Ch. Forgot what 16 Forgot what 16

**16** 

This day, I was again drifting in my sleep. 

That familiar scent returned. 

A man sat by my bedside. 

He seemed to have been drinking; when he spoke, there was a faint scent of alcohol. 

And he spoke more than usual. 

“Lily, you must hate me, right?” 

“When you loved me, I deliberately avoided you.” 

< 

10:24 Sat, 2 Aug D 

“When you were in pain, I stood by.” 

“I always showed my disgust towards you. I said I hated you bothering me, I said I didn’t 

like you.” 

“You said you knew I didn’t love you, but it was enough if I didn’t hate you.” 

“When you said those words with tears in your eyes, my heart ached just as much as 

yours.” 

“But, Lily, you were wrong.” 

“I liked you. The first night I met you, I liked you.” 

“That night, by the river, your will to live was even weaker than mine.” 

“You smiled and said it was the first birthday that was completely your own. As you 

spoke, your tears fell onto the palm-sized cake.” 

“But you still offered me the middle piece, the one with the cherry.” 

“You don’t know, looking into your sparkling eyes, I almost teared up too.” 

“Ever since my mother passed away, no one had given me the biggest and best of 

anything like you did.” 

“That night, on the way back with you on my back, you kept kicking your little legs, 

talking about your favorite TV shows, talking about the little cat you rescued. I never knew a girl’s inner world could be so rich and interesting.” 

“I wished that road would never end.” 

“Listening to you talk, my life seemed to come alive too.” 

“But I also felt deeply ashamed of myself.” 

“Because I had just accepted Willow’s confession of feelings, and then I liked her sister.” 

“I hated my father for cheating on my mother and hurting her.” 

< 

“But unknowingly, I was also doing something to hurt Willow.” 

“So, after that night, I constantly warned myself not to let desire control me.” 

“So, I deliberately kept my distance from you, and I grew to hate your closeness more 

and more.” 

“Because you had a natural magic about you, and I couldn’t stop wanting to get closer, wanting to draw from it.” 

“Ultimately, for my own hypocritical motives, I made the most regrettable decision of 

life.” 

my 

“Sending you abroad.” 

By the end, Christian’s throat was laced with a painful rasp again. 

He cupped my hand and kissed it: 

“Lily, today I’m getting engaged to Willow.” 

“But you don’t have to worry, I’ve never loved her.” 

“I just valued her pristine reputation. Being with her, I was actually thinking more about the Davies family’s business empire.” 

“Using her, that was my baseness.” 

“But it doesn’t excuse her culpability.” 

“Today, I will take away everything she values and ruin her forever beyond repair.”