Chapter 17
<
Chapter 1/
When I woke up, I was in an abandoned building. I looked at the ropes on my body.
Then I saw Iris sitting in the distance.
Iris was sitting there, resting her head on her hand, staring blankly into the distance.
“Iris, you… kidnapped me…”
Iris came back to her senses and turned to look at me. She stared at me, her eyes initially complex, then turning calm.
“Senior, why is it that the unfortunate one is always me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Senior, Caleb saved me too. He tried so hard for me too. But why, why won’t he love me a little more?”
“…Iris.”
“Senior, back then, my parents wouldn’t let me go to school. It was Caleb who climbed over the mountain road, gave money to my parents, and brought me back. Senior, I like him.”
I was silent, I sighed. After a long time, I looked at Iris.
“Iris, I came from an orphanage. You came from the mountains. You know, we’re the same. We both have no family. In these places, just growing up well takes all our strength. So back then, I also wanted someone to protect me. I also wanted to find a home. The road ahead was long, and I thought if I wasn’t alone, I wouldn’t be afraid.
“Iris, we were young then. I understand why you liked him. I liked him too back then. But I’m almost thirty now, and you’re almost twenty–eight, right?
“We’ve lived half our lives already. Why would you do something like this for a man?
“Iris, I’ve already made a mistake once. I wasted ten years of my life. I’ve accepted it. I’ll just consider myself unlucky, that I misjudged someone.
“But I’ve already become a cautionary tale. You’re not stupid. Why would you still do something like this? Do you really think you can rely on a man for your entire life?”
“Senior, I’m not like you. I have nothing. If I don’t rely on him, what have these ten years been for?”
“Just consider yourself unlucky too.”
Iris was stunned. After a while, she smiled.
Iris turned back, looking like when I first met her.
Her eyes were bright and shining, “I used to have dreams too!”
“What dreams?”
“I wanted to be an astronaut. I wanted to go to outer space, to see beyond this world. I didn’t want to stay among people. I hated this world that always bullied me. Senior, what was your dream back then?”
4:45 AM
I was stunnu anu unʊuym for a willie. Miler a fully line, immany remenveieu anu suuvery simmer, TOU NOW Nvia, nyin: ivia has always been amazing since we were young. In my senior year of high school, I wished that when I grew up, I could follow Mia and live an easy life.”
“What a mediocre dream. Our teacher said we should set lofty ideals. As long as we work hard, we can all change the world.”
“Living an easy life is great too! At least it’s living freely and trying hard, not like now when we can’t even protect ourselves…”
Iris didn’t speak for a long time. It wasn’t until the sunset started to fall that I stared fascinated at the bright spots.
The light disappeared, and she finally turned back to speak, “Senior, it’s been a long time since you’ve talked to me so calmly.”
“A long time ago, we were friends who could talk about anything.”
I didn’t say anything, just looking into the distance. Night had fallen, and the whole city lit up.
The wind was strong, blowing Iris’s hair into disarray.
Later, I heard Caleb calling her. She pressed the answer button but then threw the phone from the high–rise.
The phone fell from the high–rise, quickly going silent.
She turned around and slowly walked over to sit down next to me, “Senior, actually, all these years, I wasn’t after money. I just liked having someone to hug me.
“I’ve been alone since I was little. For a year, for ten years, watching other people’s parents come to pick them up, watching
others being embraced like treasures.
“Back then, I thought, what’s the point of living?”
I disagreed, “Is there a point in not living?”
She started laughing, “But senior, I’m so tired of living!
“Senior, do you remember in college? They said I had bugs on me and threw my blanket into the toilet. I was so scared. I borrowed a phone to call Caleb for help. Caleb called you, and you rushed over in a panic, brought me to your dorm, and hugged
me while we slept…
“Senior… I’ll untie your ropes. Don’t leave. Can you hug me while I sleep?”
I remained silent. Iris didn’t wait for my response and zoned out for a while.
Later, the ropes were untied. Iris quickly fell asleep. She leaned against me, and I tried to put her down and turn to leave.
But when I reached the stairs, I suddenly turned back. Iris was curled up on the ground, her face pale but peaceful.
At that moment, I remembered something and froze in place.
A minute later, I ran back like a madwoman, “Iris, Iris, did you take something? Iris!”
That day, I carried Iris down on my back. Six floors. I don’t know how Iris got me up there, but I was almost exhausted after carrying her down.
I didn’t dare stop. I carried her and ran towards the nearby neighborhood.
4:45 AM
<
It wasn’t until the police flashlights shone on me that I finally stopped and desperately shouted, “Call 911! She took pills. Save her.”
Iris was taken away. I stood there exhausted, gasping for breath. A police officer supported me as I walked forward.
After a long time, I looked up and realized two people had run over.
Mia was on the left, Caleb on the right.
Mia didn’t say anything. Caleb pleaded, calling out to me, “Hazel, Ava is scared. She’s crying to see you… Will you come home with me?”
I stared at Caleb for a long, long time.
Actually, it had been several years since I had looked at him so seriously. The initial amazement at first sight had been worn away by time long ago.
I let out a deep breath and seriously explained to him for the first time, “Caleb, that day when the gas leaked and exploded, you asked me where I went. I can finally answer you now. That day, I had low blood sugar and was sent to the hospital. I lay in the hospital for a day and a night.
“I didn’t turn on the gas, and I couldn’t come back in time because I was still unconscious in the hospital. These weren’t my fault. That day, you were working overtime and didn’t come home. But none of it should have been my fault. The mess between us, only your betrayal was real.”
After Ava was born, Caleb’s mother developed Alzheimer’s disease.
There was no choice. I became a stay–at–home mom. At that time, our conditions were still average, and we couldn’t afford a
housekeeper.
But Caleb was very busy, so it was just me taking care of two elderly people and two children.
That morning, I went out to buy groceries, leaving Zack alone with his grandparents.
Zack was four years old that year, at an age where he liked to run around and touch things. He curiously turned on the gas,
which led to a gas leak.
An explosion occurred when cooking in the evening.
Grandfather died on the spot. Grandmother was holding Zack and was far from the explosion.
When the explosion happened, grandmother instinctively protected Zack in her arms. Zack was unharmed, but 86% of grandmother’s skin was severely burned and infected.
She didn’t make it through that month.
didn’t go back that day. I only returned home the next day. Caleb blamed me for running around and not taking care of the
children.
I didn’t say anything. If someone had to take responsibility, it should be me.
Zack was still young then and suddenly lost his grandparents.
I would rather be hate me entirely than blame himself
4:45 AM
<
I would rather he hate me entirely than blame himself.
day?
After that, Caleb kept asking me where I went that day and why I didn’t come home for a whole day. If I had discovered it earlier, nothing would have happened.
I didn’t say. I was too tired. I didn’t want to justify myself anymore.
Later, Caleb and I started giving each other the cold shoulder. A long time after that, I discovered he was having an affair.
I didn’t have much reaction. I thought at that time, maybe this is what marriage is like.
I was so tired. I didn’t want to care about Caleb anymore. It was fine to maintain a peaceful facade.
But he couldn’t even maintain that peaceful facade.
Later, he said he wanted a divorce. I didn’t agree. Zack and Ava were still young.
At that time, I was almost depressed from the pressure of life. I didn’t understand how things had become like this.
But no one understood me. Zack hated me, and Caleb hated me too.
Caleb forced me. He wouldn’t listen to what I said.
I could only throw things, go crazy, like a bird trapped in a cage. I wanted to break the cage, but no matter how hard I tried, I
could only see the mocking faces of passersby.
Until later, Caleb would rather go to court than not divorce me. At that time, I originally wanted to explain, but Caleb wouldn’t
listen to my explanation. He just wanted a divorce. He didn’t want to see me at all.
And now, it should end.
Why didn’t I come back that day? Because I had been busy for days and had low blood sugar. I fainted while holding Ava at the supermarket entrance. I slept in the hospital for a day and a night.
“Hazel Winters, do you hate me?”
I looked at Caleb and shook my head, “I did before, but now that I remember everything, I’m too lazy to hate. Those ten years
feel like a big dream. Now that I’ve woken up, I realize my future is still long. I don’t need to care about you, and I don’t want to
waste time anymore.”
I turned and walked towards Mia. Mia held my hand, and I suddenly felt wronged.
“I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s go home.”
I didn’t look back. I didn’t care how Caleb reacted to knowing the truth. I only knew that it was late, and I should go home to
sleep.
The road ahead is long. There’s no need to look back and dwell on the past. Let bygones be bygones.
-The End-
Tears welled up in my eyes as I cautiously asked, “How much?”
4:45 AM
<
“It’s still early.” Many years later, I still remember that night.
That night, I was in despair. On my way back, I got into a car accident and was injured. I struggled but couldn’t get out, so I simply gave up struggling.
But Mia came. The car was still on fire. I couldn’t understand where Mia got such strength.
She bent the bumper and crawled in through the trunk to drag me out.
She hugged me, and I could feel her whole body trembling.
At that moment, I just cried, “Mia!”
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here, I’m here! We’ll go to the hospital. We’ll be fine.”
She hugged me and ran out of the crowd. The car exploded behind us. It might have been just a minute difference. If Mia had
come a minute later, I would have died in that sea of fire.
Later, when I woke up with amnesia, I looked at Mia and knew she was my second life.
