2
The lawyer quickly replied:“Understood, Miss Carice. will prepare the documents promptly.”
Carice put away her phone and gazed at the scenery flashing past outside the window.
Losing her memory was an opportunity given by heaven–a chance to escape completely and start a brand–new life.
“Not going home first,” she suddenly told the driver, “Take me to the immigration office.”
The driver was visibly startled, giving her a surprised glance through the rearview mirror before replying respectfully, “Yes, madam.”
The immigration procedures went smoothly.
The staff informed her that all documents would be ready in half a month.
When getting in the car, Carice hesitated for a moment before speaking:“Don’t tell my husband about today.”
The driver’s grip on the steering wheel tightened:“Madam, Sir… usually doesn’t allow us to mention you in his presence.”
Carice forced a faint smile.
Carice
So, Rufus detested her to such an extent that he didn’t even
want to hear her name.
Returning to the villa, Carice stood at the entrance and looked around. This home felt both familiar and alien.
Familiar because every detail matched her taste, alien because
it was so lifeless it hardly seemed lived in.
She gently ran her fingers over the embroidered cushion on the sofa, thinking how joyfully she must have decorated this home back then, full of hope for a happy life with Rufus.
In the wedding photo hanging on the wall, her gaze at Rufus was filled with love, while the man’s handsome face showed only indifference. Carice shook her head and turned to go upstairs.
Entering the bedroom, Carice instinctively pulled open a drawer,
and
iately, a leather–bound diary slipped to the floor.
Opening the first page, the crooked handwriting looked as if written w
while drunk:
Today is my wedding day with Rufus. He went straight to his study without a word. It’s okay, I’ll wait.”
Flipping further, each page felt like a knife, stabbing deep into
Her heart:
[The 37th suicide attempt. He still didn’t come. His assistant said Anna emergency room, listening to the IV drip until dawn.】
had a fever, and he stayed by her bedside all night. I lay in the
[The 89th time I tried to kill myself, I took an overdose of sleeping pills. When I woke up, I heard him on the phone in the hallway, saying ‘Let her die.‘ It was then that I realized, the pain of hearing the one you wish f
your death is worse than death itself.】
[108th
attempt. I’m giving up. If this doesn’t work, I’ll disappear completely. No one cares if I exist or not.]
Carice abruptly closed the diary, her chest feeling as if it had been ripped open. The scars on her wrists suddenly burned, each one silently accusing her of past despair.
She slowly crouched down, hugging her knees tightly.
So, for these three years, she had lived so pitifully, like a dog wagging its tail for scraps, just to earn a glance from him.
“It’s okay,” Carice wiped away her tears and placed the diary in the drawer, “Carice, iit’s okay that no one loves you.”
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating a small patch on the floor.
“As long
as you love yourself, you–haven’t lost.
Carice had stayed in this empty villa for a few days, and Rufus never returned.
Without memories or affection, she didn’t find the loneliness unbearable at all. Instead, she thought it might be nice to quietly wait for the immigration paperwork to be processed.
Until her mother’s call shattered the peace.
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3
“Tomorrow is Annalise’s birthday,7 PM at the Hampton by Hilton.” The voice on the phone was cold and distant, “Don’t be late.”
“I don’t-”
“That’s that..”
The call was abruptly ended, leaving her no chance to refuse.
On the day of the banquet, Carice chose the simplest black gown.
As soon as she entered, she saw Annalise being the center of attention, along with Rufus, whom she hadn’t seen in days.
“Annalise is so lucky,” two ladies nearby whispered, “er adoptive parents treat her like their most precious treasure, and even Mr. Sackhoff is incredibly attentive to her.”
“Absolutely. I heard Mr. Sackhoff personally arranged this banquet. The champagne was airlifted from France–half a million each bottle. And those flowers? Freshly flown in from the Netherlands this morning. The entire ballroom is decorated like Monet’s Garden, just how Annalise likes it, costing over a hundred million.”
The guests‘ murmuts kept reaching her ears.
Carice took a sip of wine, her gaze settling on Rufus not far
away.
Today, he wore a black suit, the collar of his shirt casually undone, revealing half of his collarbone, exuding a lazy nobility.
Yet this very man was now crouching to adjust Annalise’s dress hem, his usually icy face actually smiling.
“Now, let’s have Mr. and Mrs. Thwaites offer
As soon as the host finished speaking, Carice’s
a blessing their daughter!”
walked
Mr. Thwaites cleared his throat and scanned the crowd hopped onto the stage arm in arm with Annalise.
inherited by Annalise.”
an
The audience erupted in an uproar, and Carice’s and Important announcement.60% of the Thwaites Group’s shares will all be
grip
glass tightened.
At that moment, Rufus also stepped onto the stage, taking a velvet box out of his pocket.
When opened, inside was an antique jadeite ring.
“Isn’t that the Sackhoff family heirloom?” someone in the crowd exclaimed, “I heard that jadeite ring was left to Mr.Sackhoff’s wife.”
“Oh my, giving the family heirloom to his sister–in–law–Mr. Sackhoff is publicly humiliating Carice…”
The ring slid slowly onto Annalise’s ring finger, fitting perfectly.
“Dad, Mom, Rufus, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?” Annalise suddenly looked toward the corner, her voice feigning hesitation, “After all, Carice is the Thwaites biological daughter and the Sackhoffs‘ wife. Shouldn’t this be for Carice?”
Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Thwaites immediately held her hand: “What nonsense! Carice married well and has the Sackhoffs‘ support. Giving the inheritance to you is right.”
Rufus added indifferently: “If not for that accident, the ring would have been yours.”
Carice stood at the center of the crowd, feeling as if she had been stripped naked in public.
Her parents‘ words were like slaps, and Rufus’s words were like knives, striking her face one after another.
The gazes of the surrounding guests were like searchlights, leaving her nowhere to hide–pitying, mocking, gloating, each one spelling out “pathetic“.
She could even sense the triumphant look Annalise shot her, like a victor flaunting their spoils.
In the past, she might have been so upset she wanted to die.
But now, she only felt calm.
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Carice gently set down her wine glass, and as she turned, she heard someone whisper:
“Look, her eyes are all red…”
“She must be hiding in the restroom to cry…”
“Poor thing, her parents and husband all favor the adopted daughter…”
She didn’t stop walking, heading straight for the bathroom.
The reflection in the mirror showed her flawless makeup, not a single tear shed.
Because she had already forgotten everything–how she once begged so pitifully for her parents‘ care, Rufus’s love, and how she repeatedly set aside her dignity just to earn a glance from them.
The people she once looked up to with such humility were now no different from strangers to her.
Now, all she needed was to quietly wait for her immigration paperwork to be processed, and then learn to love herself properly.
4
As Carice reapplied her lipstick and was about to leave the restroom, she suddenly froze at the corner of the hallway.
Not far away, Rufus had Annalise pinned against the wall in a deep kiss.
The man’s slender fingers threaded through her hair, his other hand gripping her waist tightly, as if trying to meld her into his very Annalise tilted her head back, her fair neck arching into a graceful curve.
bones.
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After what felt like an eternity, Rufus finally released her, his thumb gently brushing her slightly swollen lips as he murmured in a deep voice, “Satisfied?”
Annalise nestled against his chest, her voice soft and sweet, “Rufus, don’t you think I’m being too much? I already got your heirloom, and now I’m asking for a kiss… If my Carice sees this, she’ll be upset.”
“I’m just in so much pain. If that accident hadn’t happened back then, we should’ve been together…”
Rufus’s gaze remained calm as he pulled her closer, “Her feelings are none of my concern.”
II never liked her, and I never will.”
I’ve always loved you,
Annalise.”
With that, he lowered his head and kissed her again.
Carice stood rooted to the spot, her heart clenched by an invisible hand, the pain so intense she could barely breathe.
She pressed a hand to her chest and thought, “This must be the lingering warmth from loving him in the past.
Once this last warmth fades, nothing will remain.
Rufus and Annalise kissed for a full three minutes before finally turning to leave.
Only after their figures had completely vanished did Carice step out from the shadows.
She took a deep breath, straightened her skirt, and prepared to return to the banquet hall to get her bag and leave.
But as soon as she entered the hall, Annalise rushed over and grabbed her wrist:“Carice, if you like the ring Rufus gave me, I can give it to you. Why did you have to steal it?”
Carice froze:“What stealing? What are you talking about?”
“Stop pretending!” Annalise’s eyes were red, “I just went to the restroom, and the ring was gone! The waiter said only you went near my purse!” Mr. and Mrs. Thwaites heard the commotion and came over, slapping Carice without hesitation:“Carice, you’re always causing trouble!” Carice’s cheek burned with pain, and before she could react, Mrs. Thwaites shrieked, “Search her!”
Several waiters immediately surrounded her, roughly tugging at her dress.
Carice struggled desperately:“I didn’t steal it! Let me go!”
‘Rip–”
The sound of fabric tearing echoed, and Carice’s shoulder was exposed to the air, instantly drawing gasps and snickers from the crowd.
“Found it!” A waiter pulled the jadeite ring from her purse, “It’s here! In her purse!”
Annalise took the ring, tears streaming down her face:“Carice, what do you have to say for yourself now?”
Carice trembled all over, about to speak, when suddenly, the crowd parted on its own–
A steady sound of footsteps approached from afar. She looked up to see Rufus walking step by step, his polished leather shoes clicking against the marble floor, each step as if stepping on Carice‘ heart.
“Why steal it?” His voice was soft, yet it instantly silenced the entire banquet hall, I never considered you my wife. Didn’t you know?”
Carice looked up, meeting his icy gaze.
“Carice, some things don’t belong to you,” his thin lips parted, each word like a poisoned blade, “never will.”
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Carice suddenly smiled.
That smile made Rufus’s brows furrow almost imperceptibly.
He had seen her cry, seen her throw tantrums, seen her hysterical, but never had he seen her smile like this–as if liberated, or mocking.
“I didn’t steal it.”
Her voice was soft, yet every word was clear. The chandelier in the banquet hall cast fragmented light in her eyes, like tears, or stars.
“And-
She took a deep breath and spoke word by word:
‘I don’t like you anymore!”
