Chapter 3

Seeing my silence, Hayden said again, "You'll give us your blessing, won't you?" He walked over and pulled Ophelia into his arms. She didn't resist and leaned against his side. I clenched my fists tightly, casting a glance at the two of them. One was the person I once loved with my life, and the other was the person who would take my life. Yet at this moment, I could do nothing. I then noticed everyone present waiting for my response. Perhaps they were curious if I would offer my respect and blessing or reveal the bitterness in my heart. Ophelia stood behind Hayden, looking at me. Her dark eyes seemed to be waiting, anticipating something. But I turned away, my voice cold as I said, "This has nothing to do with me." I then walked out of the private room without looking back. Right now, I had nothing—just this broken body of mine. There was nothing I could offer her. She deserved someone better. Stumbling outside, I made my way to a nearby trash can and vomited until my stomach was empty. The sharp, acrid taste of alcohol burned my throat, bringing tears to my eyes and leaving me shaky on my feet. The pain in my stomach twisted into spasms. Just as I was done, the security guard at the entrance came over and scolded me, "What's your problem? Your bike's been parked here for ages. Move it now!" I quickly stood up. "Sorry, I'll leave right away." Blood dripped from my palm, but I endured the pain as I painstakingly removed the shards of glass embedded in my hand, piece by piece. After wrapping it with a glove, I headed home. The city's dark night was cool, and the breeze seemed to blow away the haze clouding my mind, bringing me a shred of clarity. I never imagined that after so many years, we would meet again like this. If it weren't for my adoptive mother, Celine Tate's, illness a few months ago and her desire to return to the city, we might never have crossed paths. When I got back to the rented apartment, I brought a little something for my mom. She was still awake. "Mom, why are you still up? I brought you some supper. Have a little." She sat up, leaning against the bed. "I'm not hungry. I was just worried because you were out so late." Noticing my injured hand, she frowned. "What happened to your hand? Let me see." I quickly waved it off. "It's nothing, just a scratch. Please, eat something. I already bought it. I'm going to shower now." "Alright, go ahead and clean up. Rest early." After closing her bedroom door, I went to take a shower. As I watched the water run over my wounds, I didn't feel the pain. Instead, my mind was filled with thoughts of Ophelia. Memories flooded back, one after another—the vows we had once made to grow old together, and now, this. … The next morning, I prepared breakfast and left for work. When I arrived at the company, I was informed that someone had filed a complaint against me the previous day. "Thaddeus, what's going on? You've been hit with a serious complaint. You're usually so cautious and careful!" Hearing my manager's words, I immediately understood the situation. "Was it the customer who ordered the cake?" Mr. Curt nodded. "Yes, that's the one. They said your attitude was poor, you were late, and there were allegations of misconduct… This order will have deductions, you know that. Be more mindful next time. The higher-ups wanted to fire you over this, but considering your family situation, I pleaded on your behalf. Work harder next time, okay?" I had a good idea of who had filed the complaint, but I could only endure it silently. "Understood. Thank you. I'll be more careful next time." After finishing my morning deliveries, I went home at noon to bring lunch to my mom. In the afternoon, a colleague asked for my help with delivering a nearby order. "Can you help me out? My car broke down, and if this doesn't get delivered, it'll be late." "I'm on my way. Send me the address." This kind of thing happened often, and we always helped each other. But when I delivered the order to the specified address, I discovered it was Ophelia's company. I considered calling the customer to come down and collect the order, but they refused, so I had no choice but to go up to the 12th floor. As I stepped into the elevator, I silently prayed not to run into Ophelia. But the more I hoped to avoid her, the more likely it seemed to happen. Lowering my head, I handed the delivery to the customer and immediately turned to leave the office. But as I hurried out, I accidentally bumped into someone in front of me, scattering the documents they were holding all over the floor. I quickly apologized and crouched down to pick them up. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you just now. Truly, I am." The person didn't respond. Instead, they froze upon hearing my voice and stood there, unmoving, with their arms crossed. They simply watched as I gathered every document. When I stood up after collecting them all, I realized that the person in front of me was Ophelia. I immediately froze in place. "I'm sorry, here are your documents," I said awkwardly after a few seconds. After handing them to her, I immediately bolted out of the office and into the hallway. Just as I was about to press the elevator button, I heard Ophelia's voice behind me. "Stop right there!" I froze where I stood. I could hear the unfriendly tone in her voice. She walked up to me, glaring angrily. "I don't ever want to see you in my company again!" I looked up at her. If that was what she wanted, so be it. "Fine. I'll make sure not to take any more orders from here. You won't see me again." "You'd better keep that promise, or I'll make sure you're forced to find a new job!" I knew she had the power now to get me fired, to end my part-time work altogether. Clenching my fists tightly, I replied, "Don't worry. I'll stick to my word." Even so, Ophelia sneered, "Really? You said you'd never appear again and yet here you are. What do you mean by this? You should've dropped dead instead of always showing up like this!" I knew she hated me. To her, I might as well be dead. "I'm sorry," I said, turning to leave again. But she shouted after me, "Sorry? After running into me again, all you can say is sorry?" There was nothing else I could say other than sorry. Well, nothing but one thing. "Besides apologizing, there's something else I need to tell you." Ophelia's head shot up as her eyes fixed on me. It was as if she was waiting for an explanation or confession. "Don't marry Hayden. He's not a good man. He's not worthy of you." Ophelia laughed bitterly at my words. "Thaddeus, what right do you have to judge him?" She then stormed up to me, grabbing my shirt and yelling furiously, "If it weren't for him helping me and the Smith family all these years, do you think I'd be where I am today? You were the one who abandoned me when I was at my lowest! What right do you have to talk about who's worthy or not?" Her eyes burned with hatred as she glared at me, her voice rising with anger. "If he's not worthy, then are you? Tell me, what makes you worthy?" I had no right to tell her that because when she needed me the most, I hadn't offered a single word of comfort. Instead, I had sent a message coldly ending our relationship before vanishing from her world entirely. Her hatred for me was justified. But no matter what, I couldn't let her marry Hayden.