Chapter 4

As the chapel's bells tolled and the fog dissipated, the chapel in the mountains was revealed before everyone's eyes. As she walked out, Evelyn looked down at the stone path beneath her feet. "What's this?" A voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up to see Jocelyn standing before a tree and scrutinizing the prayer ribbons that hung from it. "I pray Evelyn Ford will always be happy. Love, Cameron Ford." "I pray Evelyn Ford will always have a good life. Love, Cameron Ford." "I pray Evelyn Ford will always be healthy and that everyone she meets is kind. Love, Cameron Ford." "I pray Evelyn Ford will always be safe. Love, Cameron Ford." Jocelyn read the prayer ribbons. The jealousy in her tone became more pronounced with each one. Meanwhile, Evelyn stared at the ribbons. Her heart was trembling as her thoughts wandered. She hadn't been in good health after the earthquake—she frequently fell sick. To help her get better, Cameron visited the chapel every week to pray for her health and safety. She didn't expect to see that he'd made so many prayers over the years. The prayer ribbons were still on the trees, but things would not be the same between Cameron and her again. "You two are on such good terms. It makes me seem unnecessary." Jocelyn couldn't read anymore. She turned to leave, and her expression was cold. Cameron hurriedly stopped her and said patiently, "Come on, don't say such things. How can you be unnecessary? You're my wife, and she's just my sister. I'll have someone remove these ribbons if you're so upset with them." After that, he instructed his subordinates to tug all the prayer ribbons down. They fell to the ground, where people stepped on them and dirtied them. New prayer ribbons were soon hung on the tree. This time, they were filled with sweet nothings Cameron wrote for Jocelyn. Only then did Jocelyn smile again. She gave Evelyn a smug look but pretended to be worried as she asked, "Won't Evelyn be mad at you for doing this?" Cameron chuckled. "My sister will never be more important than my wife. What about you? Are you still mad at me?" It seemed his tricks had done the job. They pleased Jocelyn so much that she kept clinging to him as he drove them back to the city. Evelyn sat in the backseat with her eyes shut. She was about to take a nap when the car suddenly shot forward. She opened her eyes, wanting to ask what had happened when there was a deafening bang. Cameron lost control of the car. He had sent it flying over the barrier, and it spun around several times before getting caught in a crevice. Evelyn's head smacked against the back of the seat, making her vision go black for a while. When she returned to her senses, she saw that she was stuck in her seat. A tree branch pierced her arm; it was a bloody sight. Jocelyn was beside her. She was unconscious but looked unharmed. It seemed she'd fainted from the shock. Cameron was quick to react. He hurriedly clambered out of the car, staggering a few times before steadying himself. His gaze traveled between Evelyn and Jocelyn—one was in great pain while the other was unconscious. After a brief hesitation, he picked Jocelyn up. "I'll take Jocelyn with me and send someone to get you later." With that, he turned and left. He seemed worried something happened to Jocelyn. When deciding to give up on Cameron, Evelyn had already told herself to never cry for him again. She would only live for herself in the future. But as she lay there, pinned to her seat in the middle of nowhere, she couldn't help thinking about the earthquake. At the time, she'd been pinned under debris and left alone in the darkness. She'd been trapped there for three days and nights. She'd cried the whole time. Later, after being adopted by the Ford family, she would still be plagued by nightmares every night. She would wrap herself in her blankets and cry so hard that she would tremble uncontrollably. Cameron would always come to her room then and hold her tightly. "Don't be scared, sweetie. I'm here for you. I won't let anyone or anything hurt a hair on your head in the future." That was what he'd promised her, but she could only watch at that moment as he left with Jocelyn and disappeared from her line of sight. Evelyn's blood continued to flow, and the sky was getting dark. The seconds ticked by, but no one came to save her as Cameron had promised. She smiled bitterly and mustered the remnants of her strength to crawl out of the car while ignoring the pain. Then, she gritted her teeth and ruthlessly pulled out the tree branch. After that, she slowly crawled toward the main road. She didn't know how long it took her to get there. Blood mingled with her tears with every move she made. Finally, she got to the main road. She was covered in blood. Then, she passed out. When Evelyn woke up again, she found herself lying on a hospital bed. Her arm was wrapped in layers of gauze. The last thing she remembered was a kind stranger saving her and taking her to the hospital. Cameron hadn't visited her once since then. She heard from a nurse that he was caring for Jocelyn. Jocelyn only had minor injuries, but he'd cleared out a whole floor so she could have some peace as she recuperated. He even arranged for various specialists to check on her. Evelyn couldn't help looking at her bandaged arm when she heard this. She recalled a time when she'd been hospitalized after catching a cold. At the time, Cameron had also acted like he was facing a formidable enemy. He'd called in several doctors while staying by her bedside and delayed his return to the army. Tears flowed from Evelyn's eyes and dampened her pillowcase. … The day she was discharged, many friends came to see her. One of them was a young man who'd once pursued her. She wanted to turn him down when he held out a bouquet, but he stopped her. Then, he stammered, "D-Don't get the wrong idea, Evelyn. This is just to celebrate your discharge. I know you're leaving soon. I only hope you'll do well in the future." That took her aback. Then, she thanked him and accepted the bouquet. When she turned around, she saw Cameron standing at the door. As far as she remembered, he rarely got mad. However, his expression was dark as he glowered at the bouquet she held. After that, he turned and left. Evelyn was confused by this. She didn't understand why he was mad. She didn't think much of it, though. When she got home, she put the flowers in a vase. Just then, someone knocked on her door. She approached it with one hand on the wall before opening the door. It swung open to reveal Cameron's handsome face. Their relationship had reached the freezing point after he'd learned about her feelings for him. He hadn't knocked on her door since then. What was he doing there? Before she could speak, he wrapped his arms around her, scaring her with his sudden action. She staggered backward and pulled him down with her as she fell onto the couch. She smelled the alcohol on him and wanted to pull away from him. That was when he gripped her jaw and kissed her!