Chapter 3

That night, Iris dreamed about her childhood when her parents hugged and doted on her. Their eyes were filled with love. Keith, who was just two years older than her, pinched her cheeks, calling her adorable. The dream felt like a warm, cozy bath—one that she didn't want to leave. However, Erica's arrival in her dream turned everything into a nightmare. Her parents' face took on a devilish look as they yelled at her. Meanwhile, Keith slowly pulled away. In her dreams, she had tearfully begged them not to leave her behind. She ran after them like crazy, but beneath her feet was an abyss. Once she lost her footing, she found herself trapped in a pool of despair and pain. But her parents and Keith did not even turn around. They surrounded Erica. Together, they walked into the distance, leaving Iris behind in the eternal darkness. … Finally, Iris stirred awake from the noise of the fireworks outside. Her eyes fluttered open. Tears had stained her pillowcase. At first, she thought that she wouldn't feel sad about her family and Keith, but deep down, she still craved love and approval. Fortunately, it was all but a dream. A jeep drove into the garden. When Iris saw the tall man emerging from the car, she hurried down the stairs. "Iris, I heard you got accepted to Bellevue University. That's great." The tall man, Marcus Brownstein, was a family friend of the Burnetts. Thomas had saved his life once, which led to the marriage arrangement between Iris and Keith. Marcus was the only person who treated Iris well. He caressed her head and looked at his son, nodding approvingly. "Good for you. At least you're celebrating Iris' success with the fireworks show." Keith frowned. "Dad, I didn't release these fireworks for Iris. She said she didn't want to advance her studies and gave her spot to Erica instead. Erica will study hard. She won't let us down." Marcus' expression shifted a little. He was about to scold Keith, but Iris stopped him. She forced a smile and said, "Marcus, you just got home. You should take a rest. I'll explain everything to you another day." She didn't want Marcus to dig deeper, or she might accidentally let slip the fact that she had signed up to study cryptography at National Defense University. All she wanted was a quiet departure without fuss. Marcus' expression had changed. He glared at Keith before storming away, leaving Keith and Iris behind. Keith's face was devoid of expression. "Do not tell my dad about our marriage and the fact that you gave up your spot at Bellevue University to Erica. You'd better come up with a reasonable explanation. Got it?" Head hung low, Iris grunted without much reaction. How self-sacrificing was Keith to marry a woman he didn't love so that Erica could attend university? "Erica is younger than you, and she's sensitive. You'd better not bring up our marriage before her. By the way, why haven't you apologized like I asked yesterday?" Keith sounded demanding before Iris could even speak. "Erica is going to Bellevue University soon. Just offer her some cash and meal coupons to show your blessing." Iris felt a weight on her chest when she saw how thoughtful Keith was toward Erica. "Do you think I still keep those coupons on me? She has my parents' and your love. She's not going to lack anything at all." Stunned, Keith finally remembered the situation Iris was in. Complicated feelings flashed across his eyes. "Don't worry. I will not walk back on my promise of marrying you." He could only comfort Iris with the promise of marriage. "Keith, are you really going to marry Iris?" The question made Keith panic. He turned to the entrance and saw Erica standing there with a pale grimace. "No, that's not—" Before he could explain himself, Erica repeatedly banged her forehead against the wall, pain written across her face. "I don't want you to marry her! I love you too…" Erica's crushing pain sent him into a panic. He quickly shoved Iris aside and went up to hug Erica. Thomas and Rosanne showed up when they heard the commotion. Their faces fell when they saw Erica crying. They hurriedly put Erica into the car and left for the hospital. Before that, Keith glared coldly at Iris. His voice was unfeeling as he said, "See that? You provoked Erica on purpose, didn't you? That's very crafty of you." The disgust and resentment in Keith's gaze was a stab to Iris' heart. Erica only had to feign sadness to get whatever she wanted. The Burnetts would then drop everything to pacify her and blame everything on Iris. Iris couldn't shake off the memory of the anger on Keith's face. She told herself not to be sad over a man, but tears kept falling down her cheeks. Anyone could tell that Erica was pulling tricks if they looked harder. At first, Keith was unhappy at the Burnetts for being biased against Iris. At the depth of her despair, he was the one who broke into her house and took her out. He even publicly threatened everyone from ever bullying her. Keith was really good to her at that time. He showered her with gifts. But at some point, he changed. His distaste for Erica slowly turned to empathy. Erica was like a curse to Iris, always managing to take whatever was hers. Tears fell down Iris' cheeks when she stared at the car that drove away. This would be the last time she cried for Keith and mourned over her heartless family. She had decided to live for herself and give up her youth to defend the country. With that in mind, she returned home and started to pack her stuff on the narrow balcony. She had a shabby case in which she kept the gifts from Keith—anything from a wooden doll to something small like a maple leaf. She treasured all his gifts and couldn't bring herself to throw them out. But now, they were like trash to her. After she packed all the gifts, she set them on fire in the garden. The items went up in flames, just like her love for Keith. He happened to return to the garden when the gifts were nearly reduced to ashes. The sight of the wooden doll in flames made his expression fall, and an intense fear gripped him.