When my father came to question me angrily, I used the same trick again.
More crazy screaming while clutching my head, scaring the doctors into dragging him away too.
Revealing my intelligence in front of them freed me from the fate of being married off to Alaric by my father, but-
But I don’t know what Alaric said to his father after going back, because my name was added to the study abroad list.
These four people were like persistent ghosts.
So I tore up the test papers Mr. Everhart had sent, and asked for drawing supplies and a computer instead.
Unexpectedly, it was Beckett and Cassian who brought them.
I looked at them coldly. Cassian sat directly on the nearby sofa and pulled out his phone, acting like he was settling in for a long stay.
Beckett handed me the laptop and sketchbook while chattering away: “What brand is this computer? It’s really heavy.”
“I’ll buy you a good one. Don’t use this anymore–it looks broken.”
I ignored him, put the laptop aside, and opened the sketchbook to pass time.
Those two actually had the audacity to stay.
Beckett sat right next to me to watch what I was drawing, making small talk.
I ignored him, but he wasn’t annoyed. He said a few bad things about Alaric, then showed me photos and videos of potential study abroad locations, asking if I liked the scenery in Europe.
I directly said I didn’t want to go and told him to stop bothering me.
Beckett scratched his head with an embarrassed smile: “I feel like your temper got much worse after losing your memory…”
Cassian put down his phone and found an excuse to send Beckett out to buy me food.
He got up and walked over to me, with a half–smile: “Selene, you don’t actually have amnesia, right?”
I didn’t even look up, continuing to write and draw.
Cassian sat directly at the foot of the bed, his tone cryptic: “This move of yours is really clever, striking Alaric so hard he’s completely lost. How could he still care about Delilah?”
“Compared to your father’s approach of selling misery and threats, your fake amnesia trick is indeed more brilliant.”
“You did test it out–Alaric likes you. But needing you to nearly die at death’s door for him to like you, how long do you think that can last?”
I continued writing and drawing, too lazy to pay attention to him.
Cassian was very smart–calling him the only one with brains in this group wouldn’t be wrong. He had guessed correctly.
But so what? He only got right that I wasn’t actually amnesiac.
Why did they all think I liked Alaric, that I loved him desperately?
Seeing me ignore him, Cassian shrugged indifferently. “How cold.”
He smiled, then placed a USB drive near me.
Chapter 12
“A gift for you. It contains surveillance footage from that day’s stage, including backstage.”
“The Everhart family deleted it really quickly, but if they looked carefully… they should be able to discover who placed that ball.”
My brow twitched, but my pen didn’t stop.
There was no way I could have placed that ball. Anyone with a brain would know it definitely had something to do with Delilah.
Cassian’s performance was just baffling.
Though I really wanted to ask him soul–searchingly–Delilah didn’t choose you, feeling defeated, you simp?
Of course Delilah wouldn’t choose him, and wouldn’t choose Beckett either.
Though they were both young masters, their family backgrounds were several levels below Alaric’s.
Delilah had been targeting Alaric from the start–these two childhood friends were just chips to stimulate competition.
Seeing no reaction from me, Cassian directly put the USB drive in my pocket.
He should be the person most eager for Alaric to change his mind and like me.
Hoping I’d take this to Alaric and completely “bring down” Delilah.
Then he could reap the benefits.
Cassian’s hand rested on my shoulder: “But Alaric really isn’t a good person. His parents don’t like you
either.”
“However, if you insist on running into this wall, I won’t stop you–it’s just that you actually have other choices.”
His tone at the end was ambiguously suggestive, as if hinting at something.
Too bad I didn’t spare him half a glance. After a while, Cassian boredly withdrew his hand and sat back down.
These past few days, the two of them were “permanent residents” of my hospital room, visiting more diligently than my own father.
Alaric came every night, close to midnight.
He always came silently, watching me with sorrowful eyes. Sometimes I pretended to sleep, and he would watch for a long time before leaving.
Sometimes when I met his gaze, he would show a delighted expression, only to have all emotions extinguished the next second by “I really don’t remember you.”
He always murmured in a low voice: “It’s okay… it’s okay, Selene. It’s okay if you forgot.”
“Some memories aren’t good anyway. It’s okay if you forgot. I want to tell you, I was wrong. I know I was wrong.”
“Will you forgive me? I really was wrong, it was my fault… can we get to know each other again?”
In the darkness, I silently watched him.
Alaric had never bowed his head to anyone, never apologized.
What was he apologizing for? For never letting me go, or for losing his temper and giving me the cold shoulder?
For that “she’s just a nanny” comment, or for three years of cold violence and turning a deaf ear?
Or… for my mother’s car accident?
No matter which one, this apology was too late. I had no intention of accepting it.
Just like everything I was planning–once it began, it wouldn’t stop.
Alaric left dejectedly once again, like an abandoned puppy.
I opened the computer and silently typed strings of code rapidly, sending a message to the other side.
I opened the computer and silently typed strings of code rapidly, sending a message to the other side.
“Everything is ready.“
