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Jennifer hung up and went straight to the hospital.
Three stitches closed the wound on her forehead, and the doctor warned her to keep it dry.
Numbly nodding, she spotted Kevin’s Maybach near the hospital entrance upon leaving.
Its window half-open, Emily was crying pitifully against his shoulder.
“Kevin, I was wrong to hurt you back then…” Her voice choked with sobs. “I don’t expect forgiveness, but I had no choice. My parents forced me abroad, confiscated my phone… I wanted to find you…’
Kevin sat in stony silence, his profile cold and hard.
Jennifer stood not far away, her feet seemingly nailed to the ground.
“Why did you come back now?” Kevin finally spoke, his voice low.
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Emily looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks: “Because I can’t forget you… I know you have Jennifer now, I don’t ask for anything else, just don’t drive me away… Let me watch you from afar…”
Jennifer stood in the shadows, watching Kevin remain silent for a long time, finally reaching out to wipe Emily’s
tears.
“I don’t blame you,” he said, “As for Jennifer… I just see her as a sister, not what you think.”
Emily’s eyes lit up, her tears turning to a smile: “Really?”
Kevin nodded.
Emily burst into tears of joy and threw herself into his arms again.
Jennifer smiled bitterly and turned away, heading straight to the immigration office.
H
At the immigration office, an officer handed her a form: “Your visa will be ready in two weeks.”
Jennifer thanked them. When she stepped outside, dusk had settled over the city.
She returned to Kevin’s villa.
For three years, she’d lived here to care for him.
Once, she’d naively thought this was home-her hand-chosen slippers by the entryway, the succulents she nurtured in
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the living room, the stomach-friendly recipes she’d taped in the kitchen.
Now, she would remove every trace with her own hands.
While packing, she found a photo at the very bottom of a drawer.
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It was taken when Kevin finished his rehab, him smiling at the camera for once, her standing beside him with eyes curved like crescent moons.
The photo edges had yellowed from too much handling.
Jennifer stared at it for a long time before gently tossing it into the trash bin.
Some dreams should’ve ended long ago.
Early next morning, Kevin called.
“I forgot my stomach meds. Bring them to the office.” His morning-rough voice sounded natural, like nothing hap- pened last night.
Jennifer paused two seconds. “Okay.”
When she reached the office, the elevator doors opened to reveal Emily carrying an exquisite box.
Emily beamed, “What a coincidence? I’m bringing Kevin lunch. Want to join us?”
Jennifer didn’t respond, following her into the office.
Kevin was reviewing documents. Seeing them enter together, he arched an eyebrow. “Why are you both here?”
“Ran into each other outside,” Emily chirped, opening the boxes. A spicy aroma instantly filled the room. “I made your favorite Stir-Fry Roulette!”
Jennifer’s face fell. “He has stomach issues. Can’t handle spicy food.”
Kevin glanced at her, picking up his fork. “Once in a while won’t hurt.”
He speared a chunk of beef glistening with red oil and ate it without flinching.
Jennifer clenched the stomach medicine in her bag, her knuckles turning white.
Soon, Kevin’s forehead glistened with a thin layer of sweat, his pen-holding fingers trembling slightly.
“Kevin? Are you feeling unwell?” Emily asked with concern.
“No.” Kevin forced a smile. “I still have work. You two head back first.”
Jennifer gave him a long look, silently placed the medicine on the desk, then turned to leave.
Downstairs, Jennifer couldn’t hold back: “His stomach condition is severe. When bringing meals later, please be
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mindful.”
Emily suddenly laughed: “Jennifer, haven’t you quite figured out your place yet?”
“You’re just a slightly special caregiver to Kevin, so you need to remember these things. But I’m different-he loves me. I don’t need to notice such details.”
She stepped closer, crimson lips curving slightly: “Even if I gave him poison, he’d swallow it. Understand?”
Jennifer’s fingers trembled, her heart feeling violently torn open.
She knew Emily wasn’t wrong.
It took her three years just to get Kevin to notice her.
Yet Emily didn’t lift a finger, and he’d gladly drink poison for her.
