"I have nothing left! You are the one who ruined me! I used to be a college student with a steady job and a normal life! You were the one who chose me, you were the one who turned me into this! Why don’t you just go and die?"

She stabbed him repeatedly until the blood splashed onto her hands, bringing her back to her senses. In her panic, the knife dropped to the ground, and she turned and fled.

Julian leaned against the wall, his body slowly sliding down, looking as if he were already dead.

But after a while, he moved, dragging his body, inch by inch, crawling toward home.

Blood flowed across the concrete road like a winding earthworm.

Finally, he crawled back into his rental.

He clutched the red dress, pressing it tightly against his chest, the blood and the red fabric blending into one.

Tears fell from the corners of his eyes, his voice soft and tender, breaking with heart-wrenching pain:

"Flora... Flora..."

He called out the name, once, and then again.

In this life, the single greatest mistake he ever made was failing a woman named Flora.

For the rest of his life, he would never again have the chance to find that radiant, bright red.

His body felt cold—perhaps it was the excessive blood loss.

He shivered, thinking of the day Flora was in the cold storage. Was she this cold, too?

He would never know, and he would never be able to repay her.

Before his eyes, everything turned completely black.

24

Julian’s corpse wasn't discovered by the police until seven days later.

The entire room was filled with a foul stench, and the neighbors had called the police.

Flora saw the news on her screen. In that instant, she felt a trace of emptiness—as if it were within reason, yet also beyond expectation.

She didn't know why, but there was no thrill of revenge, only the exhaustion of a settled fate.

This was the man she had loved for ten years; for him, she had once dedicated all her youth and burning passion.

Flora didn't know how things had ever reached this point.

At the beginning, she had only wanted a divorce, to part ways on good terms.

But his subsequent actions had pushed her original intentions further and further away.

She could not forgive; if she didn't get this off her chest, she would never have peace for the rest of her life.

Flora’s shoulders slumped, as if she had lost all her strength.

When she reached that dilapidated rental building, the area outside was cordoned off with police tape.

The police ruled out suicide and, based on clues and fingerprints, found the killer.

The moment she saw the killer, Flora was struck dumb, unable to help but sigh at the irony.

Fate was a cruel joke—the person who had killed Julian was Summer.

Summer’s mind appeared unstable, and she kept muttering to herself:

"I didn't do anything wrong; he was the one who harmed me, he was the one who imprisoned me, he was the one who killed my child..."

Flora watched as Summer was taken away right before her eyes.

The housekeeper, Mr. Liu, was also there, kneeling on the ground and weeping bitterly. He said to Flora:

"Actually, the master had regretted it long ago. He had always liked Ms. Flora very much. I’ve been with him for so many years; I could see it."

"It’s just that he was raised on a strict, elite education from a young age, suppressing his emotions, brainwashed into staying away from the things he loved—that was why he deliberately kept a cold distance from you for over ten years."

"Ms. Flora, the master loved you very much; he just didn't know how to love. My apologies, I apologize to you on his behalf."

Flora remained silent for a long time before handing a check to him:

"Please, see to his burial."

She turned and left.

The past, filled with love and hate, was no longer worth probing. It was all in the past.

Leo took her hand, calling her name earnestly: "Flora?"

Flora came back to her senses, already sitting in the warmth of a car.

She looked up blankly. He had always half-jokingly called her "Sister," rarely calling her name so seriously.

He kissed her forehead: "Flora, I’m here."

She leaned against his shoulder, unable to help but smile: "Leo, let’s get married."

The boy froze: "You—are you truly willing to marry me?"

Flora looked into his eyes earnestly: "I am."

Youthful, burning affection was a precious thing. She didn't want to be like Julian, wasting a sincere heart.

Leo asked cautiously: "Then, do you like me?"

Flora tilted her face up and kissed him: "I am willing to spend my whole life answering this question. Are you ready to accept that?"

Leo smiled, unable to help but kiss her back:

"With the greatest pleasure."

————————————

THE END