9
With Jason’s help, I rented a house and simply furnished the room. I went out to eat.
At the bottom of the stairs on my way back, I saw Ethan. He looked thin, much more haggard than when I last saw him.
I tried to walk past him, but he grabbed me and started rambling about stories from our childhood. “Rachel, I was wrong. Can we start over?”
Thinking I didn’t believe him, he frantically pulled out a photo, “Look, we’ve known each other since we were little!”
I took the photo, glanced at it, and handed it back to him, “So what?”
“If we really had such a good relationship as you say, why weren’t you by my side when I woke up? Why do I feel disgusted when I see you?”
He was choked by these questions and lowered his head in silence, his eyes reddening, “I’m sorry, I was deceived by Olivia.”
I found it a bit amusing. As an adult, how could he lack such basic judgment?
“The fact that you could be deceived by her just shows that you trusted her more, doesn’t it? What right do you have to regret now?”
I felt inexplicably elated saying these words.
His eyes were full of remorse. He tried to reach out and grab me, but I disgustedly dodged, losing my balance and falling backward. However, I fell into a warm embrace.
Jason put his arm around my shoulders, his face full of challenging smiles, “Sorry, my girlfriend doesn’t want you to touch her.”
Then, ignoring Ethan’s reaction, he pulled me towards the stairs.
The tips of his ears were tinged with red. At the corner, I let go of his hand, “Why are you here?”
He awkwardly rubbed his hair, “Coincidence, coincidence.”
I smiled helplessly, but didn’t expose him.
To thank him for coming to my rescue, I let him into the apartment. When we talked about future plans, I said seriously, “I want to become a sign language teacher”
The little boy’s dejected expression flashed in my mind. Sign language was their way of communicating with the world, but too few people understood it. Adding me would still be too few.
He turned to look at me, “I want to help you achieve your goal.”
Hearing such a straightforward confession, my withered heart seemed to come back to life, beating rapidly.
I still pretended not to understand and said, “That’s great, from now on you’re my partner
He didn’t rush for a response, seriously making plans. We discussed the feasibility of the plan together. After who knows how long, a flash of
D
1:02 PM
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He turned to look at me, “I want to help you achieve your goal.”
Hearing such a straightforward confession, my withered heart seemed to come back to life, beating rapidly.
I still pretended not to understand and said, “That’s great, from now on you’re my partner.”
He didn’t rush for a response, seriously making plans. We discussed the feasibility of the plan together. After who knows how long, a flash of lightning broke across the sky, followed by the sound of rain.
I pulled back the curtains and saw Ethan standing alone in the rain.
I didn’t feel anything special, even thinking his behavior was a bit childish. What was the point of this other than hurting himself?
I slept soundly to the sound of the rain.
10
Three years later, while I was teaching a sign language class, Olivia burst in with a knife. She held the knife to my throat, yelling that she wanted to see Ethan.
After Ethan learned the truth, he cut off all ties with Olivia. The things she had done quickly spread through their social circles,
The Sang family immediately issued a statement disowning Olivia. She fell from heaven to hell in an instant, her mental state becoming increasingly unstable.
I gave Jason a look, and he quickly led the children away. Only Olivia and I were left in the classroom. Her emotions were extremely agitated, “Why? Why were you born into a wealthy family? Why does everyone like you!”
I calmly replied, “Olivia, when you first came to our family, I truly felt sorry for you. I was happy to share good things with you, but your desires grew bigger and bigger. You were too greedy.”
Ethan quickly arrived at the scene. After not seeing each other for years, he looked even thinner. Seeing me in danger, his body reacted before his mind, and he violently grabbed Olivia’s wrist holding the knife.
“Rachel, run!”
In the struggle, the knife pierced Olivia’s neck. Warm blood splattered on my face.
Olivia slowly fell. They say people see the most important scenes of their life before they die. I don’t know what Olivia saw, but a smile appeared on her face.
Jason immediately rushed over to cover my eyes, afraid I would be traumatized. “Rachel, don’t be afraid.”
Ethan was sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter. Before he went to prison, I went to see him one last time.
I showed him the ring on my finger, telling him I was getting married.
A flash of pain appeared in his eyes, but quickly disappeared. He smiled bitterly, “Rachel, I wish you happiness. I’m sorry I let you down.”
His eyes filled with tears, “I can’t repay the debt of this life. In the next life, I definitely won’t let go of your hand.”
I looked up at him, my eyes full of mockery, “Ethan, didn’t you say your wife couldn’t be a mute?”
His lips trembled, “You… you remember!”
“Yes, so when you saved me, I didn’t feel grateful. I just thought you deserved it.”
“Ethan, in the next life, and the life after that, I will stay far away from you?”
(The End)
