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The lawyer quickly replied:“Understood, Miss Carice. will prepare the documents promptly.”
Carice put away her phone and gazed at the scenery flashing past outside the window.
Losing her memory was an opportunity given by heaven–a chance to escape completely and start a brand–new life.
“Not going home first,” she suddenly told the driver, “Take me to the immigration office.”
The driver was visibly startled, giving her a surprised glance through the rearview mirror before replying respectfully, “Yes, madam.”
The immigration procedures went smoothly.
The staff informed her that all documents would be ready in half a month.
When getting in the car, Carice hesitated for a moment before speaking:“Don’t tell my husband about today.”
The driver’s grip on the steering wheel tightened:“Madam, Sir… usually doesn’t allow us to mention you in his presence.”
Carice forced a faint smile.
So, Rufus detested her to such an extent that he didn’t even want to hear her name.
Returning to the villa, Carice stood at the entrance and looked around. This home felt both familiar and alien.
Familiar because every detail matched her taste, alien because it was so lifeless it hardly seemed lived in.
She gently ran her fingers over the embroidered cushion on the sofa, thinking how joyfully she must have decorated this home back then, full of hope for a happy life with Rufus.
In the wedding photo hanging on the wall, her gaze at Rufus was filled with love, while the man’s handsome face showed only indifference.
Carice shook her head and turned to go upstairs.
Entering the bedroom, Carice instinctively pulled open a drawer, and immediately, a leather–bound diary slipped to the floor.
Opening the first page, the crooked handwriting looked as if written while drunk:
“Today is my wedding day with Rufus. He went straight to his study without a word. It’s okay, I’ll wait.”
Flipping further, each page felt like a knife, stabbing deep into her heart:
[The 37th suicide attempt. He still didn’t come. His assistant said Annalise had a fever, and he stayed by her bedside all night. I lay in the emergency room, listening to the IV drip until dawn.]
【The 89th time I tried to kill myself, I took an overdose of sleeping pills. When I woke up, I heard him on the phone in the hallway, saying ‘Let her die.‘ It was then that I realized, the pain of hearing the one you love wish for your death is worse than death itself.】
【108th attempt. I’m giving up. If this doesn’t work, I’ll disappear completely. No one cares if I exist or not.】
Carice abruptly closed the diary, her chest feeling as if it had been ripped open. The scars on her wrists suddenly burned, each one silently accusing her of past despair.
She slowly crouched down, hugging her knees tightly.
So, for these three years, she had lived so pitifully, like a dog wagging its tail for scraps, just to earn a glance from him.
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“It’s okay,” Carice wiped away her tears and placed the diary in the drawer, ‘Carice, it’s okay that no one loves prom
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating a small patch on the floor.
“As long as you love yourself, you haven’t lost.
Carice had stayed in this empty villa for a few days, and Rufus never returned.
Without memories or affection, she didn’t find the loneliness unbearable at all. Instead, she thought it might be nice to quiet war fe the immigration paperwork to be processed.
Until her mother’s call shattered the peace.
3
Tomorrow is Annalise’s birthday,7 PM at the Hampton by Hilton.” The voice on the phone was cold and distant, “Don’t be late.”
“I don’t-
“That’s that..”
The call was abruptly ended, leaving her no chance to refuse.
On the day of the banquet, Carice chose the simplest black gown.
As soon as she entered, she saw Annalise being the center of attention, along with Rufus, whom she hadn’t seen in days.
“Annalise is so lucky,” two ladies nearby whispered, “er adoptive parents treat her like their most precious treasure, and even Mr. Sackhoff is incredibly attentive to her.”
“Absolutely. I heard Mr. Sackhoff personally arranged this banquet. The champagne was airlifted from France–half a million each bottle. And those flowers? Freshly flown in from the Netherlands this morning. The entire ballroom is decorated like Monet’s Garden, just how Annalise likes it, costing over a hundred million.”
The guests‘ murmurs kept reaching her ears.
Carice took a sip of wine, her gaze settling on Rufus not far away.
Today, he wore a black suit, the collar of his shirt casually undone, revealing half of his collarbone, exuding a lazy nobility.
Yet this very man was now crouching to adjust Annalise’s dress hem, his usually icy face actually smiling.
“Now, let’s have Mr. and Mrs. Thwaites offer a blessing to their daughter!”
As soon as the host finished speaking, Carice’s parents walked onto the stage arm in arm with Annalise.
Mr. Thwaites cleared his throat and scanned the crowd:“I have an important announcement.60% of the Thwaites Group’s shares will all be inherited by Annalise.”
The audience erupted in an uproar, and Carice’s grip on her glass tightened.
At that moment, Rufus also stepped onto the stage, taking a velvet box out of his pocket.
When opened, inside was an antique jadeite ring.
“Isn’t that the Sackhoff family heirloom?” someone in the crowd exclaimed, ‘I heard that jadeite ring was left to Mr.Sackhoff’s wife.”
“Oh my, giving the family heirloom to his sister–in–law–Mr. Sackhoff is publicly humiliating Carice…”
The ring slid slowly onto Annalise’s ring finger, fitting perfectly.
“Dad, Mom, Rufus, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?” Annalise suddenly looked toward the corner, her voice feigning hesitation, “After all, Carice is the Thwaites‘ biological daughter and the Sackhoffs‘ wife. Shouldn’t this be for Carice?”
Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Thwaites immediately held her hand:“What nonsense! Carice married well and has the Sackhoffs‘ support. Giving the inheritance to you is right.”
Rufus added indifferently:“If not for that accident, the ring would have been yours.”
Carice stood at the center of the crowd, feeling as if she had been stripped naked in public.
16.09
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