Chapter 3

3.

As evening approached, I took the tickets I had bought and stood outside the theater.

But even after the show ended, Elias never showed up.

I knew he had stood me up again.

I wasn't angry. I just sat alone on a park bench.

Looking up at the starry sky, I felt a sense of nostalgia.

"It's been so long since I've seen the stars like this..."

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed my wrist.

Slap!

The stinging pain on my face left me stunned.

Elias's face was terrifyingly dark, his eyes burning with rage.

"Sylvie Brooks, you toxic bitch! You sent people to humiliate Jocelyn? She's so traumatized she tried to end it all!"

"I already agreed to marry you! What more do you want?!"

"Do you really want her dead that badly?!"

Unable to contain his fury, he raised his hand and slapped me again.

I didn't even get a chance to speak before he dragged me into the jeep.

At the clinic, I saw Jocelyn lying in the hospital bed, her face ghostly pale.

The bandages on her wrist were soaked with blood. The suicide attempt wasn't a lie.

She was mumbling even with her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have stayed close to Elias. Please let me go... don't hit me anymore..."

I was about to ask what she meant when Elias shoved me from behind.

I stumbled and hit the corner of a table. The sharp pain made me go pale, but Elias only looked at me with more disgust.

"Look at what you've done!"

"Apologize to Jocelyn right now!"

I stared at him blankly. "But... it wasn't me..."

"Liar!"

Elias was livid. Luckily, a nurse walked in, preventing him from hitting me again in public.

"The patient has lost too much blood. She needs a transfusion immediately."

Elias grabbed my arm instantly.

"She's a match. Take hers!"

So that was why he brought me here. He wanted me to give my blood to Jocelyn.

He knew perfectly well that I had been anemic since I was a child. A sudden transfusion could seriously hurt me.

But he pulled up my sleeve without hesitation.

"You owe her this!"

The thick needle pierced my skin. Bright red blood flowed into the tube. I looked up at Elias, who was standing right there, making sure I didn't run.

"Elias Jenson."

"Have you ever, for even a second, regretted saving my life back then?"

Elias froze, his eyes flickering.

"No. I would have saved anyone that day, whether it was you or not."

I laughed. I turned my head away so he wouldn't see the tears rolling down my face.

The nurse pulled the needle out. I stood up, but a wave of dizziness made me sway.

Elias instinctively reached out to steady me, but I pushed him away.

"Elias Jenson, I won't haunt you anymore."

"I'm letting you go, and I'm letting myself go too."

Having lived twice, I finally realized that he and I were like two thorny vines.

The closer we tangled, the more we bled.

It was only when we were exhausted that we realized we should have never met at all.

A flash of panic and confusion crossed Elias's eyes.

"What... what are you talking about? Letting me go? We're getting married, you―"

Before he could finish, the nurse came running back.

"Captain Jenson, Miss Hunter is awake. She's crying for you..."

Elias frowned, looking at me with conflict.

I just gave him a faint smile.

"Go. The patient is more important."

Elias looked at me strangely, but he stood up anyway.

"I'll be right back. Wait here, I'll drive you home in a bit."

I didn't say a word. I just watched him walk away and whispered in my heart.

"I'm sorry. I should never have appeared in your world."

"Elias, for the rest of your life, I hope you're safe and happy."

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