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Chapter 3

Penulis: Wheat Grain
Sylvia seemed to realize what she had said a second too late. She quickly covered her mouth and looked at Roxie in alarm.

"Oh, Roxie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean you were filthy...

"I just meant you're soaked..."

Flustered, she turned to Evan. "Evan, please explain for me. I really didn't mean it that way. I don't want Roxie to misunderstand and get mad at me again."

Evan smiled and affectionately ruffled her hair.

"I know what you meant. Roxie isn't going to be mad at you. She's not that petty."

Then he turned to Roxie.

"Seven just changed into clean clothes. You're soaked, and you'll get them dirty.

"You have no idea how much trouble that kid gets into. I bought him ten new outfits yesterday, and he managed to ruin eight of them almost immediately."

A man, a woman, and a child.

Standing together like that, they looked exactly like a family.

Roxie didn't even look at Evan. Her cold gaze remained fixed on Sylvia.

"Take off my robe."

The silk bridal robe Sylvia was wearing had been hand-embroidered by Roxie's mother. A pair of white doves had been carefully stitched into the fabric.

Her mother had made it especially for Roxie's wedding night.

And now Sylvia was wearing it.

The room fell silent.

Sylvia shrank back as if Roxie's stare had frightened her. She bit her lower lip, looking hurt.

"Roxie, I'm sorry. I... I'll take it off right now."

Her eyes reddened as she looked to Evan for help.

"But... my clothes got dirty last night. Evan washed them for me, and they still aren't dry..."

Evan frowned at Roxie.

"It's just a robe. What's with the attitude?"

All the hurt and anger Roxie had held in throughout the night finally exploded.

"Last night, you dumped me on the side of a road where I couldn't even get a cab because you had to rush to a bar for your precious Sylvia!

"My phone was dead, and I walked through a storm all night just to get home!

"And when I finally get back, I find my fiancé spent the night with another woman, and she's wearing the bridal robe my mother made for me!

"Evan Shaw, tell me, what kind of attitude do you expect me to have?"

Sylvia's eyes filled with tears.

"Roxie, please don't misunderstand!

"I just drank too much last night. Evan was worried about me, so he brought me back here.

"Nothing happened between us. We slept in separate rooms!"

She turned to Evan in tears.

"Evan, what am I supposed to say so Roxie won't misunderstand us?"

Suddenly, Seven hurled the collectible figure in his hand at Roxie's head.

It scraped across her cheek, leaving a thin streak of blood.

"You're bullying my mommy! You're a bad woman!"

The trace of guilt on Evan's face disappeared. His expression turned cold.

"Roxie Foster, don't project your filthy thoughts onto everyone else!

"You're a grown woman. Can't you handle one little problem on your own? You come home and take your anger out on Sylvia when she hasn't done anything to you, and you still think you're in the right?"

Roxie laughed bitterly.

"So the two of you are completely innocent? Just a perfectly pure friendship?"

"Stop fighting." Sylvia wiped at her tears. "This is all my fault. I'll take the robe off and give it back right now."

She grabbed the fabric with both hands.

Rip!

The silk tore open at the shoulder.

Sylvia's eyes instantly welled with tears. She looked even more panicked than before.

"I'm sorry, Roxie. I..."

Evan immediately took off his jacket and draped it over Sylvia's shoulders.

"It's okay," he said gently. "You didn't do it on purpose."

Roxie stared at the torn robe, trembling from head to toe.

It was obvious that Sylvia had done it on purpose.

Roxie rushed forward and raised her hand to slap her, but Evan caught her wrist before the blow could land.

"Roxie, what the hell is wrong with you?

"It's just a robe. I'll buy you another one."

Roxie's voice shook with rage.

"My mother made that for me. How exactly are you going to replace it?"

Her mother had once been a renowned embroidery artist.

After Roxie's father betrayed her, years of grief had taken a severe toll on her health and damaged her heart. Eventually, her hands became too unsteady to hold an embroidery needle.

Even so, before Roxie's wedding, her mother had ignored her own failing health and secretly spent countless hours making that robe for her.

And now Sylvia had destroyed it.

"Then that's even easier," Evan said. "Just have your mother make you another one."

He let go of Roxie's wrist.

"We're about to get married. I don't want to fight with you. Go calm down."

Roxie stared at him as if she had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"You stood me up at City Hall eight times because of her.

"You abandoned me alone in a storm because of her. Then you let her wear the bridal robe my mother made for me and sleep in the bed that was supposed to be ours.

"Evan Shaw, what makes you think I still want to marry you?"

"The wedding's off!"

At that moment, the front door suddenly opened.

Roxie's mother stood in the doorway, staring at her in shock.

"Roxie, what do you mean, the wedding's off?"

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  • A Summer Love Worth Cherishing   Chapter 23

    Three years later, Roxie Foster had become a household name in the architectural design world.She had developed a distinctive style that drew on traditional hand-embroidery techniques and translated their intricate patterns into the light, shadow, and structural details of modern buildings. Her work was widely praised, and each new design drew attention.She had also finally earned enough money to buy back her mother's old house.The day the deed became hers again, Roxie sat in it, alone inside from morning until night.Finn didn't rush her. He simply waited outside until she finally opened the door, then stepped forward."Come on. Let's go home."He took her hand as naturally as if it belonged there.Over the past three years, their relationship had grown quietly and naturally.There had been no dramatic declarations or consuming passion.When Roxie stayed up all night working on a design, Finn made sure she had a late-night meal and a blanket nearby. Before an important court appear

  • A Summer Love Worth Cherishing   Chapter 22

    The day of the hearing arrived quickly.Evan appeared in court wearing a suit that no longer fit him properly. His hair was unkempt, his eyes were sunken, and dark stubble covered his jaw. Sylvia, meanwhile, stood under the watch of court officers with her hands cuffed in front of her. There was no trace left of the delicate, helpless woman she had once pretended to be.The judge's voice carried through the solemn courtroom."With respect to the medical malpractice case, the court finds that the defendant, Evan Shaw, committed gross negligence in the course of providing medical care."His actions resulted in a critical delay in treatment and were a primary contributing cause of the patient's death."The judge continued reading from the judgment."The court therefore orders Evan Shaw to issue a public apology to the plaintiff, Roxie Foster, through a major local news outlet and to pay a total of approximately $250,000 in damages."His medical license is hereby revoked, and he is perman

  • A Summer Love Worth Cherishing   Chapter 21

    Evan had no idea how he made it back to his apartment.He picked up his phone and hovered over Roxie's name in his contacts. After a long time, he finally typed out a message."We need to talk."A red "Not Delivered" alert appeared beneath the bubble.He stared at the screen as the seconds ticked by, then stubbornly sent another."Roxie, meet me. Please."Another "Not Delivered."Tears fell onto the screen, but Evan kept sending messages he knew would never reach her."Roxie, I was wrong. Please forgive me.""Please...""Roxie, I'm sorry.""Roxie, I love you..."...At that moment, Roxie was sitting at her computer, completely absorbed in her work.Winning the design competition had brought her an offer to collaborate with a major company. She worked late every night preparing for it, and although she was exhausted, she felt more fulfilled than she ever had before.After pulling another all-nighter, Roxie glanced at the time and suddenly remembered that she was supposed to meet Finn to

  • A Summer Love Worth Cherishing   Chapter 20

    Evan didn't even try to defend himself. There was no defense left.In the end, he picked up a pen and signed his name on the notice suspending him pending investigation.That same afternoon, Roxie gave an exclusive interview to the media as the victim's daughter.On camera, she clearly recounted everything that had happened from the moment her mother fell ill to the moment she died. She laid the facts bare before the public, cutting straight through the false image of principle and integrity Evan had spent years building around himself."A doctor who bends hospital rules for a woman he calls his 'younger schoolmate,' walks away from a patient who needs him, and puts that patient's life at risk..."Roxie looked directly into the camera and said each word clearly."He doesn't deserve to wear that white coat."Back home, Evan sat in front of the television as the flickering light from the screen washed over his face.He stared at Roxie on the screen, unable to tell whether what consumed h

  • A Summer Love Worth Cherishing   Chapter 19

    Shock slammed through Evan, wiping his mind clean.Back then, Sylvia had handed him a stack of documents and told him they were personal guaranty forms for the project. He had never imagined that the sweet, innocent girl he trusted would deceive him, so he hadn't bothered reading them carefully.He never expected that she had already been setting a trap for him even then, one designed to drag him down with her.Evan slowly raised his head. His once calm, steady eyes now blazed with fury, yet held a coldness that cut to the bone.He felt like the biggest tool in the world.For this woman, he had abandoned every principle he claimed to live by. He had hurt Roxie again and again and had indirectly caused her mother's death.Because of this woman, he had lost everything he treasured most in his life, only to discover that the woman he had sacrificed it all for was this vicious and calculating."Get out."Sylvia's smile stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered her smug composure."

  • A Summer Love Worth Cherishing   Chapter 18

    Sylvia's crying only made Evan's headache worse.He pressed his fingers to his temple, his voice hoarse. "What exactly happened?""I don't know..." Sylvia sobbed, nearly falling apart. "The funding has completely dried up, and the project has been shut down. Now they want me to pay damages too! Evan, I need a huge amount of money to get my accounts unfrozen. If I can't, I'm finished. I could go to prison!"She looked at him desperately. "Can you help me?"As Evan listened to her cry, a deep sense of exhaustion and irritation rose inside him."Sylvia, I don't have any money left."I gave you everything I had. The house and car are already mortgaged. I don't have a cent left."He was already going to have to swallow his pride and borrow money from friends just to repay Roxie. Where was he supposed to find anything more?Sylvia's crying abruptly stopped. She stared at him as though she couldn't believe what she had heard.Then something seemed to occur to her."Wait, Evan. You're the med

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