I looked into her eyes and didn't move.

"That glass of water five years ago, when you handed it to me," my voice was very soft, as if I were afraid of startling something, "did you think about the fact that I was your sister?"

Her screaming stopped. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Her tears were still flowing, but there was no guilt in her eyes, only something indescribable—perhaps it was grievance, perhaps reluctance, perhaps hatred that even she couldn't sort out.

"I took care of you for so many years," her voice turned hoarse. "Who covered your ears when Mom and Dad were arguing? Who stood up for you when your classmates bullied you? Who paid your tuition when you got into medical school? Have you forgotten all of that?"

"I haven't forgotten," I said. "But that glass of water... I can't forget it."

Her face twisted.

She began to curse, calling me ungrateful, saying I deserved to be unable to have children, saying no one would ever want me in this life.

Her voice came through the glass, blurred and shrill, like fingernails across a blackboard.

I stood up and hung the microphone back up.

I turned around and left.

I didn't look back.

Her voice behind me grew further and further away, more and more blurred, until it was finally cut off by the heavy iron gate.

The corridor was long, and the lighting was deathly pale. My heels clicked on the floor tiles, one by one, and my back was very straight.

I walked out of the iron gate, and the sunlight made me squint.

Liam was leaning against the car, the corner of his coat flapping in the wind.

He saw me come out, extinguished the cigarette in his hand, and straightened up.

He saw my eyes were red, but he didn't ask what was wrong.

He walked toward me, and I held his hand; the hand that had been cold finally had a touch of warmth.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded.

I looked up at the sky; there was a cloud, very white and thick, slowly drifting over.

"Liam, have you ever thought," I said, my voice very soft, "that we might not make it to the end?"

He squeezed my hand: "I've thought about it. But I don't want to give up."

I didn't speak again, just lowered my head and leaned on his shoulder.

The wind blew my hair onto my face, and he didn't help me brush it away.

He just stood there, letting me lean on him.

In the distance, the iron gate of the detention center closed again.

That dull thud sounded like something had been completely locked away inside.

It was a part of the past that one no longer wished to look back upon.

Chapter 19

After returning to Linwood, I didn't want to go home, nor did I want to go to Liam's house.

In the end, he arranged for a hotel.

Not a five-star one, but a mountain lodge hotel on the western edge of the city—clean and quiet.

I didn't go to the old house, and I didn't go to see the things Su Wanqing had left behind.

I didn't want to go anymore; I never wanted to see anything related to her again.

If she could behave herself when she gets out, then that house can be left for her to retire in.

I entered the room, placed my suitcase in the corner, hung the red scarf on a hanger, and set the framed photo on the nightstand. Then, I sat on the edge of the bed and stared blankly for a long time.

Liam stayed by my side, keeping me company without rushing me.

This was a suite; he stayed in the room next door.

Just like in Norway, he guarded me day and night at the most comfortable distance for me.

I didn't need to see him every second, but I knew he was right there.

"Liam," I called him.

"Hmm."

"You said on the way here that someone wanted to see me. Who is it?"

He said, "You'll know once you see them."

I hesitated, then nodded.

The meeting was set at a cafe in the west of the city, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the street.

When I arrived, I saw a woman sitting in the corner—Joanne.

She was alone, a latte in front of her, leafing through a magazine in her hands.

She was thinner than she had been on the wedding day, but her complexion was good, and she wore light makeup on her face.

I walked over and sat opposite her.

"Dr. Su." She looked up and smiled. "Long time no see." The smile was very calm, without any hostility or awkwardness, as if she were meeting an old friend.

"Long time no see," I also managed a smile.

She closed the magazine and took a sip of her coffee.

She looked at me, her gaze sweeping over me from head to toe, and then said, "You've lost a lot of weight."

I didn't respond; I didn't know what to say.

Sitting across from me was the woman Liam had almost married, the bride of that wedding.

And I was the woman who had indirectly ruined someone else's wedding after turning away that day.

"You don't need to feel sorry for me," she put down her cup. "Liam and I never had feelings for each other; it was just an arranged marriage. He told me a long time ago that there was someone in his heart. Actually, when I met you in City A, I felt that something was off with him."

My fingers paused.

"I asked, but he didn't tell me about you," she smiled. "But I could tell; every time he mentioned things from his past in Linwood, his eyes would look different. I knew then that he couldn't let that person go."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"You don't need to say sorry," she looked at me. "Actually, I should thank you both."

I was stunned.

"Because I also had a relationship I couldn't let go of," her voice softened. "My family didn't approve, and that person kept avoiding me. I only accepted the arranged marriage because I felt tired."

"Until he heard that Liam had called off the wedding and thought I had been deeply hurt, he finally became willing to appear. You know, some people only find the courage to act when they feel you need them."

She looked out the window.

Outside, a handsome man with sharp features stood there, wearing a black coat, without an umbrella in his hands.

His gaze was fixed tightly on Joanne, not moving for a single second.

Through the glass, I couldn't see his expression, but I saw his hands—hanging by his sides, clenched into fists.

I suddenly smiled.

I looked at Joanne: "I still have to say thank you, and, congratulations!"

Liam, beside me, cast his gaze toward the man outside the window.

After a moment of silence, she nodded: "He's better than me."

Joanne glanced at him, scoffed, stood up, and picked up her bag.

"I'll be going now. Dr. Su, I wish you happiness." She paused and added, "You deserve it."

Chapter 20

Joanne walked toward the door, and the man stepped forward, draping his coat over her shoulders.

She didn't refuse; she didn't even look at him.

But her pace slowed down, by half a beat, and then the two walked out of our sight side-by-side.

I watched their receding figures; the sunlight fell between the two of them, their shadows overlapping.

I reached out and took Liam's hand.

"Let's go, too," I said.

He didn't ask where.

He stood up, held my hand, and walked out of the cafe.

The wind blew across; it was strong, blowing my scarf against my face.

He didn't help me brush it away, but instead stopped, stood before me, and wrapped the scarf neatly around my neck again.

"Liam."

"Hmm."

"In the future, you won't suddenly disappear, will you?"

He looked at me and said earnestly: "I won't."

I nodded and didn't ask again.

The two of us walked slowly along the street.

The wind in Linwood was fierce, making the sycamore trees along the road rustle.

I said: "Let's go look at the old city wall."

He said: "Okay."

The old city wall of Linwood was still there.

The wind had blown for five hundred years, wearing down the corners of the bricks on the wall, bending the grass on top, but the wall had not fallen.

I stood at the base of the city wall, looking at the closed door.

The bookstore that used to be there, the cafe that followed, and now, an empty house.

A piece of paper was stuck to the door, black characters on a white background—"For Lease."

A corner of the paper was curled up, flapping loudly in the wind.

I stood there, the wind blowing the scarf against my face; I pulled it down a little.