Chapter 2

　　Before getting into the car, Damien suddenly turned around to look at me.

　　"Did you hear that?"

　　I didn't argue.

　　I knew Damien did it on purpose.

　　He intentionally let me hear that.

　　Damien was Laurel's best friend.

　　He had confessed to Laurel once but was rejected.

　　Since then, he had stayed in the friend zone, wholeheartedly protecting Laurel.

　　"You should know your place."

　　But no one knew that Damien and I used to be the best of playmates.

　　When we were kids, Damien was a child picked up by the neighbor's grandfather.

　　When he was eight, many people came to town claiming he was a lost child from the Li family.

　　The day he was taken away, he cried uncontrollably.

　　He said, "Alice, don’t forget me. I’ll come back to find you."

　　But he never returned.

　　Later, I fell in love with Ted.

　　Ted brought me back to the Shen family’s old house, and that was when I saw Damien again.

　　I saw him standing by Laurel’s side like a knight.

　　I was excited to recognize him, but he retreated as if I was a plague.

　　“How could I know you? You’re just a poor student from a mountain village. How could I know someone like you?”

　　From then on, I dared not speak to him again.

　　Maybe I really mistook him.

　　The Damien in front of me appeared polite and gentle, but his entire demeanor radiated a sense of detachment.

　　"I’ll leave, and then you’ll all be happy," I smiled and nodded.

　　Damien was at a loss for words.

　　I turned and walked back to the villa.

　　At the door, I paused, turned back to look at Damien.

　　"Sorry, I’ve always owed you an apology."

　　"I mistook you for someone else. I won’t do it again. Only now do I realize he’s already dead."

　　Without waiting for a reply, I walked into the villa without looking back.

　　Outside the villa, Damien stood still for a long time, unable to move.

　　My words echoed in his ears, causing an indescribable pain in his heart.

　　When I reached the hall, Ted was just arriving to find me.

　　He helped me up the stairs, carefully escorting me to the bedroom.

　　His meticulous care made me feel like a fragile item.

　　I felt a bit dazed but heard him say, "Alice, I plan to have Laurel as my model."

　　I instinctively tightened the blanket in my hands.

　　Ted doesn’t paint people.

　　To be exact, ever since he became paralyzed, he hadn’t painted any people.

　　Years ago, he was in a car accident while sketching in the car.

　　Since then, he had a psychological barrier when it came to drawing people.

　　Whenever he tried to draw a person, he would recall that car accident.

　　Because of that accident, he couldn’t stand anymore, and the Shen family didn’t want to acknowledge him.

　　During that time, I stayed by his side.

　　I worked hard to save money for his treatment and never left him, yet he had never drawn a single portrait for me.

　　Every time he mustered the courage to try to draw a human figure, he would sweat coldly, his hands trembling in weakness, unable to even pick up the brush.

　　He didn’t notice something was wrong with me and continued to happily share his joy.

　　"Do you know? Laurel can help me overcome the shadow of the car accident. She inspires me when I face her."

　　"She’s like the soul of art. With her, I can create artwork that has both form and spirit."

　　Even though I knew Ted loved Laurel, hearing these words still stung my heart.

　　What about me?

　　Are the things created with me just a pile of junk?

　　My face turned ugly, and finally, he noticed something was wrong.

　　He looked at me helplessly.

　　"Sorry, I... I was just so excited, I..."

　　"I'm tired. You can leave now."