Helen’s POV:
I hated Jane, and for years I didn’t stop hating her. After graduation, I put all my energy into working and
achieving my goals. One of which was getting rid of her.
Finally, I achieved a little success and I was happy. But now Jane had appeared out of the blue. Her
sudden appearance tore open my once healed wound. Now, it was gaping wide open and bleeding
heavily.
The pain almost suffocated me. I was in the subway for a long time. It was not until rush hour when more
and more people crowded the trains that I snapped back to reality and got off the subway and headed
home. The blissful silence from being alone was enough to help me get over the shock of seeing Jane
again.
Eventually, I returned home and was in the process of opening the door when it was opened from inside.
George’s angry bulk filled the doorway as he glared at me.
“Where have you been the whole day? I sent you numerous messages, but you didn’t reply any of them.
I tried to call you, but your phone is off.” I lowered my head and avoided his eyes.
At the moment, it was difficult for me to put my mood into words. Why did he have to get involved with
Jane? Of all the women in the world, why her? George took a deep breath and lowered his voice.
“Do you know that I almost called the police when I couldn’t get in touch with you?”
Even though he tried his best to control himself, the tension and anxiety he felt was still easy for me to
discern. Of course, I knew how willful I was today. I felt a little guilty, but I had no choice but to escape. I
didn’t know how to face Jane.
“Are you sick? Why do you look so down?” George placed his hand against my forehead and tried to
gauge my temperature. Subconsciously, I took a step back from him and dodged his fingers. In as light a
tone as I could muster, I declared, “I’m fine.”
Before he could say anything, I moved past him and sagged into the sofa. My mood had bounced
between several extremes most of the day, so now I felt emotionally drained. George poured me a glass
of water and squatted in front of me.
“What happened? Do you need me to take you to the hospital? I’ll call the doctor.” I shook my head and
stared at George for a long time before asking, “George, have you been with Jane in the past few
years?”
When I asked this question, I suddenly realized how ridiculous I must sound. Wasn’t the answer
obvious? The name “Jane” had been on the list since Zhester Technology launched their very first
product. I gulped down the water before setting the empty glass on the tea table in front of me. Now that
I thought about it, I didn’t want to hear George’s answer. Just as I was about to stand up, he clasped my
wrist. He explained in a low voice, “Jane and I are just good friends.”
“Is it possible for a man and woman to be just friends?” I asked drily.
My answer seemed to take the wind out of his sails. After staring at me in silence for a few seconds, he
sat on the sofa next to me and tried to explain himself again.
“We are not just friends but also business partners. After graduating from high school in Philly, we
happened to choose the same university and the same major, but…”
“Stop. I don’t need all these details. I’m not interested. I just want to ask you one question. If you have to
choose between Jane and me, who would you choose? Keep in mind that you have to promise never to
contact the person that you don’t choose ever again.”
I had no idea why I had asked him such a question, I just knew that it was vital for me to know his
answer
My dad’s and George’s faces kept flashing across my mind until it was muddled up couldn’t even tell
whose answer I was desperate to hear more. A self deprecating smile graced my lips as I lowered my
head. Several years had passed but I had never let go of the past. George frowned as he held my chin
up to look into my eyes.
After a long silence, he asked “You hate Jane?’why? She has been living abroad for years now.”
Judging from his words, he was partial to Jane, and I was the one making trouble out of nothing My heart
sank. I turned my face aside and said quietly.
“I see.”
Without explicitly stating it, he had made his choice obvious, Jane was his school mate and business
partner and I was just a fuck buddy. They had a close relationship that samest years.
Only a fool would choose me George still tried to persuade me, “Helen, if there is any misunderstanding
at nanti between you and Jane, you can tell me the whole story. I will help you deal with kay”
“No, thanks. I’m tired and all I want to do is get some rest. Please see you sell out that no intention of
discussing my relationship with Jane with anyone I didn’t want to tell him that my father had cheated on
my mother and has an illegitimate daughter who was the same age as me for a long time, my mother
and I had the my father was a good husband and father. We had even helped my fathwinden illegitimate
daughter and her mother
In the past, when I had a dispute with Jane, my father always forced me to give in and apologize to her.
Would George be any different? I didn’t think so. I was so tired that I simply got into bed without taking off
any of my clothes. In a way, I was glad that my mother was in hospital.
She wouldn’t have to suffer more heartache since she didn’t have to see Jane. When I went to Los
Angeles to visit Caroline, I told her that my father died in a car accident two years ago. But the truth was
that I lied. My father had committed suicide. He had jumped off the roof of the building and fell at my
feet.
That day was a nightmare that would haunt me for the rest of my life. After the high school graduation
ceremony, my classmates and I partied all night. I didn’t return from the club until the next morning. I was
near our home when an unknown object fell from the sky.
The thunderous crash scared the life out of me and I came to a terrified stop. Blood flowed out of my
father’s body and spread across the ground until it reached my white shoes. The blood was so much it
dyed my shoes red. Nothing could remove the blood stains on the shoes no matter how many times I
washed them.
My father was lying there with his eyes wide open, half a step away from me. All I could see was the
blood. For a long time, I stood there, frozen. Then I heard the frantic shouts of the onlookers. Shortly
after that, the sound of the ambulance.
Vaguely, I saw someone whom I thought was my mother on the ground next to my father’s body, crying
bitterly. Still, I didn’t move. The following days felt like a weird dream to me. It was all so surreal that I
thought it was just a figment of my imagination. The pain and heartbreak didn’t set in until I saw Libby
and her daughter at the funeral.
The sudden waft of cold snapped me out of my thoughts. I trembled so hard, my teeth started chattering,
but no matter how hard I wrapped myself in the duvet, I couldn’t get any relief from the cold. The only
thing I could see was a river of blood.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda