The atmosphere inside the car was stifling.
A couple dressed in school uniforms suddenly came into view.
The boy was riding a bicycle, carrying a girl with a ponytail.
He turned his head to look at the girl tenderly.
The girl looked up, her face full of happiness.
The wind blew their school uniforms, as if filled with the fullness of summer.
Zane stopped the car.
We gazed at their retreating figures, entranced.
The traffic lights cycled through their colors, and the couple's silhouettes vanished into the darkness.
In that instant, I truly realized that some things, once lost, could never be recovered.
"Zane, let's separate." I spoke instinctively, my voice soft and nasal.
He turned back in disbelief, his face dark and terrifying. "What did you say?"
Tears welled up in my eyes. "I'll repay you in another way... I want to live a normal life."
Zane abruptly opened the car door and threw me out like a piece of trash.
He almost shouted at me, demanding:
"Aurora, your father killed my father! My father wouldn't have died if your father hadn't hit him and then thrown him into the lake!"
"My mother, after seeing my father's body, was so traumatized that she became a mentally unstable person, sometimes well, sometimes not."
"My family was shattered because of yours."
"But your father fled in fear of punishment and hasn't been caught yet."
"You, the daughter of a murderer, what right do you have to live a normal life?"
"You tell me, what right do you have?"
I was rendered speechless by his shouting.
Zane left, leaving me on the side of the road. My phone was in the car, so I couldn't call a taxi.
By the time I walked back to the apartment, my feet were covered in blisters.
Due to a high fever, I spent a week lying in the apartment.
My mother was worried that I couldn't take care of myself. After I recovered, she hurriedly arranged a blind date for me.
I heard that the man was a doctor, with excellent conditions and capable of taking care of others.
I was about to refuse when my mother sighed and said, "Aurora, Mom is old now. My greatest wish is to see you get married."
"Until you get married, my heart will always be hanging."
"I'm afraid that one day I might suddenly die, and you'd still be alone. In that case, I wouldn't be able to rest in peace."
The more my mother spoke, the more serious it sounded.
I thought about it for a while. Given his good conditions, he might not be interested in me.
To appease my mother, I had to agree: "Send me the address."
"Dr. Aldrich?"
Inside the restaurant, when I clearly saw the man sitting in front of me, I was full of surprise.
The man I was on a blind date with was none other than Edric, who had helped me twice.
"What a coincidence." I smiled, curving my eyes.
He tilted his head and mimicked my smile. "Not really."
"Miss Silverton, I agreed to come only after I found out the blind date was with you."
My heart skipped a beat.
I felt somewhat at a loss.
Would someone actually come just for me in this world?
"We haven't formally introduced ourselves yet." He extended his hand, his gaze warm. "My name is Edric."
I looked at the hand in front of me, hesitating whether to take it.
Zane, with a cigarette in his mouth, suddenly appeared.
Zane stood opposite me, his gaze sweeping over me, sharp and dangerous.
Then, he looked at Edric:
"Dr. Aldrich, here for a meal?"
Edric met his gaze without backing down. "On a blind date."
"Oh, how's it going?"
"I'm very satisfied." Edric raised his head, smiling slightly as he looked into my eyes and said, "I wonder if Miss Silverton is satisfied with me?"
Before I could answer.
Zane's face turned completely cold.
He spoke up first. "Dr. Aldrich's taste isn't that great."
This statement instantly froze the atmosphere.
I pursed my lips, feeling quite downcast.
"The girl I like, she is the best girl in the world," Edric said gently but firmly.
I widened my eyes, looking at him in disbelief.
He chuckled, looking at me with certainty.
Warmth gradually enveloped my heart...
Zane suddenly scoffed. "The best girl?"
He approached me, pinching my chin with one hand, mocking me:
"You mean Aurora? She was sleeping with me in her second year. I never used protection. Anyway, she would obediently take the pills. Oh, there was one time she forgot to take them, and I personally took her to the hospital for an abortion."
I could almost hear my brain crashing.
I was completely unable to speak.
I sat there stiffly, my heart feeling dead.
Zane looked provocatively at Edric:
"A woman that I've used repeatedly, do you still want her?"
Edric smiled warmly. "I will marry no one but her."
