《His Belated Love Is Worth Nothing novel》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 As my husband Ryan Davis was heading home to pick up our daughter Mia from school, he suddenly called to say he had something urgent. He left Mia halfway and asked me to pick her up, Warried that something might happen to Mia, despite having a high fever, I rushed towards her. But unfortunately, I was still toote. A truck without license tes hit her and fled the scene, resulting in her death. Holding Mia¡¯s lifeless body, I broke down in tears. Meanwhile, Ryan¡¯s first love Emma Wilson posted on her social media, ¡°You always appear just when I need you. Grateful to have you around!¡± Apanying the post was a sweet photo of them together. Shaking, I took a screenshot and sent it to Ryan, asking. ¡°Is this why you left Mia by herself?¡± It wasn¡¯t until after our daughter¡¯s cremation and burial that Ryan finally responded, ¡°Mia is six and can manage by herself, but Emma can¡¯t be without me!¡± ¡°Ryan, let¡¯s get a divorce.¡± I made the painful decision to request a divorce and sent my final message to Ryan before blocking him.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Ryan had been the guiding light in my life for thirty years. We grew up together, attended school together, and everyone knew I¡¯d always followed him. I stayed around him as his friend. From supporting his pursuits and dating of Emma to witnessing his heartbreaks due to Emma ¡¯s departure, I¡¯d been there every step of the way. I didn¡¯t recall when I started developing feelings for him, but during his rtionship with Emma , I endured the agony of unrequited love. After Emma left and Ryan was heartbroken. I confessed my feelings, and we eventually married. We had known each other since we were five, dated at twenty, married at twenty¨Csix, and weed our daughter Mia at twenty¨Cnine. Now, Mia was six. I had followed Ryan for thirty years. For thirty years, my burning gaze had never left him. For thirty years, I spent all my precious youth on him. For thirty years, I gave my all, thinking that one day I would have a ce in his heart. But I was wrong. In his heart, I was just the second¨Cbest option. He had always been the one who was doted by love, while I had gotten used to being humble and making sacrifices. Even though we were married with a child, I didn¡¯t dare ask too much of him. He was very busy at work, so I was sensible and never disturbed him. Whether it was illness, a prenatal check up, or even giving birth, I dared not trouble him. I was afraid that if I didn¡¯t do something well, it would annoy him. This was the only time in all these years that I had a severe fever and had no other options, so I asked him to pick up Mia. But this time, because of Emma , he abandoned Mia halfway, causing her death. She was only six years old and had so much potential! How lonely and scared she must have felt when she died! I knelt in front of Mia¡¯s grave and cried until myst tear dried up. Then I got up and left with a dead heart. Not long after, I saw Ryan holding Emma ¡¯s shoulders and walking towards me. Emma was holding an urn in her hands, her face haggard, and Ryan looked at her with eyes full of pity and tenderness. ¡°Ryan, this cemetery is full of birds and flowers. Daniel should like it, right?¡± Daniel was a poodle she Emma kept. Ryan had a distressed look on his face and was about to speak. But when he looked up, he saw me not far away. When our eyes met, the pity in his eyes turned into indifference. ¡°Amelia, you¡¯re never going to stop, are you? First you talked about divorce, and now you¡¯re following me here. Do you have nothing better to do?¡± He walked up to me, frowning with displeasure. ¡°Step aside.¡± I spoke coldly, not wanting to say another word to him. Chapter 2 Chapter 2N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. Emma approached and said gently, ¡°Amelia, my beloved Daniel died suddenly of illness. I was very upset, so I asked Ryan to apany me. Please don¡¯t be angry.¡± Her voice was soft, but her eyes held a provocative expression of dominance, as if to say, ¡°With me, he¡¯s always there.¡± ¡°Oh, your man is so good to you,¡± I replied expressionlessly. Ryan frowned. ¡°Amelia, can you be reasonable? Daniel¡¯s death has already made Emma very upset, and you¡¯re still being sarcastic?¡± Seeing Ryan so eager to defend Emma , I nced at him. Without another word, I simply pushed Ryan¡¯s shoulder away and walked off. As I departed, Ryan seemed a bit dazed. This was the first time I saw him and Emma together without crying or making a fuss. I left calmly. Two secondster, Ryan caught up with me and whispered, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just because I didn¡¯t take Mia home? Why are you so angry with me for so long? Why are you so petty?¡± He was the one who did something wrong, but I was always the one who got med. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all my fault,¡± I replied coldly without even looking at him. Seeing my indifference, Ryan was a little surprised. He lowered his tone and exined, ¡°Daniel¡¯s death was a big blow to Emma . I was afraid she might have an ident if she was alone, so I hurried to find her. Is Mia mad at me? I¡¯ll make it up to her when I get back. She¡¯s so well¨Cbehaved, she will forgive me, right?¡± If he had paid any attention to our family, he would have known something had happened to his daughter. But he didn¡¯t. He focused entirely on Emma . ¡°You don¡¯t have a chance anymore,¡± I said, walking away again, not wanting to say another word to Ryan. Ryan reached out and grabbed my arm. ¡°Why is there no chance? Okay, okay, I promise to pick up Mia from school every day. You don¡¯t have to be so mad about this, okay?¡± Noticing my unusually cold attitude, Ryan seemed willing to lower his profile and make a promise for the first time. If Mia hadn¡¯t had the car ident, maybe I would have forgiven him. But now, it was impossible. ¡°Let¡¯s find a time and finalize the divorce as soon as possible,¡± I said, shaking off Ryan¡¯s hand and leaving resolutely without looking back. Watching my back, Ryan felt as if something was slipping away from him. He frowned and called his secretary. ¡°Ava, prepare the most exquisite doll for me and send it home to my daughter. Ask her to help persuade her mother not to be angry with me.¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Before I even reached the cemetery gate, I received a call from the cemetery manager. ¡°Ms. Lewis, someone is digging up your daughter¡¯s grave!¡± This sentence hit me like a bolt of lightning, making my heart feel like it exploded. I immediately turned around and ran towards Mia¡¯s grave, disregarding everything else. Mia was sunny and cheerful. She loved daisies, which also love the sun. She said she wanted to nt the entire backyard with daisies in the future. Her wish was not fulfilled in her lifetime, so I nted daisies on her grave after her death. I didn¡¯t put a tombstone for her but nted countless daisies, each one carrying my endless longing for her. ¡°Ryan, there are a lot of daisies here. Daniel will definitely like it!¡± As soon as I arrived, I saw Emma had already ced the urn she was holding into Mia¡¯s grave, and two bodyguards were refilling the grave. The daisies I had nted were dug up and scattered everywhere. Mia¡¯s urn was tossed carelessly next to a dirty pile of dirt. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± I rushed over like crazy, pushed aside the two bodyguards, and shouted angrily, ¡°Who told you to dig up the grave?¡± Emma pretended to be terrified and shrank into Ryan¡¯s arms. ¡°I saw there was no tombstone here. It felt like an abandoned grave that no one cared about. It was full of beautiful daisies, so I thought Daniel could rest in peace here. I asked the cemetery manager to contact the family of the deceased. I¡¯ll give them somepensation. The dead can¡¯tpare to real money. Their families won¡¯t object. But why are you yelling? You¡¯re scaring me.¡± Emma always perfectly ys the role of the delicatedy, but she made me sick. I didn¡¯t waste time talking to her. I snatched the shovel from the bodyguard¡¯s hand and frantically dug up the soil they had just filled in. This was the ce I prepared for Mia with all my heart. I won¡¯t allow anyone else to upy it. ¡°Amelia, what are you doing? Stop it!¡± Ryan roared at me and grabbed the shovel from my hand. ¡°Ryan, you¡¯re a monster!¡± I shouted, then squatted down and dug with my hands. Seeing I was about to reach the urn, Emma panicked and shouted, ¡°Why are you still standing there? Stop her! Don¡¯t let her touch Daniel!¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Two bodyguards immediately pulled me away. ¡°Let me go!¡± I struggled desperately, but I couldn¡¯t break free from their grip. Ryan walked towards me with a cold expression. ¡°Emma is already upset because of Daniel¡¯s death, and now you¡¯re digging up his grave to provoke her. You¡¯ve gone too far. Apologize to Emma immediately!¡± Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Ryan used me condescendingly and ordered me to apologize to the woman who had dug up my daughter¡¯s grave At that moment, I felt an overwhelming sadness. I red at Ryan and said resolutely, ¡°Never!¡± ¡°Ryan, you said your wife was virtuous and generous, but she was just pretending. Look at her now. She¡¯s acting like a crazy woman. If people find out, wouldn¡¯t theyugh at you for having such a wife?¡± Emma began to sow discord between Ryan and me, seizing the opportunity. Ryan red at me with disgust and said sternly, ¡°Did you hear it? Don¡¯t embarrass me. Go home and be with Mia. How can you leave her alone at home?¡± I stared at Ryan and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Do you still care about Mia?¡± Ryan replied confidently, ¡°What are you talking about? Yes, I¡¯m very busy and don¡¯t have time to spend with her, but I work hard for her. She is my only daughter, and all my assets will be hers. When she gets married, I¡¯ll give her the most luxurious dowry in the world. I want her to be proud of having a father like me.¡± Ryan¡¯s words struck a nerve. I couldn¡¯t help but yell, ¡°Ryan, stop pretending. If you really cared about Mia, you wouldn¡¯t have left her alone on the road for Emma . She was only six years old. Did you ever think about how helpless she felt?¡± ¡°Why are you so annoying? You keep arguing with me over such a trivial matter. You¡¯re never going to stop, are you?¡± Ryan finally lost his patience and yelled at me.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights. After saying this, he angrily kicked the urn next to the pile of dirt. Bang! The powerful kick made the urn roll several times on the ground, scattering the ashes everywhere. Seeing this, my mind exploded, and I waspletely stunned. Last time, when I saw Mia hit by a truck, I was heartbroken. Now, seeing her ashes destroyed by her father, I felt an even deeper pain. I hated it so much! As if on cue, a gust of wind blew, scattering the ashes further. ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± I struggled to break free from the bodyguards, reaching out to grab the floating ashes. But how could hands hold the ashes? They disappeared, just like Mia. Thest tangible thing of Mia was gone. Overwhelmed by guilt and pain, I felt like I was being shattering. Iy on the ground, trying to gather the remaining ashes from the soil. Tears of despair streamed down my face. Emma stepped forward, crushing the ashes under her foot, and taunted, ¡°Amelia, it¡¯s just a pile of stranger¡¯s ashes. Why are you putting on such a sad show? If you want to stop Daniel from being buried, you don¡¯t need these tricks!¡± ¡°Get away from me!¡± I shouted, standing up suddenly and pushing Emma She staggered and fell to the ground. Ryan instantly turned furious. Without a word, he walked up to me and pped me hard across the face. It was the first time he had ever hit me. But I didn¡¯t feel any pain on my face¨Cmy heart hurt far more. ¡°You left Mia at home alone only to bully Emma out of ridiculous jealousy. You disappoint me so much. How did Mia end up with such a petty mother like you?¡± Ryan was furious. ¡°You like crying over a stranger¡¯s ashes, right? Then cry as much as you want. From today on, I will take Mia away. You are not worthy of being her mother. I don¡¯t want Mia to be influenced by you!¡± As he spoke, Ryan took out his phone and ordered coldly, ¡°Ava, take Mia to my private vi immediately. Amelia is not allowed to see her without my permission.¡± On the other end of the phone, Ava hesitated before saying, ¡°Mr. Davis, Mia died in a car ident the day you were supposed to pick her up from school.¡± ¡°I also discovered that the grave full of daisies where Ms. Wilson wanted to bury her dog is where Mia¡¯s ashes were buried!¡± Chapter 5 chapter5 Iwascaughtoff guardby CaptainLong¡¯swords. Iinstinctivelylookedatfan,whowassuppressingasmileasheslowlytookouthisphone.Feelingtrapped,Imaintainedmposure. IaddedIan¡¯sWhatsAppcontact. Inotedhisunusualusername¡°Pikake¡±andsimplebluemeprofilepicture. Hisusernamewasodd. Notwantingtolinger,Iquicklymadeanexcusetoleave. Later,athome,IsawCaptain Long¡¯spostonX. Thephotofromdinnerlookedodd. Ihadn¡¯tnoticedanythingunusualwhenitwastaken,butnowIcouldn¡¯thelpbutfrown. IanandI seemedunusuallyclose. ItlookedasifIanandIwereacouple. WhileYannisandWendylookedlikeacouple. Yannishadlikedthepost. Itremindedmeofhisunansweredmessagesfromanalternateount. Yanniswasusinganalternateounttocontactme¨Catrickweoftenusedduringclosedtrainingsessions.IignoredYannisbutsawupdates. HetookWendybacktothefirestationafterthedinner. Wendywasecstatic,postingaboutitonevery socialmediatform. Sheposted,¡°Rememberwhenyousaidyouwantedtobeafirefightertoprotectme?Nowyou¡¯vedoneit.¡±ItwasasubtleconfessiontoYannisthatquicklywentviral.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. PeoplebombardedmewithquestionsaboutYannisandme. Ifounditalmostfunny. We¡¯dneverbeenpublic.Wewerejustcolleaguesandsecretlovers,nevertruepartners. EverythingIhadoncelongedfor,Wendywouldsoonhave. Loveornotwereactuallysostraightforwardandsimple. Ihadbeendeceivingmyselfalong. Nowthatthedreamwasshattered,itwastimetowakeup. IwonderedwhereWendy¡¯sconstantsenseofcrisis towardsmehaefrom. Yannisclearlylovedherdeeply. AsIponderedWendy¡¯sinexplicableinsecurityandYannis¡¯sobviousloveforher,myphonechimed. ItwasIan. Heinformedmethatmytransferapplicationhadbeenapproved,andwithinthreedays,Iwouldreceiveofficialconfirmationtotransferfrommycurrentunit. MyhandsshookwithexcitementasIthankedhim. Eventhoughhedidn¡¯treplyfurther,Icouldn¡¯tcontainmyjoy. TheopportunityI¡¯dgivenupayearagowasfinallywithinreachagain. Chapter 6 chapter6 Afterthreeagonizingdays,mytransferapprovalfinallycamethrough. Icouldnowchooseadatetoleavemycurrentpostandreporttotheprovincialofficewithinthestiptedtime.WhenYoung,myinstructor,handedmethenotification,Icouldn¡¯thelpbutshedtears. Hewasdelighted andasked,¡°Whendoyountoleave?¡± ¡°Tomorrow,¡±Ireplied. Ianwasreturningfromthecitytomorrow,andsincewewerein thesameunit,hehadofferedtotravelbackwithme.¡°Sosoon?¡±Youngfrowned.¡°Aren¡¯tyougoingtosaygoodbyetoeveryone?¡± ¡°Nexttime,¡±Isaid. ¡°IsitbecauseofYannis?¡±heasked. Ishookmyheadwithabittersmile. Itwasn¡¯treallyaboutYannis;Ijustdidn¡¯tlikefarewells. WhetherIsaidgoodbyeornotdidn¡¯tmattertome. Youngknewmypersonalitywenddidn¡¯tpressfurther.Hejustwishedmewendsawmeoffatthegate. Beforeleaving,Iaskedhimtoremovemypromotionalmaterialsassoonaspossible. Heunderstoodandassuredmeitwouldbedone. IsalutedhimonsttimeandleftthecewhereIhadworkedforfive WhatIdidn¡¯ttellhimwasthatIhadlied. Iwasleavingtonight. WhenIsteppedoutside,Ianwasalreadywaiting. Seeinghim,tearsstreameddownmyface. ¡°Areyouready?Let¡¯sgo.¡± Iansaid,pattingmyshoulder andgivingmeabighug. Clutchingmyappointmentlettertightly,Igotintohiscar. years. Iansatinthepassengerseat,silentlywatchingmecryandhandingmetissues. Itookthem,sobbingevenharder. Afterawhile,Ifinallycalmeddown. ¡°Done crying?¡±heasked. Inoddednkly. Helookedattheroad,asifhehadsomethingtosaybutheldback. Ilookedathimandsmiled,¡°Imustlookpathetic,right?¡± Heshookhishead.¡°Doyoustillwanttolive?¡± Heasked,echoingthequestionhehadaskedwhenhesavedme.Thistime,Icouldfinallyanswerhim. ¡°Yes,Iwanttolive.¡± Hiseyesflickeredwithanunreadableemotion.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Thenlivewell,¡±hesaid. Chapter 7 chapter7 Iwipedmytearsandfellsilent. Ihadembarrassedmyselfinthefire,andnow,withhisinexplicablefeelingstowardsme,wehadnothingmoretosay.¡°Younext¡­¡±hebegan,butwasinterruptedbyasudden,urgentringtone. ItwasYanniscalling. ¡°Jasmine,whereareyou?¡±Yannis¡¯sanxiousvoicecamethrough,hisbreathingheavywithtension. IncedatIan,whopursedhislipsandfrownedslightly. Hewasnothappy. ¡°Jasmine,answerme!¡± Yannisshouted. Iguessedhehadreturnedtothestationandfoundmegone. BeforeIleft,theinstructorhadalreadyremovedallmypromotionalmaterials. Ithoughtbythetimehenoticed,I wouldbeintheclosedtrainingroom. Buthe foundoutsoonerthanIexpected. Iremainedsilent,andYannisshoutedagain. ¡°I¡¯veappliedfor atransfer,¡±Isaid. ¡°Whatdoyoumean?¡± Heasked,hisvoicetremblingwithanger. Hemusthaverealizedfrommyavoidance. Iwasdeterminedtoleavehimafterthefire. ¡°Waitforme,okay?¡± ¡°Iwasjustupset.¡±hepleaded,runningashespoke. ¡°There¡¯snothingbetweenWendyandme. Itightenedmygriponthephone,recallingtheeventsbeforeourargument. Ihadbeenpursuedaggressivelybysomeone. WhenwhenIrejectedhim,hewaiteddownstairswithaweapon. Yannishadintervenedandtakenhimtothepolice,butthenmedmefornotrejectinghimsooner. Ihadrejectedhimoutrightthefirsttime,butYannis stillhelditagainstme,usingitasanexcusetohurtme.Ihavenocontroloverwhatotherswanttodo. Butsincethen,Yannishasalwaysbeencausingtroubleforme. However,Ihavealwaysbelievedthatitwasn¡¯tmyfault. Norisitareasonfor himtokeephurtingmeusinghisex¨Cgirlfriendasanexcuse.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Thinkingofthis,Imadeupmymindandsaid,¡°Don¡¯e.¡® ¡°We¡¯reover.¡± Chapter 8 chapter8 Thenhungupbeforehecouldrespond. Themorewetalked,themoreentangledwebecame.Ourfiveyearstogetherfeltlikeadream. NowthatIwasawake,therewasnothingleft. ¡°Wasitbecauseofhimthatyoudidn¡¯twanttolive?¡± Ianaskedwithaknowingsmile. Thedayofthefire,Ihadmissedthebestchancetoescapewhiletryingtosavearing.Whenthefirebecameuncontroble,IcalledthefiredepartmentandthenYannis. ButallIgotwashisscolding. Feelinghopeless,Isatinacorner,waitingtodie. Thensomeonekickeddown thedoorandcarriedme outlikeagodsend. Throughthegasmask,Isawhisdeepeyes. ¡°Thisrescueistoorisky.Youshouldn¡¯thavetakenthechance,¡±Isaid. ¡°Doyouwanttodie?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ihadrepliedwithouthesitation. Hedidn¡¯tsayanythingmore,andIpassedout. BeforeIlostconsciousness,Iheardhimsay,¡°Iwon¡¯tletyoudie.¡± ¡°Mydearrose.¡± Ithoughtitwasahallucination.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ButnowIrealizeditwasn¡¯t. Hehadreallysaidthat. Hesawmeashisrose. Theskybegantodrizzle,andIan¡¯sfurrowedbrowremainedtense. Istaredathis chiseledprofile,ponderingforamomentbeforedecidingtoask,¡°Havewemetbefore?¡± Heseemednottohear,soIwasabouttorepeatthequestionwhenhefinallyspoke. ¡°Mountain TrainingBase.¡± Hesaid,turningontheblinkerandpullingthecarover. ¡°Threemonths,butyouforgotme.¡± MountainTrainingBasewaswherewealltrainedbeforestartingourjobs,butthatwassixyearsago. Istudiedhisface,searchingmymemories,andfinallyrecalledavaguefigure. ¡°Areyou¡­Eagle?¡±Iasked. Eaglewastheinstructor inchargeofourfieldemergencytraining,whohadput usthroughhellforthosethreemonths. Buthehadnevershownhisface,alwaysappearingasamysteriousfigure. Onlyonce,whenIfellintoatrapwhiletryingtosaveateammateduringmountaintraining. Theenigmatic¡°Eagle¡±rescuedme. Inmypain¨Cinducedhaze,Icaughtaglimpseofaprofile,butIpassedoutbeforeIcouldmemorizehisfeatures.Thatrememberedprofilenowoveppedwiththefacebefore me. Ifinallyunderstoodthesourceofthisfamiliarfeeling. Itturnsouthehadsavedmebothsixyearsagoandnow. Wehadknowneachotherforsolongwithoutrealizingit. ¡°Lastyear,whenthe provincewasrecruiting,yourteamhadalreadyrmendedyou,butIheardyougaveitup.¡±Iansaidwithasmile,easilyguessingwhyIhaddoneso. Ifeltashamed,buthelookedatmedirectly. ¡°I¡¯mdyoufinallywokeup.¡± Indeed.Awakening,thougte,hae. Chapter 9 chapter9 Iwasalsogratefulforthechancetowakeupfromtheillusionoflove. Anunhealthyrtionshiphadcostmetoomuch. Thatintoxicatingfeelingoflovehadmademelosemyabilitytothink,evenconsidergivingupmylife.Itwasterrifying.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Itwasn¡¯tlikeme. Mylifeshouldn¡¯thavesuchmistakes. Inmyfirstyearaftertransferringtotheprovincialteam,Ifinallystartedmy officialduties. Afteraperiodoftraining,Iwasnowfullycapableofhandlinrge¨Cscalefirefightingoperations. Throughoutthistime,Ianhadbeenbymyside. Asmydirectsuperior,Icouldclearlyseethathehaddifferentthoughtsaboutme. Butitwastoodifficultformetorespond. Ihadoncebeenuneasy,askinghimifmytransferwasduetohisbehind¨Cthe¨Cscenesmaniption. Buthefirmlydeniedit,sayingthattheprovincialteamhadwantedtorecruitmesincemyfirstmediaexposure. Ifinallyfeltsomepeaceofmind,butstillcouldn¡¯t respondtohimopenly. Iwasafraid,afraidofbingmyformerselfagain. ThefirsttimeIrejectedhim,hedidn¡¯tsaymuch. Hejustsmiledcalmlyandsaidhecouldwaitabitlonger. Icouldn¡¯tdescribehowIfelt,myheartwasbitterandconflicted. Afewdaysago,someonefromthelocalteamcameforanexchange. IheardthatYannishadbrokenupwithWendy,andafterIappliedforthetransfer,hehadbeentryinghardteandbewithme. Buttheprovincialteamhadmadeitclearthattheywouldn¡¯tselectnewmembersforthreeyears. That¡¯sforthebest.Ididn¡¯twanttoseehimagain. Ididn¡¯tknowhowYannisfeltnow,orwhyhewantedtofindme. IhadclearlysaidwewerebreakingupbeforeIleft,andfor alltheseyears,Ihadbeenfocusingonimprovingmyself,neverpayingattentiontooutsidegossip. Ireallycouldn¡¯tthinkabouthimanymore. EvenwhenIcameback,Ihadnointentionoffollowinganynewsabouthim. ButIdidn¡¯texpectto encounterYannissosoon. Inrecentmonths,extremeweatherhadincreased,andasuddendisasterstruckthe city.Theprovincialteamdispatchedabatchofrescue personnelfromneighboringcities. TheteamleaderfromRiverCitywasYannis. ¡°Hello,I¡¯mJasmineShawfromtheprovincialteam,¡±Iintroducedmyself. Yanniswasstunnedforamoment,hisintensegazefixedonmeforalongtimebeforehefinallyextendedhishand.¡°Long timenosee,¡± Hesaid,grippingmyhandtightlyuntilthesupervisor¡¯swhistleremindedhimtoletgo reluctantly. Therescuemissionwasdemanding,but fortunately,Iwasn¡¯tassignedtothe samegroupashim,whichsparedmefromawkwardmomentsandallowedmetofocusonworkwithoutdistractions. However,whenwewereclose,Ioftenfeltaburninggazeuponme. EverytimeIlooked,itwasindeedhim. Atsuchmoments,Iwouldavertmyeyes,deliberatelyavoidinghisgaze. Duringtheeveningrest,hecouldn¡¯tresisingtofindme. ¡°Jasmine,canwetalk?Please,¡±hepleaded. Seeinghishumbledemeanor,Iultimatelyagreed. Chapter 10 chapter10 Inasecludedcorner,Yannissuddenlypulledmeintohisembrace. Thelong¨Cforgottenwarmthenvelopedme,stirringuppainfulmemoriesofthepast. ¡°I¡¯msorry¡­¡± Iheardhimwhisper. Probablyfearingmyaversion,hequicklyreleasedme. Herepeatedthesameexnationfromayearago. EssentiallysaidthathewaswithWendyonlytomakemejealous,thathefeltresentful. Ididn¡¯tsaymuch,onlyaskingifhehadseentheringonthetable. BeforeIleft,Ihadlefthimthatash¨Ccoveredring. Perhapshehadforgottenthatthedayofthehousefirethreeyearsagowasmybirthday. Ihadspeciallytakenadayoff,nningtobakeacakeathome. Inthecenterofthecake,IwasgoingtocearingIhadmademyself. Iwasgoingtoproposetohimthatday. Butbyevening,hehadn¡¯tshownup. Instead,IreceivedavideofromWendyshowinghimcelebratingherbirthday. Ourbirthdayswereonthesameday,butYannishadforgottenmine. Inthevideo,IsawhimandWendydrinkingatoastamidsttheteasingoftheirfriends. Theywereallhisfriends,noneofwhomIknew. Ijustheardsomeonesay,¡°We¡¯vebeenwaitingtenyearstoseeyoutwodrinkaweddingtoast,can¡¯tbelieveit¡¯sfinallyhappeningafteradecade!¡± Suddenly,IrealizedthatWendyhadbeenapartofhisentireyouth. AndIwasjustaseasoninginhislife. Iput downmyphoneand satsilentlyonthesofaforalongtime.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. SolongthatIforgotIhadsoupsimmeringonthestove. Bythetimealoudnoisecamefromthekitchen,thefirehadalreadystartedtospread. Andthen,Inearlyperishedinthemes. Afterayear,Ifinally toldhimeverythingclearly. Heheldbacktearsandtookoutthatgrayringfromhispocket. Ilookedathimcalmly,onlytoseehimalreadyintears. ¡°Ididn¡¯tknow,I¡¯msorry¡­¡±Yannisweptsilently.¡°Younevertoldmeanyofthis¡­¡± ¡°Canyougivemeanotherchance?¡± Chapter 11 chapter11 Yannissuddenlygrabbedmyhand,insistentlytryingtogivemethering. Itookit,thenthrewitintoanearbymuddypuddleinfrontofhim. ¡°Goodbye,Yannis,¡±Isaid,lookingathim. ¡°Afterthisrescuemission,let¡¯snevermeetagain.¡± Therescueoperationwentsmoothly,andwemanagedtoevacuatehundredsofthousandsofpeopleinjusteightdays.Whenthesupportteamwasleaving,theheadquartersheldagrandfarewellparty. Yannisdidn¡¯e;Iheardhewassick. Therelevantauthoritiesorganizedafewpeopletovisithiminthehospital,whileeverythingelseproceededasusual.Aseveryonewassayingtheirgoodbyes,Isuddenlyfeltashadowfallovermefrombehind. Withoutguessing,IcouldtellfromtheshapeoftheshadowthatitwasIan. ¡°Aren¡¯tyougoingtoseehim?¡±heasked. Ishookmyhead.¡°There¡¯snoneed.¡± IheardYanniswouldbedischargedsoon,andtherewereplentyofpeopleconcernedabouthim. Theydidn¡¯tneedme. ¡°You¡¯reverydecisive,¡±Ianpraisedme.¡°Iknewarosecouldn¡¯tbelongtojustonestar.¡± Helookedupattheskyandsighedsoftly,¡°Iwonderwhichofthemillionsofstarsintheskyitwillchoose?¡±Content provided by N?velDrama.Org. Ianwasbeingquitepoetictoday,whichwouldhaveconfused others. Butunfortunatelyforhim,Iwastherosehewasreferringto. Itwasn¡¯thardtounderstand. ¡°Perhapstherosedoesn¡¯tneedstarstobloombrilliantly,¡±Irepliedwithasmile,thenmercilesslyremindedhim.¡°Commander,theincidentreportisdueintwodays.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± Iancursedunderhisbreath,puttinghisarmaroundmyshoulderlikeabrotherandpullingmebackwithhim.¡°Don¡¯tthinkyoucanmakeme workovertimealone.¡± Hesaidthis,butintheend,hewastheonefranticallyworkingatthputer. Iwatchedhimstrugglingandsmiled. ThenIdeletedanewtextmessageonmyphone. ¡°I¡¯vefoundthering.I¡¯llloveyouforever.¡± Perhapsthisishowpeopleare,onlyrealizing whatthey¡¯velostafterit¡¯sgone. ButI¡¯msorry,noonewillwaitforyouforeverinthesamece. Chapter 12 chapter12 ExtraChatper Inmysecondyearaftertransferring,anothermajorincidenturredinourarea.Tosavealittlegirl,Itookariskandjoinedthefront¨Clinebattlemyself. Thelittlegirlwasrescued,butIwasnearlycrushedbyafallingbeam. Atthecriticalmoment,Ianarrivedwitharescueteam. Ashecarriedmeoutofthefire,hesaid,¡°Thisisthethirdtimealready.¡± ¡°Jasmine,you¡¯retrulyamazing,butIworryaboutyou.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Ismiledandpointedatthefirebehindus,saying,¡°Just now,Isawmystar.¡± Ianfrowned,notunderstanding. Ididn¡¯thavethestrengthtoexinfurther. WhenIregainedconsciousness,mythroatwashoarsefrominhalingtoomuchsmoke.Iandidn¡¯tpressforanswersbutlookedveryconcerned. Finally,whenmythroat recovered,Itooktheinitiativetotalktohim. IknewthatIan¡¯ssocialmediausername,Pikake,wastheHawaiianwordforjasmine.Itwasmyname. Ialsoknewthathehadbeenthinkingaboutmeformany years. Before,IfeltIcouldn¡¯trespondtohisfeelings,butnow,Iseemedtohavechanged. ItoldhimthatIsawstarsinthefire. ButIdidn¡¯ttellhimthatwhetheritwasthefirsttimeorthesecondtime. Hewasalwaysthestaramidstthemes. However,arosedoesn¡¯tneed starstoshine;itisbrilliantonitsown. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!