A staff member squeezed past Marcus, intending to take her away.

Marcus’s heart gave a violent tremor, and he followed in a disheveled state.

Suddenly, he saw a corner of the blue cloth flipped by the wind, revealing a pair of dark blue jeans.

Marcus’s eyes widened, his breathing becoming rapid.

He remembered that Clara never wore that style of pants.

Could it be...

He stumbled toward her, holding his breath, reached out, touched a corner of the cover, and pulled it away with force.

Her figure appeared before his eyes, and at that moment, his world seemed to stand still.

The strength in Marcus’s whole body vanished in an instant, and all the hope rushed back in.

It wasn't her; it wasn't Clara!

Marcus knelt on the ground, covering his eyes. The release of the tight tension made his whole body tremble. All the relief and agony erupted in that moment like an uncontrollable storm, tearing at his soul.

He panted heavily, a demonic smile on his face—part sorrow, part joy—frightening to behold.

He found his legs and walked back, his internal emotions increasing rather than decreasing.

After the rollercoaster of his mood gradually calmed, anxiety took its place.

He wanted to see Clara; he wanted to hear her voice; he wanted to say to her:

I'm sorry.

And I love you.

At Evergreen Manor.

No one was waiting for him, and no one had left the lights on for him.

Marcus, with his emotions strained, washed up and sat on the small stool Clara usually sat on, waiting for the butler’s news.

He stared intently at the new flower pots that had been rearranged, his heart stabbing with pain.

Even though they were arranged in the old way, even though it was the same room, why did it feel completely different to him?

Marcus got up and walked into the bedroom, looking around in confusion; he couldn't find the wedding photo that was usually on the bedside table.

Only then did he realize it had been thrown away by Clara, just like all her clothes.

Marcus had stopped all of that.

As for the donation for children in rural areas, he added another 300 million.

He knew Clara was a good person, but he never expected that even after losing her own child, she would still be thinking of those in need.

And he... had only ever hurt her.

Marcus collapsed onto the side of the bed where Clara usually slept, absorbing the lingering scent of flowers, as if she were still by his side.

Sleepless through the night, surrounded by nightmares.

Meanwhile, 10,700 kilometers away from A City, at Sydney International Airport.

After 14 hours, Clara finally got off the plane.

She carried her small suitcase; the adequate sleep had made her spirit much better.

She walked to the service desk to set up a local SIM card for her phone.

Only then did Clara contact her mother.

"Mom, I've arrived."

As soon as she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

Her mother’s happy voice was clear even through the phone, full of heartbreak: "The journey was hard, Weiwei. Mom has arranged a car; it's at Gate T1A. When you see the car, take a photo for me to confirm before you get in."

"Okay."

Clara wiped the corners of her eyes, and within ten minutes, she found the terminal.

Unlike the sweltering heat of summer back home, Sydney was in the middle of winter, with temperatures in the single digits.

As soon as she stepped outside, a cold gust of wind made Clara shiver.

Fortunately, it wasn't crowded on a weekday, and she quickly found a small car with black text on a white background, inscribed with "EuroStyle."

After confirming with her mother, Clara set off for Alaric Prince Royal Hospital.

The driver was very nice and even told a joke.

He said he didn't know how a letter fell off his license plate, and every time he went on the road, people gave him a thumbs up to praise him. It took him a long time to realize his license plate had become "uroStyle" (Diaper style).

Clara’s depressed mood lightened a little: "Thank you."

The driver laughed heartily: "Later I realized that what was lost made my life more interesting. Now I even regret adding a new 'E' to it!"

Clara froze for a moment, looking at the blue sea and sky outside the window, and exhaled gently: "I think you’re right."

Let the past be the past.

Since she had decided to leave, and since Marcus had never loved her, why should she keep chasing after him?

Once she explained things to her parents, she would embrace a truly new life of her own.

After saying goodbye to the driver, Clara realized that the "adding" of the letter meant he had used a black marker to write an 'E'.

She chuckled softly and found the Inpatient Department A-901.

The moment she pushed open the door.

When Clara saw her father sitting on the edge of the bed reading the newspaper, she rushed over with reddened eyes.

"Dad..."

Chapter 15

Clara's father softened his eyes and gently stroked his daughter's hair.

"The journey must have been tough; aren't you tired after more than ten hours?"

Clara shook her head, releasing all her pent-up grievances as if she had returned to childhood.

"My dear daughter, why have you gotten so thin since we last met?"

Her father patted her shoulder, but after waiting and waiting without seeing Marcus, he couldn't help but frown.

"Didn't Marcus come with you? How ridiculous."

Clara's heart trembled. She straightened up, wiped away her tears, and said hoarsely: "He won't be coming."

Before her father could say anything in his stunned state, her mother rushed in from the doorway, fuming with anger.

"Did that jerk Marcus do something to wrong you? You better tell Mom and Dad everything!"

Clara let out a long sigh and hesitated as she glanced at her father.

"But Dad needs to focus on his recovery right now; he shouldn't be agitated."

Her mother paused, suddenly remembering some good news she hadn't told her daughter yet, and immediately slapped her thigh as she pulled Clara to sit down.

"Oh my, just thinking about this makes me angry!"

Her mother took out her phone in a huff to show Clara a picture of a strange wild mushroom.

"Your dad, it was just a misdiagnosis of food poisoning. He woke up after two days of being unconscious, which gave us all such a scare! I was so busy responding to all the extended family that I forgot to tell you."

Clara blinked, confirming in disbelief: "You aren't lying to me, right, Mom?"

Her mother rolled her eyes and showed her her father's medical examination reports and the monitoring charts from the past few days.

Everything was well within the normal range, even better than Clara's own physical condition.

"Your dad has nothing to do since he retired; he goes into the woods every day and brings home all sorts of bizarre things. He's perfectly fine."

Seeing her father offer an embarrassed smile, the gloom in Clara's heart vanished, and she finally found the courage to say it all.

"Our bond was destined to end..."

Fifteen minutes later.

Her mother held Clara with red eyes, barely daring to touch her ear, feeling both angry and ashamed.

"My Clara, how could you be so foolish not to tell Mom and Dad? You must have suffered so much..."

Clara buried herself tightly in her mother's chest, feeling a sense of peace in this moment: "It's okay, it's all in the past."

Her mother knew her daughter best; even though she appeared extremely delicate on the outside, she possessed a resilient heart.

She wiped her tears and touched her daughter's head: "Do you blame Mom and Dad for immigrating to Australia and leaving you alone in the country for so long?"

Clara immediately shook her head, feeling completely at peace in her heart.

"No, it was my own choice back then, and it was my own foolishness for not seeing through Marcus's true colors."

When her parents were invited to settle in Sydney as top-tier talent, Clara, as their child, should have gone with them.

It was her own choice to stay in the country to pursue advanced studies in floral design, which led her to meet Marcus, preventing her from moving.

"What foolishness? It's just that the scumbag was too good at pretending!"

Her mother grew angry at the thought, casting a sharp gaze at her father, who, despite his tall and sturdy stature, flinched in fright.

She commanded: "Old Bai, your daughter is in this state, why are you still hesitating? Cancel all those projects!"

Clara pulled at her mother, who was stomping her feet in anger.

Afraid that her mother would get too worked up, she repeatedly soothed her: "It's okay, Mom, don't let it hurt your health. We have already ended it; there won't be any relationship with him in the future..."