"Why do people always have to change..."

Xie Yuzhou carefully placed her on the bed, tucked her in, and looked down at her.

After a while, he somewhat restrainedly reached out, brushed the messy hair from her cheek, and said gently:

"Perhaps, that was simply the wrong person to begin with."

Chapter 23

When Elara woke up the next day, she realized she was already back in bed.

She was stunned for a few seconds, only remembering that she had been eating and then started drinking red wine the day before.

While drinking, she had talked to Xie Yuzhou about her relationship with Julian.

They had known each other too long, and the story was truly too long.

Later, her consciousness began to blur, and she had no memory of what happened afterward.

She got up to wash, only to find Xie Yuzhou hadn't gone to work yet and had already prepared breakfast.

She shuffled to the dining table, eating breakfast while feeling a bit guilty:

"I didn't act like a drunkard yesterday, did I?"

Xie Yuzhou brushed his finger over the place on his shoulder where she had bitten him, then poured her a glass of milk with a natural expression: "No."

Only then did Elara heave a sigh of relief.

A trace of a smile lingered in Xie Yuzhou’s eyes:

"I’m not busy today; how about I accompany you for a walk?"

Elara’s eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly: "Okay."

The two of them went downstairs soon after, and seeing the dampness outside, Elara realized it had rained all night.

As soon as she looked up, she saw a figure standing in front of the villa they lived in.

Julian must have stood outside for an entire night.

He was drenched, his complexion exceptionally pale, and he looked incredibly wretched.

The eyes that had been filled with dead silence only lit up the moment he saw her: "Elara..."

He walked toward her hurriedly, his eyes filled with yearning.

Elara’s steps paused.

She looked him up and down, and Julian’s heart followed her gaze, growing tense involuntarily.

He held his breath subconsciously.

But Elara’s expression was very calm.

She suddenly spoke up: "Do you remember why I proposed divorce for the second time?"

Julian recalled for a moment, and his complexion turned pale inch by inch.

Elara said slowly:

"After Chloe’s first prank, you fired her on the spot and begged for my forgiveness. But later when I went to the company, I saw her working there and realized you had lied to me, and I found her lace panties on your office chair."

"I proposed divorce to you and went home in a huff. You rushed to the floor of my house overnight to explain that you had learned Chloe’s background was pitiful and that Chloe had sworn never to do it again, so your heart softened for a moment."

"You stood there for an entire night. The next day, you had a fever of forty degrees. My parents advised you to go back, but you wouldn't leave, insisting on waiting for me to forgive you, and eventually you collapsed into a coma and were sent to the hospital."

Elara gave a bitter laugh.

"Actually, I knew back then—the first time could perhaps be passed off as you not knowing, but the second time… how could I continue to deceive myself?"

"With a second time, there would be a third, and countless more. I knew, I knew everything, but I just couldn't let go; I just kept thinking you would realize your mistake and wouldn't do it next time."

"I couldn't bear to, I couldn't let go, I felt heartbroken for you… seeing you have a fever and collapse, I wished it were me lying on the ground."

Julian’s eyes were blood-red, his voice trembling: "I'm sorry… Elara, I'm sorry…"

Elara smiled: "It’s okay, because that was my own choice. Just like now… standing here in the rain for a night is also your choice."

"Julian, I’m very happy; your self-abuse no longer works on me."

Julian’s eyes widened in astonishment, his entire being instantly overwhelmed by an all-encompassing pain.

Elara tugged on Xie Yuzhou’s sleeve, then left together with him.

"Elara!"

Looking at her retreating figure, Julian hurriedly wanted to chase after her.

However, he had been injured and hadn't fully recovered, yet he had rushed about looking for Elara all over the world.

His body was drained, and he had stood in the rain for an entire night.

As soon as he moved, he felt a wave of dizziness.

Julian collapsed to the ground with a thud and lost consciousness directly.

Chapter 24

Elara paused in her tracks and looked back at Julian, who had collapsed on the ground.

She sighed and said to Xie Yuzhou, "Can you find someone to take him to the hospital?"

Xie Yuzhou made a direct phone call, gave an order to his bodyguards, and then left with Elara.

The car drove past Julian, who lay on the ground.

Elara’s gaze swept over him calmly, without a trace of the heartache she used to feel.

Julian was soon taken to the hospital.

However, because he had been running a high fever ever since arriving, it developed into pneumonia, and he was in critical condition several times.

He was resuscitated multiple times and even spent several days in the ICU before he was finally stable enough to be moved to a general ward.

Julian remained in a daze, having countless dreams every day.

Sometimes he dreamed of the beautiful times from his childhood with Elara, and even in his dreams, he would laugh happily.

Sometimes, he also dreamed of himself hurting Elara again and again.

He would scream desperately, wanting to make himself drive Chloe away the very first time.

He would panic, trying to stop the version of himself in his dream, reminding him that his current behavior would make him regret it for the rest of his life.

But he was helpless to change anything.

He could only watch as the look Elara gave him became colder and more desperate.

The love in her eyes slowly faded until nothing was left but coldness and hatred.

In the end, it was Elara who said with a smile: "Julian, I’m so happy; your self-abuse is no longer effective on me."

Her smiling, relieved expression became the sharp blade that pierced his heart.

Julian woke up from his dream, streaming with tears.

A nurse was changing his medication, and seeing he was awake, she breathed a sigh of relief: "You’re finally awake."

If the fever had continued any longer, they would have worried he’d be burned into an idiot.

Julian looked at the empty hospital room and asked, with a final glimmer of wishful thinking:

"Has anyone come to see me?"

The nurse looked at him with sympathy:

"A bodyguard brought you in, paid your hospital fees, and then left. No one has been here since."

Julian lowered his eyes in disappointment: "I see. Thank you."

He stayed in the hospital for two more days before being discharged.

Julian returned to the outside of the villa where Elara and Xie Yuzhou lived.

Inside the house, Elara seemed to be chatting with Xie Yuzhou.

They didn't know what they were talking about, but Elara was laughing, unable to stop.

Her laughter reached his ears through the door, and Julian subconsciously curled his lips, but he tasted a bit of bitterness.

She hadn't laughed sincerely at him for a long, long time.

Julian didn't step forward to disturb them; instead, he hid in the shadows, secretly observing Elara’s life.

For a full half-month, he lived like a rat in the dark, peeking at her happiness with someone else every day.

He could see that Elara was having a very happy time during this period.

She had become obsessed with photography, carrying her camera around to take pictures every day, her skills improving daily.

She had also grown to love cooking, occasionally going to the supermarket to buy groceries and researching new recipes.

However, she never had any talent for cooking; Julian, standing outside the door, could occasionally smell something burning, and a moment later, he would hear her scream: "It's a disaster again!"

She had also started to love playing chess.

Although this residential area was abroad, many Chinese people lived there.

Many of them would gather to play chess, and Elara would occasionally go for walks in the villa area, wander over, and play a few games.

Her chess skills weren't high, but she was well-liked by the elderly there, and they all enjoyed teasing her.

And Julian knew that all these changes were brought about by Xie Yuzhou.

Xie Yuzhou would accompany her to take photos, accompany her to cook, and accompany her to play chess.

He was silently and unobtrusively keeping her company, occupying the space beside Elara, and the space in her heart.

And he... he, who once stood by Elara’s side, could only watch from afar, jealous and helpless.