A sudden ringtone shattered the tense silence between us. Darren's furrowed brows relaxed as he checked the caller ID, his anger completely dissipating.
 
"Darren, where are you? I woke up and couldn't see you! I'm so scared! Darren, come quickly!" Lily's frantic cries were loud enough for me to hear clearly.
 
"Don't be scared, Lily. I'll be there as soon as I finish some business. Mom's with you, right? You'll be fine with her," Darren replied, his voice unusually patient and gentle—a tone he rarely used with me.
 
"No! Darren, I'm scared! Come back now!" Lily screamed hysterically.

In the background, I heard Darren's mother shrieking. Lily was probably hurting herself again. Then, a twisted thought flashed in my mind.

I stood up, smiling at Darren. "Let's head to the courthouse now."

The hospital had doctors, and Darren's mother was there. Hence, Lily would be fine without him. If 

As we waited at the red light, Rene jokingly pulled out a hundred-dollar bill to smile. Her silly antics made me laugh, easing my tension. 

She noticed that it helped lift my mood slightly and asked, "Are you staying for good this time?"

"Yes. I'm not leaving again."

"Have you found a job yet?"

I gazed at the familiar yet strange scenery outside the window and replied, "Not yet. But I'm not in a rush. I want to make sure my mom's settled first."

When we arrived at the hospital ward, Mom was still resting. Aunt Betty looked surprised to see me and asked, "CeeCee, why did you rush back overnight?"

"I was worried about Mom," I explained.

Aunt Betty patted my shoulder, calling me a good kid. Her words made me feel guilty—I didn't feel like I deserved that praise.
 
"Aunty Betty, where can I find my mom's attending doctor? I'd like to talk to them."

After that, I walked down the hallw

After selling the house, I drove back to the apartment I shared with Darren. Upon opening the door, I was greeted by darkness and silence. It seemed Darren had not been home in a while, likely spending all his time at the hospital with Lily.

I let out a bitter smile at the thought of it. Nonetheless, it was probably for the better. I didn't want to see him anyway. 

Most of my belongings were in the guest room, where I would often retreat during our frequent arguments about Lily. Whenever we fought, I always ended up being the one to apologize first. As I packed, I couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic I had been.

I made sure to leave behind everything that reminded me of Darren. Two hours later, I was finally done. As I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a tissue, my phone rang—it was Mom. 
 
"Hey, Mom."

Mom's voice was filled with joy and relief. "CeeCee, honey! How was the marriage registration? Have you and Darren set a wedding date yet?"

The words were stuck in my throat. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't seem to make a sound. After a long silence and Mom's confused prompts, I finally found my voice.

I choked out, "Mom, I'm not getting married."

"What happened, CeeCee? Is everything okay?" Mom's voice turned anxious.

I calmly explained, "Darren and I aren't right for each other."

Mom's tone instantly turned sharp as she questioned me, "CeeCee, you've been together for years! How can you say you're not right for each other now? Stop acting like a child. You're 27, for goodness sake!"

She did not even ask what happened. She just pushed for the wedding. Tears filled my eyes as I covered my mouth, trying to keep myself from sobbing.

It took me a moment to regain my composure, and I insisted, "Mom, I just don't want to get married anymore!"

However, my stubbornness only further fueled her frustration. She scolded, "CeeCee, what nonsense are you talking about? You can't throw away years of love just like that!"  
 
"Yes, I can," I replied firmly.

Mom's tone suddenly sharpened, like she was about to say something else. But then, a dull thud echoed through the phone. I called out cautiously, but there was no response.

I immediately panicked and shouted, "Mom! Mom, are you okay? Answer me!"

Soon, I heard faint groans of pain coming through the speaker. My heart raced as I hung up and quickly checked the surveillance camera I had set up at home.

Perhaps I was too emotional, but my hands were trembling so badly that I dropped the phone. It rolled under the couch. I fell to my knees, scrambling to retrieve it.

On the screen, I saw Mom clutching her chest in pain, reaching for her medication on the table. I felt helpless, wishing I could jump through the screen and help her. Then, it hit me that I needed to call someone for help.

The only thought on my mind was saving Mom. I quickly dialed Aunt Betty, who lived in the same building as Mom.

"Please pick up! Please!" I prayed silently as each second stretched like an eternity. 

Finally, Aunt Betty answered. I broke down sobbing like a helpless child, overwhelmed by a crushing weight. I cried out, "Aunt Betty, Mom's having an attack! Please help her! Hurry!"
 
Aunt Betty was startled and tried to calm me down as she rushed to my mom's unit. After hanging up, I called 911 and anxiously watched the surveillance feed, waiting for someone to arrive and help Mom.   
 
At that moment, I deeply regretted moving to Aureiville, leaving Mom to live by herself. Now, I could only watch helplessly through a screen as she struggled. I cursed myself for breaking the news so carelessly, triggering an episode.      
 
Self-blame and regret threatened to engulf me. I kept mumbling that I shouldn't have done that, that I was wrong and that there would never be a next time. 

Finally, after two unbearable minutes, I heard the sound of beeping at the door as the password was being entered. Aunt Betty rushed in like a guardian angel, quickly giving Mom her medication.
 
I watched with relief as Mom's complexion improved. The incident seemed to have exhausted all of my strength, and my phone slipped from my hand, landing with a thud.

Later, Aunt Betty called to tell me Mom was out of danger. I asked her to accompany Mom to the hospital for a thorough check-up. 

After hanging up, my rationality slowly returned, and my racing heart finally began to slow. I took a deep breath and resumed packing, more determined than ever to leave Aureiville.
  
While waiting for the courier, I was too focused on texting Aunt Betty for updates to notice Darren's arrival until I heard a bouquet hit the floor. Startled, I looked up to see him standing before me.

Darren was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, complete with a tie. His neatly combed back hair revealed his handsome features, also adding a hint of maturity to his overall look.

A bunch of vibrant roses lay at his feet. His eyes simmered with barely contained anger as he gritted out, "Cassie, what's the meaning of this?"
 
"I told you—we're done. Is that so hard to understand?" I retorted harshly. The emotional roller coaster over the past few days had left me with little patience.

Darren kicked the coffee table in rage, shattering the glass top. Then, he pointed at our discarded photos in the trash, shouting, "We're supposed to register our marriage today! What the hell are you trying to pull!"

So, that was why he was all dressed up. I had assumed he was making a grand gesture to welcome Lily home from the hospital.
    
"There's no need—" I began, but Darren cut me off.

"Didn't I agree to marry you? What more do you want? Haven't you had enough of this nonsense? How are you going to explain this to your mother?" he sneered.

The smug look on his face told me he was clearly aware of Mom's desperation to see me married. Even so, he chose to deliberately string me along for three years before reluctantly agreeing to marry me. My heart sank, wondering what kind of man I had fallen for. 
    
I met Darren's gaze in silence, and his anger faded as he saw the lifelessness in my eyes. He softened his tone and coaxed, "I'm sorry about standing you up before. CeeCee, can we please stop fighting?"
 
I felt my resolve waver, not because of Darren but because of Mom. I feared another health scare if she learned about our breakup. I knew how desperately she wanted me to have a family, and she would undoubtedly prefer Darren over a stranger from a blind date.
 
The bruises on my neck warned me against agreeing, but the thought of Mom in the hospital made me hesitate. Just as I was wavering, an unexpected turn of events made the choice for me.

A sudden ringtone shattered the tense silence between us. Darren's furrowed brows relaxed as he checked the caller ID, his anger completely dissipating.
 
"Darren, where are you? I woke up and couldn't see you! I'm so scared! Darren, come quickly!" Lily's frantic cries were loud enough for me to hear clearly.
 
"Don't be scared, Lily. I'll be there as soon as I finish some business. Mom's with you, right? You'll be fine with her," Darren replied, his voice unusually patient and gentle—a tone he rarely used with me.
 
"No! Darren, I'm scared! Come back now!" Lily screamed hysterically.

In the background, I heard Darren's mother shrieking. Lily was probably hurting herself again. Then, a twisted thought flashed in my mind.

I stood up, smiling at Darren. "Let's head to the courthouse now."

The hospital had doctors, and Darren's mother was there. Hence, Lily would be fine without him. If Darren chose me this time, I would marry him.

Darren's hand tensed, veins bulging as he struggled w

Chapter 4