06
After Lucian gave me my medicine, he stayed by my side.
I thought for a moment before finally speaking up.
“Lucian, in a couple of days, can you take me to see the fireworks?”
At my request, he was taken aback.
“You need to rest, Cressida. Once you’re better, I’ll take you. Okay?”
His voice was soft and gentle, and I knew it was out of concern.
At that moment, I thought, if it weren’t for Elias, maybe I could love him.
But because of me, Lucian had already suffered enough. I couldn’t drag him down any
further.
I tried to hold back the tears threatening to fall, but they came anyway.
“Thank you for taking care of me. This is my wish, please take me.”
Lucian finally relented.
Elias insisted on staying with me that night, but I managed to get my way.
With Lucian by my side, I didn’t feel as miserable while sleeping.
The next morning, Elias arrived early.
He looked at me with guilt in his eyes, speaking softly, “Cressida, I know you hate me.
Tomorrow is New Year’s. I’ll get you a gift. Wait for me.”
I pretended to agree, and once he left, I sneaked out with Lucian.
I changed into a festive outfit and added a bit of lipstick to my pale lips.
Lucian took my cold hand and led me to the fireworks show.
The crowd was filled with couples, like ants in a colony, but I spotted Elias right away.
I never thought that the one who had never watched fireworks with me would be here with
Vivian.
That was his New Year’s gift to me.
Over the three years we’d been together, I had asked Elias multiple times to watch the
fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
He always agreed, but the first year, he went to take care of his parents.
The second year, he took his nephew to an amusement park.
The third year, he worked overtime and left me all alone.
Now, he finally made time for New Year’s, but it was to be with someone else.
A metallic taste surged in my throat, and I swallowed it down hard.
I didn’t want to ruin the night.
The crowd thickened, and Lucian held my hand tightly, afraid I might get lost.
But the crowd was so dense that I was soon swallowed by it.
Lucian carefully guided me out, making sure I didn’t get lost, and then he gently put a hat on my head and turned to smile at me, his eyes sparkling.
“Wait here for me. I’ll be back soon.”
As I watched him walk away astrange om
13:16 Fri, 27 Dec
Fri, 27 Dec 02.
Now, he finally made time for New Year’s, but it was to be with someone else
A metallic taste surged in my throat, and I swallowed it down hard
I didn’t want to ruin the night.
The crowd thickened, and Lucian held my hand tightly, ofraid I might get lost
But the crowd was so dense that I was soon swallowed by it
Lucian carefully guided me out, making sure I didn’t get lost, and then he gently put a hot on my head and turned to smile at me, his eyes spording
“Wait here for me. I’ll be back soon
As I watched him walk away, a strange emptiness settled in me, as if something bad was
about to happen.
And sure enough, just as I bent down, unable to stop coughing Vivian appeared beside me.
“Cressido? Weren’t you supposed to die already? What are you doing here? Elias is just being
soft–hearted, but his heart belongs to me. Otherwise, why would he always watch fireworks with me and never with you?”
She gloated, her words piercing deep into the last of my defenses.
Seeing my disbelief, she smiled even wider.
“You know why? Because Elios promised me a long time ago. Even when you two were close to getting married, he still chose to trust me
She paused, looking almost pitiful
“You’re really unlucky, aren’t you? Your parents are dead, Lucian is disabled, and everyone around you is miserable, if Elias stayed with you, who knows what kind of bad luck would follow
him
Her words shattered everything I couldn’t hold back anymore, coughing violently, blood spiling from my mouth.
She suddenly screamed as if she’d seen a ghost.
