Chapter 3

I kept my head down, not even lifting my eyelids.

"Iris is moving in, isn't she? I'm just tidying my things so she doesn't get upset seeing them."

Julian grabbed my wrist, pulling me into his arms with the momentum.

"Are you still mad at me?"

"No."

"Mia, you're really bad at lying."

Julian cupped my chin and lifted it, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"I've told you many times, I'm just playing along with her act. If I truly wanted to marry her, I would have dragged her back four years ago."

I looked into his eyes and suddenly laughed.

"Julian," my voice was soft, but every word was clear, "You know best who you truly want to marry."

Before I finished speaking, my phone suddenly rang, drowning out my voice.

Julian glanced at the caller ID and quickly answered.

After a few brief words, he simply said, "Something came up at the office," and quickly left.

Watching the man's retreating back, I suddenly felt whether or not to confront him no longer mattered.

After all, some feelings are like expired candy.

They might look fine on the surface, but they've already gone bad.

Even if you force yourself to swallow them, you'll only be left with a mouthful of bitterness.

Not long after Julian left, I received a SnapChat message from Iris.

In the photo, Julian was on one knee, his distinctly jointed hands cradling Iris's ankle, intently tying a red string around it.

I suddenly remembered the time I dragged Julian to a local fair. I spent ages picking out a lucky red string from a stall, only to turn around and see Julian standing three feet away, impatiently checking his watch: "You actually believe in these superstitious things?"

As I pondered, Iris’s message came through.

【I just casually mentioned I wasn't feeling well, and Julian immediately went to the temple to get the most potent lucky red string for me.】

【Has he ever done that for you?】

【Mia, wake up. Julian has never loved you.】

I gripped my phone tightly, the cold screen light reflecting on my face, freezing the last bit of warmth in my eyes.

Yes.

Julian had never loved me.

And from now on, I wouldn't crave his love anymore.

…

Julian didn't come home for the next two days.

It wasn't until the third day that I saw him at Iris's farewell ceremony.

He wore a tailored black suit, pushing a wheelchair through the crowd.

Iris sat in the wheelchair, a blanket covering her legs, like a fragile flower.

I just tilted my head slightly, and Julian immediately bent down, asking if I was uncomfortable.

A mocking smile played on my lips.

He kept saying he was just playing along with Iris's act.

But the way he looked at me was just as tender as it had been four years ago.

Soon, the farewell ceremony officially began.

My father announced Iris's condition to everyone, his eyes welling up with tears: "My daughter is both unfortunate and fortunate. Although her life is short, she has a loving family and a devoted partner who never leaves her side…"

The large screen lit up, showing photos of Iris from childhood to adulthood, one by one.

Her first birthday, surrounded by her parents, doing the 'Zhua Zhou' (a traditional Chinese ritual, but could be adapted to just "first birthday celebration").

Her father teaching her to play piano, hand-in-hand, when she was ten.

Her whole family embracing happily at her high school graduation at eighteen.

In every frame, I was like a blurred backdrop, silently witnessing the happiness that didn't belong to me.

The scene shifted, and the person beside Iris was Julian.

He celebrated her competition wins with bouquets of flowers.

He quietly posed as her model when she painted.

They embraced deeply at her wedding…

From his youthful school uniform to his sharp business suit, years passed, yet the deep affection in his eyes remained constant.

Just as everyone was immersed in emotion, the photos on the screen suddenly vanished, replaced by blood-red letters on a black background!

【Iris Thompson, a b*tch like you deserves to go to hell!】

【You stole my husband, just like your mother, both of you are whore*s who steal men!】

【I curse you to be ground to dust after death, never to be reincarnated!】

The air in the room froze for a few seconds.

Then, a commotion erupted!