face that he snapped back to reality.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer raise his fists.

The image of Elena kept flashing before his eyes, watching her get knocked down time after time, only to climb back up.

Julian could only keep dodging. The thunderous cheers from the audience gradually died down, slowly turning into skepticism.

Another straight hook landed. Julian couldn't react in time and was slammed to the ground, unable to climb up again.

Even the referee’s tone in announcing the result carried disbelief. Julian lay on the stage, listening to the opponent’s frantic shouts of shock, and the noise in his ears grew distant.

He pulled the maple leaf necklace from his collar, wanting to bow his head and kiss it, but stopped at the last second, clutching it tightly in his hand instead.

"…I'm sorry."

Chapter 17

Julian fought in the boxing ring for an entire afternoon, yet he never managed to win a single match.

He couldn't find a single patch of unblemished skin on his body, but he seemed not to feel it at all, letting the fierce fists of various opponents slam into him over and over.

Finally, during the tenth match, his left arm was broken, and he was forced to stop.

【Black Hawk is no longer the Black Hawk he used to be...】

【Three years ago, he was full of spirit, his position as Boxing King unquestioned; not long ago, he was enraged for the sake of a beauty, risking his life to win a necklace... Sigh.】

Julian stared blankly, feeling that the word "beauty" was blindingly glaring.

The life-or-death match where he had won that necklace for Summer had been a massive spectacle; Elena must have known about it too.

What would she think of it?

A "Black Hawk" fan in the audience was so agitated that he climbed onto the ring and punched him hard:

"What is wrong with you! You are nothing but a piece of trash!"

Staff quickly dragged the person away and handed Julian over to the doctors to treat his wounds.

The owner paced over, looking at him with a frown:

"What is going on with you?"

Julian looked up, his voice hoarse:

"Does Elena know about the death match I fought for that necklace?"

He had the answer in his heart, but he couldn't let go of the hope, as if Elena not knowing meant the event had never happened.

But the owner said:

"Elena hasn't come here for a long time, and she won't ever come back."

Julian’s heart trembled:

"…What do you mean?"

The owner said indifferently:

"She announced her retirement not long after she became Boxing King."

"She never listened to me; she only had eyes for you. I couldn't wait for her to get out. I had hoped to reap more profit once you returned, but who would have thought you’d become such a廢物 (useless person) now!"

Julian ignored the sarcasm in his tone, his mind left only with a blank void.

【Sigh, the second female lead had originally intended to propose being with Julian after becoming Boxing King, but in the end...】

【There’s nothing to regret. If they had really ended up together, who knows how much more suffering Elena would have endured!】

【Two years... and the wish she got in exchange was merely the right to refuse.】

Julian took a deep breath.

He had promised Elena that he would fulfill one wish for her once she became Boxing King.

Elena had foolishly risked her life, fighting two death matches a day for a promise...

Yet when she became Boxing King, not only did he not notice it immediately, he had forced her to stand on the edge of life and death once again just so he could pursue Summer!

Elena had traded two years of blood and tears for one wish:

"I won't go."

That was the desperate whisper of her maintaining her last shred of dignity.

The owner gave him a look of disgust, picked up Elena’s shattered mask, and threw it at him:

"Consider it my bad luck. Get out of here."

Julian gripped the broken mask tightly, feeling his very heart tremble.

He could almost imagine Elena’s resolute expression as she snapped the mask in two.