Tomorrow’s awards ceremony would have Orlando attending as a celebrated philanthropist.

“You know exactly what should and shouldn’t be said.”

Wendy could not bear it anymore. She shouted, “Get lost! If it weren’t for you, they’d never have missed their chance!”

I hung up, but Wendy looked worried. She promised to come back the next day to keep me company.

I looked down at the countless needle marks on my legs and arms.

“Please cover these up with some makeup tomorrow.”

The next day, when I opened the door, I saw Sophia among the visiting delegation.

She wore high heels and carefully picked her way across the uneven pavement of the old apartment block.

She pouted and complained as she clung to Orlando’s arm, “Honey, yesterday wasn’t your fault. Why did you insist on coming here?”

Apparently, Orlando had framed this visit as an apology to me.

I had not expected Sophia to come.

She had hated me to the marrow of her bones.

She believed I had betrayed her and made her sleep with Orlando.

Many times, she showed up barefoot in the middle of the night at what had once been our home. She cried, screamed, and smashed things at the door.

It was not until she saw me walking out hand-in-hand with Wendy that she bit into my arm in a frenzy of despair. She bit it so hard that she left a scar that cut nearly to the bone.

Later, she became Orlando’s most favored lover.

She even egged on Orlando to change the demolition project.

The orphanage where we had grown up together, the streets where we had taken countless walks, and the high school where we had spent our student years had been reduced to rubble.

She would not allow anyone to mention my name.

She never learned from the news that I had been kidnapped a second time by the drug traffickers as an act of revenge.

They had injected highly purified heroin into my body.

The day I left the country undercover for the drug trafficking ring, I knew I might never be coming back.

I wanted to see her one last time.

She agreed at first but left me waiting alone until midnight.

Then, under the cold underground parking garage, she wrapped herself around Orlando like a snake and made up with him on the hood of the car, right in front of me.

The girl who had once been gentle and shy used the most debauched gestures she could to hurt me.

She caught her breath in between and called me.

“Did you finally see it? Are you satisfied now?”

During that undercover operation, I held on to the hatred she felt for me and the bitterness in my heart.

I miraculously survived under the drug lord’s relentless torture.

I even avenged her parents.

When I finally returned with a medal in hand, I thought I could finally explain everything to her.

But the doctor discovered an unidentified toxin in my bloodstream.

Fate really did have a cruel sense of humor.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts. I forced an awkward smile.

I greeted everyone in front of me.

Sophia smiled faintly. My heart skipped a beat before I could stop it.

I had seen that smile countless times in my dreams when I had hovered on the edge of death.

She used to smile sweetly and call me by my nickname.

I once asked her why she always insisted on calling me by my nickname.

She had fidgeted shyly and called me an idiot.

After the television crew finished filming, Sophia’s smile faded from her face. She returned to her usual aloof demeanor.

Orlando casually said to me, “Don’t take it to your heart. She’s always a little aloof around people she doesn’t know well.”

They entered the house. Wendy suppressed her irritation and served them coffee.

Sophia took a single sip before immediately spitting it out.

“Honey, thank goodness I met you. I’m so glad this isn’t the kind of life I ended up living in.”

Wendy naturally caught the mockery beneath her words.

Wendy put the cup on the table with a loud thud. “Aren’t you here to film a charity segment? Do you want to see his medal?”

Sophia looked puzzled. “What medal?”

Wendy was about to say something when I stopped her and dragged her into the room.

I pleaded with her.

“Wendy, just grant me this one wish before I die. Don’t let her find out. Please…”

I stood in front of the full-length mirror as I carefully pulled the collar of my turtleneck shirt higher to hide the wire scars around my neck.

Wendy finally calmed down and continued to cover the festering wounds on my body with thick layers of foundation.

I endured the searing pain and sat on the couch.

In front of the cameras, I flashed a grateful smile and showed my certificate proving my eligibility for government assistance.

“She just remembered wrongly. It’s not a medal. It’s a certificate.”

After the television crew left, Orlando looked pleased that I had not mentioned anything.

Orlando asked me to visit their wedding venue and give my opinions on the decorations.

I wanted to turn down the offer, but he took out a photograph.

“I sponsor the disabled children from the choir.”

Sophia and I had taught the children in the photo during summer volunteer programs years ago.

Something inside me stirred.

I nodded.

Inside the car, Sophia sat in the passenger seat. She wound down the window.

A faint, sweet fragrance drifted toward me. It was the scent of citrus, like orange soda on a summer afternoon.

Soda was her favorite drink. Back then, I always collected bottles and cans in the summer to trade them for pocket money just so I could buy drinks for her.

Bathed in the sweet scent of citrus, she had once leaned close and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.

“Benjamin, you’re always so good to me! Do you like me or something?”

Whether it was because of the lingering warmth of the sunset or the restless evening breeze, both of us blushed.

Those memories surged through my mind. All that remained in the present was the bitterness of a love that never had the chance to fully bloom.

“Honey, doesn’t it smell of poverty?”

Sophia took out a bottle of perfume from her handbag and sprayed heavy bursts into the air.

I instantly snapped back to the present. Those words felt like a slap across my face. A metallic sweetness rose in my throat.

When Sophia saw me struggle to suppress the urge to vomit, she covered her nose in disgust.

“Don’t you dare throw up in the car! This is a limited-edition model. One of the carpets costs more than what you can afford in a lifetime!”

Orlando smiled indulgently and turned on some music to soothe her.

His gaze stopped on my dejected reflection in the rearview mirror.

“I just love how protective she is. She’s like a kitten and is always ready to bare her claws. It’s adorable.”

I looked away and pretended to admire the scenery outside.

All the while, I fought against the sharp pain in my chest.

The rest of the drive passed in silence.

Along the way, Sophia spotted a bridal boutique.

She suddenly remembered that her bridesmaid dresses were ready for pickup.

She tried one of them and walked out of the fitting room.

The excitement on her face left me momentarily dazed.

The day we decided to get married, she had put on a white dress too.

She had spun in circles and asked me if she looked pretty.

I never once grew tired of saying that she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

A faint smile rose to my lips as I was about to respond to her.

Just then, Orlando’s voice rang out from behind. “My wife, you look beautiful in everything!”

Sophia was so happy that she threw herself into his arms. The two laughed and kissed right in front of me.

I lowered my head in silence.

Later, we arrived at the wedding venue.

I stood at the hotel entrance. When the doorman asked for my VIP pass, I had nothing to show him.

I waited in the biting wind for almost two hours.

The couple finally returned from parking the car.

Orlando was carrying Sophia in his arms. He said apologetically, “We got a little carried away. Sorry about that.”

Sophia was wrapped in his oversized coat. With just a slight glance upward, I could see her thigh revealed through the ripped pantyhose.

“She was wearing a white dress the first time we slept together…”

He gave me a knowing wink.

My entire body felt numb as I forced myself to keep walking beside them.

I no longer had the strength to get angry over the past.

Every surge of emotion only accelerated the spread of the poison in my blood.

I did not want to collapse at the wedding venue, and I did not want to ruin her memories for another wedding.

We skirted around towering columns at the center of the fountain garden.

There stood rows of children rehearsing for the choir.

Back then, these children from the remote mountain village could barely afford enough food to eat. Today, they studied in the city thanks to the sponsorship.

The sight brought me a small measure of comfort.

Sophia changed into a different outfit. She pushed open the glass door entwined with climbing roses.

Orlando entered through the door. I followed behind him.

The moment he let go of the door, it swung back and slammed into my face.

I tumbled into the fountain.

Sophia turned around with a cold expression on her face.

“Benjamin, I spent a lot of effort putting this venue together. If you want a bath, you can find somewhere else to do it.”

Her mocking words reached my ears like distant echoes beneath the water.

Freezing water rushed into my nose. It sent a burning pain through my sinuses.

After my undercover operation was compromised, the drug lord had interrogated and tortured me for information about Sophia’s whereabouts.

It was a form of water torture. They locked me inside a bamboo cage and lowered me into a deep river over and over again.

Ever since, the sight of deep water had triggered involuntary convulsions.

I fought the cramps and seized my legs. I struggled to keep my head above the surface and called for help.

Sophia brushed the water droplets from her clothes and immediately stepped back.

“Why are you acting so pathetic? The water’s only three feet deep!

“Benjamin, you were a swimmer in school! Don’t tell me you can’t even stand up!”

Ever since my hands were crippled, I had endured moments far more helpless than this.

I had once saved drowning kids with my hands. That had earned me a civic bravery award.

I had once won swimming championships. With the prize money, I had bought the engagement ring and slipped it onto Sophia’s finger.

But at this moment, I was drowning, and I could not hold on to anything with my hands.

When Sophia realized my struggle was not an act, she reluctantly reached out to help me.

Her hand settled on my shoulder and helped me steady my balance.

When I had first arrived at the Lambert family’s house, she had done the same thing. She had sung to me to drive away the nightmares.

Her touch had always been warm and reassuring.

It occurred to me that I had not been this close to her in a very long time.

Just as I found myself lost in the memory, Orlando wrapped one of his arms around her waist.

Sophia’s attention shifted, and her hand slipped away.

I fell back into the fountain.

My back slammed hard into something. The wounds I had been hiding for so long tore open.

Blood billowed through the water like a crimson cloud.

Orlando immediately called for someone to pull me out.

“Sorry, Sophia is a little fastidious about cleanliness. I’ll help.”

He apologized to me many times that day. Yet his gaze held a blatant provocation.

The water gradually washed away the layers of foundation covering my scars. It revealed the ugly needle marks beneath.

Sophia’s face went slack for a moment. Then, she asked in puzzlement, “Benjamin, what happened to you?”

She immediately recognized the puncture marks on my skin.

She had studied in nursing school back then. Identifying the puncture marks had been part of her training.

Later, she worked in a pharmaceutical company. She had encountered severe drug addicts during training as well.

I covered the wounds. I knew there was no hiding from her anymore.

I forced a careless smile.

“After I sold you off, I ended up with a lot of money. I had nowhere worthwhile to spend it, so this is what happened…”

Slap!

A sharp slap landed across my face.

Tears filled Sophia’s eyes as she struck me in a fury.

“How could you do this to yourself? Have you forgotten how my parents died?

“I actually felt sorry for you! I even asked Orlando to find you a job! I’m such an idiot!”

Tears streamed down her face.

She turned around and ran away.

I stood frozen in place. I felt as though a thousand blades were piercing my heart.

She still cared about me.

After Sophia left, Orlando’s gaze turned icy.

He said with deliberate calm, “That girlfriend of yours isn’t too bad. Hand her over to me to be my lover. I’ll make sure your drug record disappears.

“After all, narcotics cops are going to become obsolete sooner or later. You might as well start looking for another way out.

“What do you think? It sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it?”

He took out a hand-rolled cigarette from a cigar case.

As the smoke drifted toward me, the pungent scent hit me instantly.

I was puzzled.

“Is that marijuana?”

Orlando rotated the cigarette between his fingers. He smiled coldly.

I looked around the venue and saw the wedding gifts for the guests. All the gifts contained matching custom cigars.

I was in shock. The next moment, anger surged through me.

I kicked him hard toward the floor.

I was about to call the police when Sophia let out a scream and pushed me away.

My head slammed into a marble sculpture. Pain exploded through my body.

I could not care less about my bloodied forehead as I asked her anxiously, “Did you smoke the cigar? It contains drugs…”

Sophia did not answer me. She coldly called for the police.

“Yes. I’d like to report an assault.”

After that, she rose and looked at me with utter disgust.

“He would never do something like that. Who are you to sit there and judge him from your moral high ground?

“Look at yourself! Do you honestly think you’re honoring the sacrifice my parents made when they saved you?”

At that moment, I was broken beyond recognition.

My body felt like a bundle of rotting straw.

Blood poured from my mouth and nose. I was bleeding profusely.

My lips parted, but no words came out. I wanted to say one last thing to her.

She was already getting into the ambulance with Orlando, who was not even injured that badly.

From afar, the children who had been rehearsing came running to me.

Through tears, they called my name.

“Uncle Ben…”

The sound of approaching sirens filled my ears.

I held the cigar tightly in my hand before closing my eyes.