Chapter 5
After selling small goods for another two months, combined with my wages and what little savings I had left, I finally scraped together enough capital to start my own business.
Seeing that my mind was made up, my supervisor could only sigh and approve my resignation.
The day before I left, Walter suddenly came to see me.
I hesitated for a moment, but still let him into the courtyard.
He had dressed up specially today–his hair slicked back with gel, and he was wearing cologne.
That scent was all too familiar. In my past life, I had scrimped and saved for three months just to buy him a bottle of the same cologne.
He sat on the stone bench, still wearing that hesitant expression. “Phoebe, Ana says she wants to marry me.”
I continued tidying up the clutter in the courtyard without looking up. “Congratulations.”
“You…”
He took two steps forward, as if summoning great courage, and spoke urgently: “Just say you don’t agree, say you don’t want me
Chapter 5
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to marry her, and I’ll go reject her right now!
“Phoebe, just say the word, and I’ll stay with you. We can have a good life together.”
I stopped what I was doing and looked up at him.
The afternoon sunlight slanted across, falling on his carefully groomed face.
This scene overlapped with my past life, except back then he had sneered: “If Ana’s family hadn’t run into trouble, when would it have been your turn to marry me?”
Looking at Walter’s eager eyes, I didn’t respond immediately.
I put down what I was holding and sat across from him. “You know what? I had a dream once, where we got married.”
Walter’s eyes lit up. “And then?”
I said: “Then, in the dream, I worried that Austin would overthink things, afraid he’d feel we didn’t love him anymore, so I never got pregnant.
“I genuinely loved you, just like before, listening to everything you said.
“Whenever I saw something beautiful or delicious, I’d think about bringing it back for you. Everyone praised you for
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marrying such a good wife.
“But…”
His eyes, which had held a trace of longing, clearly changed when he heard that transition word.
I continued: “But in the dream, you always loved someone else. No matter what happened, you’d bring her up.
“You constantly compared me to her, saying I was inferior in every way, complaining that I was blocking your path to becoming the future factory director.
“Even Austin, whom I raised with my own hands, grew closer to her. When I was seriously ill last Christmas, he devoted himself to helping you two plan your wedding, leaving me to die alone.
“Walter, I think you know very well who I’m talking about, don’t you?”
His face had turned pale, his fingers unconsciously picking at the corner of the table. “But… that was just a dream…..”
I looked into his eyes, smiled slightly, and said nothing.
Finally, I stood up, opened the courtyard gate, and said:
“Congratulations on your marriage. I wish you happiness. Since you’ve already agreed to Ana’s engagement, you shouldn’t be coming to my house anymore.”
Chapter 5
Tears welled up in Walter’s eyes, that
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about–to–fall–but–not–quite look that used to break my heart.
He approached a few steps with a tearful voice, trying to take my hand, but I gently dodged away.
He said: “Phoebe… are you really giving up on me?”
I gently pushed his back, escorting him to the door. “Don’t ask these pointless questions anymore. Take care.”
B
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ir Gifts
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08:52
Not contacting him after being reborn
