As I passed a hospital room, a weak voice called out to me.
It was Emily.
I froze for a moment but didn’t turn back.
Just as I was about to keep walking, a sharp, pained scream burst from behind me.
“Ah! It’s so hot!”
Instinctively, I turned and saw Emily pouring a bowl of scalding ginseng broth over her own arm.
“Sophia Grant!”
Ethan’s voice rang out from the other end of the hallway.
He strode in quickly, grabbing me and pulling me into the room.
“How much longer are you going to keep this up?”
His eyes burned with fury. “Can’t you even leave a patient alone?”
Watching him tend so carefully to Emily’s burn made a wave of exhaustion wash over me.
I looked straight into Emily’s eyes, my voice flat and calm.
“I’m not marrying Ethan. You can stop acting now.”
Ethan’s movements froze. After a few seconds, he slowly stood up, a mocking smile on his lips.
“The doctor said you only have temporary memory loss.”
Leisurely, he pulled out a familiar notebook and tossed it in front of me.
“When you remember how much you used to love me, you won’t be saying stupid things like that.”
My heart gave a painful twist.
It was the diary I had shyly given him the day he confessed to me, filled with more than ten years’ worth of my unspoken affection.
Now it had become a weapon to hurt me.
I bit my lip hard, but the tears still spilled over.
Ethan kept going.
“If you were still the kind, gentle Sophia from before, I’d treat you the same as always—respect you, love you, protect you.”
“But now, over petty jealousy, you don’t even care about someone’s life.”
“Selfish. Cruel. When did you become like this?”
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, unable to say a word.
“She’s always been like this.”
“She’s always been a proud princess—princesses never bow their heads. You’re the one who failed her.”
The firm, unyielding voice came from behind me.
The newcomer wore a Grant family security uniform, but his bearing carried an undeniable air of authority.
He stepped in front of me, shielding me in his arms.
“Miss, I’m sorry I’m late.”
I wiped my tears upward, forcing back the sobs, and told Ethan,
“Sorry—how much I loved you? I don’t remember anymore.”
Without waiting for a response, I turned to leave. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a rare flicker of panic on Ethan’s face, as if he might come after me.
“Ethan, I think my hand has blistered…” Emily’s fragile voice rang out.
In the end, he didn’t follow me.
As I stepped out of the room, I threw the diary into the trash without hesitation.
From that moment on, we had no more contact. I was busy preparing to leave; he was busy giving Emily his so-called “love that belonged only to her.”
One day, a bridal boutique sent me a message saying the wedding gown I had designed myself was nearly finished.
Only then did I realize the wedding Ethan and I had originally planned was just a week away.
That dress was my own creation. Even if I could never wear it now, I couldn’t resist seeing it one last time.
Under the lights of the boutique, the gown shimmered with iridescent beauty. My hands trembled as I reached out to gently brush the fabric.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t getting married? Looks like you’re still reluctant to let go.”
I turned to see Emily again.
“I’m just here to say goodbye. I’d never take a man with a wandering heart.”
“It’s just a shame for such a beautiful dress to go to waste.”
A cold laugh escaped my lips, my words laced with mockery.
“If you want it so badly, it’s yours.”
