My fingers froze in place. Before I could speak, footsteps sounded from behind.

Ethan walked over.

When his gaze swept over me, it was cold and indifferent, but when he looked at Elena, the iceberg melted, filled with affection.

"Yanyan, you didn't really have to do this."

He looked into her eyes and took a step closer: "I will only ever like you, and be loyal to you."

With that, he put his arm around Elena and walked past me.

At that moment, I spoke toward their retreating backs: "Deal."

Ethan’s footsteps faltered for a second.

I didn't look at him; I only watched Elena.

"Don't worry, once Sophie is well, I will never appear around Ethan again."

Elena glanced back at me, a flash of resentment in her eyes for a fleeting moment.

Quickly, she returned to that gentle demeanor.

Ethan said nothing.

He continued walking, his arm never leaving Elena’s waist.

The two figures soon disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The lights shone brightly, and I was blocked by a pillar, trapped in a small patch of darkness.

Just then, my phone rang—it was Sophie.

My heart loosened with relief, and I answered immediately: "Sophie."

I tried to make my voice sound happier: "I earned your surgery money, Sister is so capable, right? Once you finish the surgery, I’ll take you to Yunnan, we can live there for a while, okay..."

Before I could finish, a man's middle-aged voice came from the other end of the line.

It wasn't Sophie. The voice was heavy, filled with obvious reluctance.

He said: "Ms. Xu, your sister, Xu Sophie, jumped from the building fifteen minutes ago..."

I couldn't hear a single word after that; it felt as if water had been poured into my ears, and the whole world turned muffled.

The phone slipped from my palm and hit the ground; cracks spider-webbed across the center like a dense web.

I stared at the shattered screen, supporting myself against the wall, and managed to stand up.

My legs were incredibly weak, and my stomach was still churning, but I didn't care; I stumbled toward the exit.

My chest felt like it was being torn apart, every breath carrying a dull, aching pain.

I didn't know when the torrential rain had started outside.

The road was empty; there wasn't a single car in sight.

I rushed to the side of the road, raising my hand to hail a cab, but no one stopped.

Rainwater streamed down my hair, blurring my vision.

I couldn't see the road clearly, so I just kept running forward.

Just then, two blinding headlights lit up in the curtain of rain. The light grew closer and brighter.

I stood in the middle of the road, nailed to the spot.

The car sped toward me; when it was only a few feet away, it slammed on the brakes, the screeching sound tearing through the rainy night.

The window rolled down slowly, and Ethan sat in the passenger seat, revealing a cold, stern face.

He looked at me, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

I was drenched from head to toe, looking utterly wretched.

Rain rolled down my eyelashes, and I could barely see his face clearly.

Yet, I walked toward him, my voice trembling in a way that didn't sound like my own: "Ethan, please..."

"Take me to the hospital."

Five years ago, when my father died and Sophie was critically ill, I didn't beg him.

Later, when I was penniless and drank until my stomach bled for others, I didn't beg him.

But this was different; I had to get to the hospital, I had to see Sophie one last time.

She was alone at the hospital; she must be in so much pain, she must be terrified.

I gripped the edge of the car window, my fingertips turning white from the soaking rain.

"Ethan, I’m begging you..."

"Sophie she..."

Before I could finish, Ethan turned his head and looked at me coldly: "You need help, right?"

I nodded forcefully: "Yes..."

Ethan frowned, finding it annoying even to listen to another word from me: "Then go find the police, but if you don't let go this instant, I’m calling them."

Chapter 8

The cold rain pounded on my chest like hard stones, making every breath painful.

The car drove away, the tires crushing over the puddles, splashing dirty water all over me.

An old van pulled up beside me, and as the door opened, Ash rushed out with an umbrella.

"Clara! Why are you kneeling in the middle of the road in such heavy rain? Are you trying to die?!"

My emotions finally broke at this moment.

"Brother Ash, Sophie... she jumped from the building... please, I beg you, take me to the hospital."

From the bar to the hospital took fifteen minutes.

Those fifteen minutes felt as long as half a lifetime; every second I prayed,

take my life in exchange for hers, just let my Sophie live.

She was only fourteen; she hadn't seen anything yet, hadn't had a chance to grow up, hadn't had a chance to live a proper life.

When we arrived at the hospital, the lights in the corridor were blindingly white.

Sophie had already been pushed into the morgue, a white sheet covering her head.

I stood at the door, my limbs frozen, unable to even lift them.

I didn't dare to pull back the sheet.

It turns out that when one’s pain reaches the absolute extreme, one truly cannot cry.

I squatted on the ground, my throat feeling as if it were blocked, unable to produce a sound.

The nurse walked over to me, her eyes also red.

"This is what Sophie left for you."

She handed me a folded piece of paper and patted my shoulder gently.

"My condolences. Sophie is in a better place now, and she would want you to be happier."

On the paper was Sophie’s immature handwriting; there was only one short sentence.

【Sister, Sophie doesn't want to drag you down anymore. You must be happy, you must be free, you must be blessed.】

Along with the paper, she had left behind her favorite little plush bear.

I bent down and, through the white sheet, gave her a gentle hug.

I held it in, refusing to let the tears fall.

Because I knew that if my tears fell on her, she wouldn't be able to leave in peace.

"Sophie, you were never a burden to me."

"What is Sister supposed to do now... Sister really is all alone in the world."

Ash stood to the side, silent, just accompanying me in silence.

Later, I took care of the death certificate for Sophie and hired a mortician to restore her body.

The next day, I sat in the hearse that was taking her to be cremated.

When the car passed a hotel, I looked up and saw the life-sized cardboard cutouts of Ethan and Elena at the entrance.

In the photos, the two of them were kissing on a snowy mountain, with a line of gold-stamped text underneath.

【Welcome to Ethan and Elena’s engagement banquet.】

I looked for a moment before turning my gaze away.

I thought, my Sophie would be able to move into her new home soon.

Ash sat beside me, silent for a while before he spoke: "Clara, have you never thought about telling Ethan the whole truth?"

"After all, you weren't the one who did anything wrong..."

Outside the car window, the traffic kept moving forward.

The city continued to function as it always did; no one would stop and wait just because someone had died or someone was living.

I said very calmly: "It’s all in the past."

"Sophie always wanted to go to Yunnan to see the Golden Mountain illuminated by the sun. I think, I’ll take her to see it."

I would carry Sophie’s wishes and keep walking, keep walking until the end.

...

A month later, De-Ya Hotel.

Elena held Ethan's arm, her veil trailing behind her shoulders, her smile gentle and graceful.

The emcee stood on the stage, smiling as he asked:

"Mr. Ethan, are you willing to take Ms. Elena as your wife, through poverty or wealth..."

Ethan stood there, but another image flashed through his mind.

In front of the bridal shop, Clara looked up at him with a light in her eyes that was very sincere and expectant.

She asked him: "Ethan, do you think we will eventually get married?"

At that time, he had answered with certainty; he said he would.

Thinking of this, he remembered the indecent photos and her words that had been cold and hard.

"Ethan, I simply betrayed you."

He pushed those distracting thoughts down—she was the one who betrayed him.

For five whole years, she was the one who hadn't given a single explanation.

He shouldn't let her cause any more waves in his life.

Ethan lifted his head, his voice steady without a single hint of fluctuation.