When she looked at the empty house, Ella lost all desire to stay there and decided to simply move to the research institute.
One day, when she went home to get her things, she found Danny waiting at the door.
For a moment, she froze. Then, pretending not to see him, she opened the door.
Danny's voice echoed behind her. “I’ve been looking for you these past few days, but you never seem to be home. Where have you been?”
After hesitating for a moment, Ella decided to tell the truth. "I went back to Professor Hamilton's laboratory. I …."
But Danny did not listen to her at all. Instead, he scanned the empty room and demanded, “Why are there some things missing from the house?"
Ella clenched her fists and her breathing quickened. Then she took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Danny, let's get a divorce."
“Knock knock.” The sudden knocking interrupted her words.
She followed his gaze and found that it was Sarah. She was holding a scarf in her hand.
"Danny, you forgot to put on your scarf. It's windy outside, you might have a headache."
For a second, Danny's face turned completely blank and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Sarah walked up to him and wrapped it around his neck on tiptoe.
From Ella's angle, the two of them seemed to be kissing.
Even though her fingers dug deep into her palms, she did not feel any pain at all.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, Sarah lost her balance and fell to the side. Danny immediately caught her waist.
She pressed her hands against his chest and lowered her head shyly. "I'm sorry. I just twisted my ankle."
They were so close. Only now did Danny realize how close they were. He frantically released his grip and glanced toward Ella. But she was nowhere to be seen.
Watching him search for her, a shadow flickered in Sarah’s eyes. So, she said, “Danny, I'll wait for you downstairs."
When she heard this, Ella stopped packing.
At this moment, Danny walked in. He said with a tense voice, "I brought her because we have to attend the seminar later. Nothing else. Ella, I …."
Ella zipped up her bag before lifting her head to meet his gaze. “Alright, I believe you.”
But her answer did not calm him down. She is way too calm. She should not react like this. He thought.
He grabbed Ella's wrist. His face was grim. "If you're angry, just let it out. Why do you talk like this?"
“You're hurting me.” Ella struggled desperately to pull her hand away, but he only tightened his grip.
Finally, she broke down and shouted, “I'm not angry! I know you're just colleagues! You're close to her because you share more common ground—you're fellow disciples and she can help you more with your research...”
Every word she said now was the same one Danny had once said to her and now she was throwing them back at him.
While he stood there frozen, she pushed him away and ran out.
Downstairs, she caught sight of Danny's car. Inside it, Sarah, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was applying lipstick.
This reminded her of the first time she'd found lipstick and confronted him. Back then, Danny had only responded impatiently, "Why are you making such a big deal over a lipstick? Sarah and I are just dedicated to researching. Why must you turn us into adulterers? You clearly haven't read enough books. Your head's filled with nothing but trash."
She tore her gaze away and climbed into her professor's car.
Today, she was attending an academic seminar with her mentor. Their lab’s recent research breakthrough had drawn a lot of attention and as one of the main project leaders, she couldn’t decline the invitation.
What she had not anticipated was that Danny and Sarah also appeared there.
The moment he appeared, he captured everyone's attention, drawing one person after another to have a conversation with him.
Sarah stood beside him and anyone watching would have to admit they made a perfect match.
Ella did not plan to get closer to eavesdrop, but the crowd pushed her forward.
“It seems that I have never seen Dr. Sinclair's wife. It seems only Professor Palmer has always been by your side. You can bring your wife over for us to meet next time."
Ella heard someone ask him.
Someone nearby chimed in, “Yes, Dr. Sinclair, you're so accomplished, your wife must be extraordinary too. What field does she research in?”
Danny paused for a moment, then smiled faintly. “My wife is rather uncultured and unsophisticated. She's not quite suited for occasions like this.”
Each of his words pierced her heart like needles, stirring up a dense, stinging pain. She swayed slightly, wanting to leave. After she walked away, someone asked why Danny had come that day.
He pondered for a moment and said, “I came today mainly to meet the person in charge of the Lily of the Valley project. I think she's very talented and should be a leader in our field.”
“Yes, but she’s a bit of a mystery,” someone said. “Her name hasn’t been made public yet. I bet she’s a big figure in the industry. Ordinary people couldn’t pull off research that advanced.”
***
Originally, Ella wanted to find a quieter place, but Sarah found her.
"Why are you here, Ella?"
Ella refused to talk and turned to leave.
“Did you beg someone to bring you here? Can you really understand the content of the presentation later?”
Sarah's mockery made Ella stop in her tracks. When she was about to throw the Lily of the Valley research book that she pulled from her bag at Sarah's face, gasps erupted from the surrounding crowd.
She followed their gaze, looked up and saw that the overhead light had fallen.
At that critical moment, Danny rushed over and pulled Sarah into his arms to protect her.
Ella was not so lucky. Though she darted aside the moment she noticed, shards of glass were still embedded in her leg.
A searing pain shot through her calf. Before she lost consciousness, all she saw was blood spreading across the floor.
