Her words and sudden tears caused River to panic. In the four years they had been together, he had never seen Lucille look so helpless and upset.

No matter what happened before this, she would only ever smile brightly at him — because she never wanted him to think she was losing faith in their love.

He did not know what exactly had happened, but he still hugged her on instinct. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Don’t cry, I shouldn’t have done that. I only lost control because you welcomed her into the family.”

After that, he tried to kiss her again. He was even gentler than usual, but Lucille pushed him away again.

“Period.”

“Even after so long?”

“Yes, probably because I had a fever that day.”

Worry flashed through River’s eyes when he remembered how weak she was during her fever. He stopped pressuring her, instead carrying her into her room tenderly. He turned off the lights and hugged her in bed.

Lucille was too tired to keep her eyes open. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

River stared dazedly at her peaceful sleeping face under the night lights. A bunch of messy memories ran through his head. It was only at three in the morning that he finally brushed a tender kiss on her forehead and drifted off to sleep.

The curtains were not drawn. The morning sunlight woke River up.

Lucille was still fall asleep next to him. She turned slightly, and his numb arm began to feel sore.

River opened his eyes and saw that the clock showed nine in the morning. He was stunned.

Why didn’t his biological clock wake him this time? The family always had breakfast at this hour, so he quickly leaped out of bed.

He opened the door, planning to creep back to his room. However, he had barely taken a few steps before Victoria appeared at the stairs. She froze when she saw him coming out of her daughter’s room in his pajamas.

“River?!”

River could not help but look at his messy clothes. His heart was about to leap out of his chest.

Victoria was starting to put two and two together. Her expression turned stern. “River, why were you coming out of Lucy’s room?!”

River had just woken up, and his brain was malfunctioning. Just as he was at a loss on how to explain, the door suddenly opened behind him.

Lucille appeared, properly dressed. She looked at the two of them calmly. “Morning, Mom. Thanks for waking me up for breakfast, River.”

So it was all a misunderstanding. Victoria’s heart settled back in her chest, and she waved at her children. “Well, hurry up and come down for breakfast.”

“Okay.” Lucille quickly walked to her mother’s side and held Victoria’s hand as they went down the stairs. After that, though, she froze.

Sophia was sitting at the table, waving at her with a smile. “Hi, Lucy! I’m here to discuss the wedding with River. I hope you don’t mind.”

Victoria replied with a smile before Lucille could say anything. “What are you talking about, Sophia? Lucille is River’s sister, and you’re his girlfriend. Why should she mind when you’re discussing your wedding?”

She then gave Lucille a look.

Lucille understood. From now on, she was just his sister. Why should she mind?

She sat at the dining table and listened as Sophia bugged River about their wedding.

“River, how about a garden wedding? Or should we get married at the beach? Do you want a diamond ring, or do you like any other gems…?”

Lucille focused fully on her breakfast. She did not look up, nor did she pay attention to River’s replies.

She was about to leave after breakfast when she suddenly received a text on her phone. It came with a twenty thousand dollar transfer from Sophia.

Lucille looked up just in time to see Sophia’s provocative smirk. The text that came with the transfer read, [I really like the pictures you took yesterday, especially the one of the kiss! I’ll send them to River. I’m sure he’ll appreciate your handiwork!]

Lucille simply replied, [Received with thanks.]

She then clicked on her bank app. When she saw the three hundred thousand dollars in her account, she chuckled softly to herself.

While the rest of the family was still engrossed in their discussion, Lucille went upstairs, got changed, and then called a cab outside.

She had invited her besties out for a farewell luncheon. If she did not leave soon, she would be late.

In the end, Lucille arrived at the cafe at exactly twelve o’clock. Her besties crowded around her, looking lonely.

“Are you really going abroad, Lucy? For how long? Will you come back?”

“Yeah, I’ll be studying for three years. After that I plan to find a job in London and stay there, so I probably won’t be coming back.”

The other three girls were surprised. “Then what about your brother? He’ll stay here while you’ll move to London? Weren’t you planning to get married?”

She had told them all about their relationship. It was too big a secret to keep to herself, so she confided in her most trusted friends.

In response to their question, she just pursed her lips and said, “I’ve given up on him. I don’t like him anymore.”

She made it sound easy, but her friends knew how much she had struggled internally over the years. Although they did not know why she changed her mind so suddenly, they were still all on her side.

“Good, I’m glad you broke up! Now you don’t have to worry about breaking your mother’s heart if she finds out.”

“Yeah, and there are plenty of hot guys in England! You’re sure to find someone. You know, I’ve never been there before, so you gotta film a lot of videos when you get there. I want to feed pigeons in Trafalgar Square too!”

Their lively chatter gradually put a smile on Lucille’s face.

Yeah, she was starting a new phase of her life very soon. Why should she keep worrying over this dark part of her past?

River did not come home for the next few days, and Lucille did not care where he went.

She spent the rest of her time before her departure with her mother. They went shopping, took photos, and ate the food filled with her childhood memories. Victoria gave her a lot of advice about living alone.

Time ticked by peacefully. Five days before her flight, Victoria went outstation with Dan.

Just then, Lucille received a call from her paternal aunt, saying that her father’s cemetery was being regazetted for government use. As his next of kin, she and Victoria should take care of it.

Dan’s family had not been too happy with Victoria since they got married. Lucille did not want to cause her mother any more trouble with the in-laws, so she planned to handle everything on her own.

She quickly made some calls and bought an excellent plot in another cemetery. As she was heading out to collect the ashes, however, she bumped into River at the doorway. She had not seen him for a long time.

When she explained where she was going, he frowned and squeezed her hand. “Do you think of me as your boyfriend or not? Your father is mine, too. Why didn’t you ask me to help you with something this important?

“Get into the car. I’ll go with you!”

Lucille looked at his solemn expression. She really could not tell if his feelings for her were still an act.

She could not win the argument against him, and she was running late, so she had to take his car. Halfway to the destination, however, he suddenly made a detour, saying he had to pick up someone else.

Lucille paused when she saw Sophia. She wanted to ask, Why did they have to bring someone completely unrelated to pick up her father’s ashes? Were he and Sophia that inseparable?

However, time was running short. She swallowed her words.

On the way to the new cemetery, Lucille walked ahead of the others wordlessly, holding the urn. Everything was ready. Just as they were about to bury the urn, River’s phone.

He glanced at the number, frowned, and left the gravesite.

Lucille did not ask where he was going. She bent down to put down the urn, but Sophia stopped her with a smirk.

“River agreed to watch the sunset with me today. He only brought you here because it was along the way. I bet you didn’t know that!”

Lucille did not know that, but she also did not care. All she cared about was letting her father rest in peace.

That was why she ignored Sophia’s taunts and did not even look at her. She just wanted to put the ashes down.

Sophia had never been ignored like that before. She grabbed Lucille in a huff. “Stop pretending, Lucille. I’m talking to you!”

When she saw how carefully Lucille was holding the urn, she made a split-second decision. She snatched the urn from Lucille’s hands and smashed it to the ground!

It shattered into pieces on the steps, the grey ashes spilling all over the floor.

Lucille’s mind finally snapped. “Dad!”

She ran down the steps, sobbing as she knelt and tried to pick up the ashes. However, a gust of wind blew the last of her hopes away.

She could only watch as her father’s ashes were blown away by the wind. No matter how desperately she tried to retain them, she could not keep hold of a single speck.

That was her father! All that remained of him after he died was his ashes, but now she could not hold on to even that!

She was furious, and she could not hold it back anymore. She stormed back to Sophia and slapped her with all her strength.

“Sophia Song! Those were my father’s ashes! The last thing he left to me in this world! And now he’ll never rest in peace!”

Sophia’s fair face swelled up in an instant. She was stunned. Just as she was about to fight back, she suddenly saw River heading back this way.

She quickly regained her senses and fell backward, tumbling down the stairs.

River had no idea what was going on. When he saw Sophia falling, he hurriedly helped her back up. “What are you doing, Lucille?”

“What am I doing?! Why don’t you ask what the hell she did?!”

River had never seen Lucille so hysterical. He looked at her tear-stained face, his fury freezing in an instant. The next moment, Sophia wept in his arms.

“I accidentally knocked over Lucy’s father’s urn, River. The wind picked up, and now the ashes are all gone. Lucy shoved me down the stairs in anger. Look, I’m bleeding so much! Shouldn’t that count as punishment…?”

River’s heart tightened in his chest when he saw the remains of the urn. He wanted to comfort her, but the words came out differently. “Sophia didn’t mean to…”

“Get lost!” Lucille used up all her energy to roar those words.

River still wanted to explain, but Sophia tugged at his sleeve, sobbing. “River, it really hurts! Is my leg broken?”

River glanced at Lucille… but in the end, he chose to leave with Sophia in his arms!