Chapter 4

Three days after visiting City Hall.

I began packing the last of my personal belongings.

The living room was quiet, save for the harsh sound of packing tape being ripped.

The door lock clicked, and Liam walked in.

Following right behind him was Aurora, wearing a white summer dress.

She looked fragile and pale, like a delicate greenhouse flower that needed constant protection.

"Liam, is it okay for me to drop by like this? Will I bother Jennifer?"

Aurora’s voice was soft, laced with a timid, testing tone.

"No," Liam said flatly as he changed his shoes. "She’s usually just idling around the house anyway."

He looked up and saw the two cardboard boxes sitting in the living room.

His brows twitched slightly.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Packing," I said, holding a roll of tape, looking at him calmly.

Liam let out a cold laugh.

"Jennifer, cut the act. It’s getting old."

He turned to Aurora. "Aurora, go sit on the couch. I’m going to the study to grab those stock transfer papers."

Aurora nodded obediently.

She walked over to the couch and sat down, her eyes scanning the room.

Finally, her gaze landed on the bottom shelf of the bookcase.

A few of my old books were stacked there.

Peeking out from between them was a dark red leather cover.

It was my diary. It held three years of thoughts I could never say out loud.

Aurora stood up and walked over slowly.

"Jennifer, do you read these kinds of books too?"

She smiled at me, her hand already reaching for the diary.

I dropped the tape and stepped in front of her.

"Don't touch it." My voice was flat, but my eyes grew cold.

Aurora’s hand froze in mid-air. As if she had been deeply insulted, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"I’m sorry, Jennifer... I was just curious..."

The study door opened, and Liam walked out with a folder in his hand.

Seeing the scene, his face immediately darkened.

"Jennifer, what are you doing?" He walked over quickly, pulling Aurora behind him.

"Aurora was just looking at a book. Do you really have to be so hostile?"

He looked at me with clear blame in his eyes.

"That’s not a book," I said, my voice as calm as still water. "It’s my personal property."

"What personal property could possibly be that precious?" Liam sneered.

His gaze swept across the shelf and landed on a small pot of mint.

I had grown that mint for three years.

From a tiny seed, I had nurtured it until it became lush and green.

Liam reached out and picked up the pot.

"Aurora hasn't been sleeping well lately. Mint helps with sleep."

He turned to look at me.

"I’m taking this pot. Consider it an apology for your rudeness to Aurora just now."

He didn't even ask what that mint meant to me.

He took what was mine as a matter of course to please another woman.

I looked at the vibrant green mint. A drop of water from my morning watering was still clinging to a leaf.

"Okay," I said.

Liam didn't seem to expect me to agree so easily.

He froze for a second, then a look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"At least you’re being sensible."

Holding the mint in one hand, he wrapped his other arm around Aurora’s shoulder and walked toward the door.

At the entryway, he stopped and looked back at me.

A patronizing smile curled on his lips.

"I have a business dinner tonight. When I get back, I’ll take you to that sushi place you like."

I watched them walk out side by side. I watched the door slowly close.

I walked to the bookshelf, pulled out the diary that was sticking out, and shoved it deep into the darkest corner of the shelf—a dead angle that no one would ever notice.

Along with my pathetic self from the last three years, and Liam, I buried it all.