Chapter 3
Sophie’s eyes flickered with surprise at the sound of such a confident reply, her tone tinged with shyness as she spoke.
“You know about Victor and me?
Does he… mention me often?”
Lily recalled Emma’s words about his deep love for Sophie, nodding slightly. “Yes.”
Sophie’s cheeks flushed deeper, joy sparkling in her eyes.
“Victor was a year ahead of me–the genius heartthrob everyone had a crush on. Countless girls liked him, but he fell for me at first sight. He pursued me for so long before I finally agreed to try dating. Once together, he spoiled me endlessly: attending classes with me, studying in the library, blanketing the campus with roses for our anniversaries, sulking for days if someone confessed to me…”
“We dated four years. Everyone said I was his true love. He promised that he’d marry me after graduation. But I refused to be just a homemaker–I had dreams. So I rejected his proposal, broke up with him, and pursued studies abroad. All these years, I knew he never moved on. That’s why I returned.”
“When my plane landed in Washington, I was nervous. But the moment I saw him rushing through torrential rain to meet me and carry my luggage at the airport, I knew nothing had really changed.
Lately, jet lag gave me a cold. He’s been caring for me. I sense he wants to reconcile but hesitates. I thought he’d grown feelings for that girl. That’s why I wanted to ask you.”
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Lily listened quietly. Strangely, she felt nothing–no pain, no regret. She only smiled.
“I think if he cares about you that much, he’d never propose reconciliation casually. He’s likely planning a surprise.”
Sophie seemed reassured. As she waved goodbye, though, her phone slipped from her hand and fell into the pond.
She instinctively bent to retrieve it, lost balance, and plunged into the pool.
Witnessing the accident, Lily froze momentarily before wheeling her chair to seek help.
But as she turned, Victor sprinted past, diving recklessly into the water to rescue Sophie
After coughing up water and regaining breath, Sophie stabilized. Only then did Victor’s frantic worry ease.
Observing his every reaction, Lily moved to call a doctor–but his icy voice halted her.
“You pushed Sophie in deliberately? And now you’re trying to slip away like nothing happened?”
Lily hadn’t expected such an accusation. “She fell while retrieving her phone. I didn’t push her or abandon her…”
Victor cut her off with a glacial stare.
“Retrieving her phone?
I step away briefly, and she mysteriously drowns by the pool? Who else
could’ve caused this?”
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With that, he shoved Lily–wheelchair and all–into the pool, his tone
arctic.
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“Lily, I tolerated your persistent advances for Emma’s sake. But Sophie is my line. Since you don’t know your place, you’ll pay for what you’ve done.!”
He summoned bodyguards to surround the area, barring any rescue
attempts.
The icy pool water surged into Lily’s nose and mouth, choking her unbearably.
She struggled alone in the water, her leg wound reopening as blood gushed out, staining the pool crimson.
Her strength gradually drained away.
Shivering in agony, she slowly sank into the depths.
In her fading consciousness, the last image burned into her mind was Victor holding Sophie, walking away without a single glance back.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when she opened her eyes to meet Emma’s worried gaze.
“I was only gone a few hours! How did you fall in the pond?”
“The doctor said one minute later, you might never have woken up. You
scared me to death.”
Recalling what happened before blacking out, Lily fell silent.
She wanted to explain everything to Emma, but stopped herself, remembering Victor was Emma’s brother.
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She shook her head weakly, her voice frail and exhausted.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
”
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Chapter 4
