Chapter 20
Ethan didn’t expect Violet to respond immediately.
“Don’t rush to answer me. Get some rest first–we can talk about this stuff in a few days.”
After several days of recovery, Violet could eat soft foods and looked much better.
Ethan set porridge in front of her: “Careful, it’s hot. Take your time.”
Violet grabbed his wrist: “Ethan, I need to tell you something.”
She looked at Ethan’s youthful, energetic face, thinking of everything he’d done for her lately.
Whether it was the fresh flowers delivered punctually every day, or the medicinal soups he made himself, or his meticulous care before and after surgery–these were all small things.
But it was these small things that Violet cared about.
All those little moments flowed through her like a tide, and the seeds buried deep in her heart sprouted and grew after being watered.
Violet thought she was past the age of needing earth–shattering, life–or–death romance. This kind of steady, flowing affection was actually more unforgettable.
So she asked Ethan: “Do you really like me that much?”
“Yeah!” He nodded without hesitation.
“But I’m four years older than you.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“I used to love someone for a really long time.”
“I don’t care.”
Ethan’s loving gaze fell on her face. The closer he got, the less he dared approach.
His heart pounded in his ears as he heard himself say words he’d rehearsed a thousand times:
“Violet, I like you just because you’re you–nothing else matters, and I don’t care about anything else.”
The summer breeze carried a hint of heat, but somehow it soothed the last bit of hesitation in her heart.
She said: “Ethan, let’s be together.”
Ethan was so excited he didn’t sleep for days.
Just as Violet was about to be discharged, Adrian burst into the hospital room.
These past days, he’d been blocked from visiting Violet by Ethan’s bodyguards.
Violet saw Ethan nervously positioning himself protectively in front of her and patted his hand reassuringly:
“It’s okay. Some things need to be said clearly.”
Seeing their joined hands, Adrian found it unbearably painful to look at.
“Violet, what exactly is your relationship with him?”
They’re Crawling Back!
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Chapter 20
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Adrian, you come here to check on me, but your first words are accusations. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”
Adrian’s face flashed with panic: “Sorry, I… I just care about you too much.”
“What my relationship with him is has nothing to do with you. Adrian, we ended a long time ago.”
Violet looked at him, then corrected herself.
“No, we never had any relationship to begin with. If anything, it was just the relationship between someone giving support and someone receiving it.”
“Now who I like and want to be with has nothing to do with you, right?”
Hearing Violet’s words, Adrian froze, slowly turning to look at her: “Violet, what do you mean?”
Unease suddenly rose from deep inside him. He’d already guessed the answer but refused to believe it no matter what.
How was it possible? She used to love him so much.
He stared wide–eyed, still making a last desperate struggle: “I don’t accept this, Violet. You obviously loved me–you used to love me so much
“Adrian, people have to move forward.”
Her voice was very soft, so soft he could barely hear what she was saying.
Looking at Adrian now, Violet suddenly remembered herself from long ago–back then she was completely devoted to Adrian, even though he
didn’t have her in his heart.
She could give up everything for him, could endure so much suffering for him.
She didn’t care that he looked down on her, as long as he kept getting better, as long as he could say a few words to her when he came home–she was satisfied.
He’d personally destroyed her last hope in him, made her give up on him completely, thinking they’d never see each other again.
But now he was back, saying he regretted it.
“Adrian, from the moment you got together with Seraphina, we were over.”
One simple sentence drew the final line under their relationship, but Adrian didn’t understand. Confusion was written all over his face as he seemed puzzled and unable to accept it: “But Seraphina’s gone now, and so is the Vale family. Couldn’t we go back to how things were before?”
“I’ll marry you, give you the grandest wedding, tell everyone I love you.”
“No.” Violet shook her head.
“Adrian, you know perfectly well we can’t go back.”
Adrian knew in his heart that even if Violet really forgave him and agreed to go back with him, those things, those scars would still be a permanent barrier between them–couldn’t let go, couldn’t get past it.
After a long silence, he finally realized dejectedly that everything she said was true.
For a long moment, he could only manage a belated apology: “Violet… I’m sorry.”
Ignoring him, Violet took Ethan’s hand and let him lead her outside.
Adrian stood there dazed. In that instant, he seemed to hear something breaking. His feet unconsciously took a couple steps forward, then stopped when the bodyguards blocked him.
Violet’s figure grew distant and disappeared from his sight.
whing Backd
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Chapter 20
In a trance, he seemed to be back at age sixteen when Violet had saved him.
He’d been in despair, and Violet became the light in his dark world.
Relying on that faint light, he’d walked through the endless night.
Past events came flooding back, and as Adrian pulled Violet’s image from his memories, he suddenly realized she’d wanted to leave long ago–from when her eyes no longer looked at him with devotion, from when he could no longer see her happily running to greet him at the door when he came home.
Sure enough, nothing could go back to how it was.
Adrian smiled bitterly, shaking his head, and walked away with heavy steps, never looking back.
