stubborn to the end, don’t blame me for disregarding everything we’ve built together.
“1
I rolled my eyes at him and pushed my luggage to the door. Before I walked out, I turned around abruptly to see the trio in the living room looking back at me.
I laughed.
“Remember to sign the papers. This whole family is crazy, and I’ve had enough!”
In front of their stunned expressions, I rolled my eyes again and slammed the door shut with a loud bang. Through the door, I heard Rowan’s words: “Just die out there and never come back!”
I never lost my temper back then, even if I got very angry. I would always think of Everett, so I
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26 BONUS
Chapter 4
softened and gave in time and time again and again.
Everyone said that marriage only brought misfortune to women. However, I felt that having Everett was worth it.
Now, I realized that my beloved Everett had always been on Angeline and Rowan’s side. He did not deserve my continued devotion.
As I thought about this, I took a taxi to the hotel was planning to stay at. Along the way, I called Lily Monroe, my best friend who lived in another city, and told her everything that happened.
Lily cursed out the Delmonts and all their future descendants over the phone, then asked me cautiously, “Daph, are you okay?”
Apart from my family, Lily was the person who loved me the most in this world. Even after so many years as friends, she still offered me the same warmth she always had.
She could read my emotions and said, “If you ask me, we should be enjoying the single life! Getting married is a drag. That ungrateful traitor isn’t worthy of your displeasure. Let me show you what it feels like to be free!”
t
As Lily cheered me up, the gloom in my chest was blown away by the warm breeze she sent my way. Even if the world was in tatters, there would always be people willing to mend it for you. As our chat came to an end, we decided to go on a trip together.
When I was young, I wanted to go out and see the world. At that time, people on the Internet said, “If you don’t explore, you’ll grow old without knowing the world.” I asked Rowan to accompany me.
Alas, how did he answer me?
He looked at me disdainfully and said, “How old are you now? How can you still have such silly dreams like this all day long? Don’t you know that you’re a mother now? Can you please do something sensible and stop thinking about wasting money all day long?”
I became as sensible as he wished and never talked about travelling ever again.
Now, I suddenly realized that I wanted to live for myself, so I immediately bought a plane ticket to meet Lily in South Valley.
I felt freedom I had not felt for a long time, and my whole body relaxed like never before. Only then did I realize that changes were quietly happening every day in the world that I could not see beyond myself.
I could not stay inside my little bubble of comfort anymore.
