Chapter 1 The Last Dinner

Scarlett Thomas said, "My obsession is too strong. I will go mad if I'm alive but can't embrace you." Everyone had their obsessions; Scarlett's obsession was Jude Simmons. She was so infatuated with him that he became her obsession—an obsession that hurt both herself and other people. She didn't care about getting hurt, but she didn't want to hurt him and other people. Once she understood this, she did something that no one expected her to do: she let go and granted him freedom. Nevertheless, as she had said, she would become insane if she couldn't embrace Jude while she was alive. Thus, on a cloudy evening, she dragged her exhausted self to her apartment and laid peacefully in a bathtub filled with bloody water. Her expression was peaceful at the thought of finally ending her obsessive unrequited love... Jude had won his desired freedom at the price of losing her. Only then did he realize how bland his life was without her. He felt like he had lost something very important... Scarlett had become his regret. … Scarlett was preparing dinner for that man in the kitchen for the last time, even if... he had never eaten any of her food before. She stirred the hot congee in the pot with a mocking smile... The congee had been left to simmer for five to six hours so that it would be dense yet non-greasy, but did her careful preparation even matter? That man had never tasted her cooking. She once saw him making instant noodles to satisfy his late-night hunger pangs... He would rather have instant noodles than eat her food. Her face looked somewhat pale under the light. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 11:58 p.m. "In another two minutes, he will probably be home." At 12 a.m. sharp, the villa's door opened. Scarlett looked at the clock again, and sure enough, he had returned at 12 a.m. on the dot, not a minute more or less. Her eyes became filled with self-ridicule. She forced him to come home every night, barring him from spending the night outside. In retaliation, he chose to come home at midnight. "Come and eat. I made your favorite sweet-and-sour ribs and chicken-and-mushroom congee." Scarlett turned around to walk toward the dining table. Suddenly, she felt a burst of humid warmth in her ear and a hot breath on her neck. "Mrs. Simmons, it's exactly 12 a.m. right now," Jude said, his seductive and mocking voice drifting into her ear. "I've fulfilled my end of the contract and faithfully completed all of your requests. But, your congee... Heh..." His voice was as cold and stinging as ice! His sudden remark stabbed Scarlett's heart. She clenched her fists as anguish and grief crossed her eyes. It had been seven whole years. She thought she had become accustomed to this, but in the end... the self-ridicule in her eyes grew even stronger. Enduring the stinging pain in her heart, she said, "Have some congee. You stink of wine. You drank a lot when entertaining your guests, didn't you? Have some congee to ease your stomach." She scooped some of the chicken-and-mushroom congee into a bowl for him. Jude walked to the dining table nonchalantly and knocked on it with his knuckles. He picked up a spoon with a mischievous look, making Scarlett's eyes light up with surprise... He had never eaten any of her food. Her happiness didn't escape his notice. Sarcasm filled his cold eyes as he threw the spoon back into the bowl and gave her a teasing look. "Mrs. Simmon, aren't you sick of putting on this loving farce every freaking day?" His gaze swept the dishes that filled the table before returning to Scarlett's pale face. His sharp words had destroyed what little was left of her delusion. "Have I ever eaten anything you made in the past seven years?" Jude turned around. "What a joke!" Scarlett stood still under the lamp, the light making her face look all that much paler.