Chapter 7

After they went home, Summer carefully treated and bandaged the wounds on Jude’s body. She was overwhelmed with guilt and heartache.

The few days following that incident, she did not leave the house. Instead, she stayed by his side at every given minute.

Jude felt nothing when he saw how guilty she was.

It was late at night when he wheeled himself into the study and found the journal that she thought she had cleverly hidden.

When he opened the journal, he read a full page of her scolding herself. Then, he shut the journal again.

The bedroom door was opened when he came out of the study. Summer looked like a mess as she rushed out without even wearing her slippers.

Seeing that Jude was fine, she let out a sigh of relief. “Jude, it’s so late. What are you doing out here alone?”

Jude looked away and lied without flinching, “I was thirsty, so I came out to get some water.”

Summer quickly went into the kitchen and got him a glass of water. She still sounded flustered.

“Just ask me to do this for you in the future. If anything happens to you again, I’ll be terrified.”

Hearing that, Jude looked up and stared at her intently.

“Summer, do you have anything that you’d like to tell me?”

Summer was a little stunned. She shook her head. “No.”

Actually, if she just told Jude the truth, Jude would have just let her go.

However, even though things were getting worse, she was still unwilling to tell him the truth.

He shut his eyes and smiled to hide the disappointment in his gaze.

The next day, Jude took out a photo album and cut all the photos into pieces, disregarding what Summer would think.

Seeing the floor covered in pieces of photos, Summer was stunned. She said in shock, “Why are you cutting up all the photos?”

Jude did not even bother to come up with an excuse. He simply said that the photos had been ruined by humidity, and there was no point keeping them. They could take new photos in the future.

Summer suddenly felt uneasy when she saw how calm Jude was when he said that. She did not know if she should believe him.

On the third day, he hired a helper to clean out all the matching mugs, scarves, clothes, and keychains kept in the cabinets. Then, he asked all the items to be tossed away.

When Summer realized that, she asked him again. He came up with the same humidity excuse to humor her.

After a few days, he donated all the gifts she had given him to charity. He said that the items were out of fashion, so she could just give him new ones in the future.

As the days passed, more items were disposed of.

Jude’s belongings that once occupied the whole room were all gone.

Yet, Summer had not noticed it.

On the anniversary of Jude’s parents’ deaths, Summer went to the cemetery with him.

However, hearing what Jude said before his parents’ graves frightened Summer.

“Mom, Dad, how are you in heaven? Don’t worry about me, I should be seeing you soon…”

Summer recalled that in the past, Jude would only talk about how much he missed them.

The more he spoke, the more Summer felt that things were wrong. When she was about to question him, a familiar voice said behind them, “Summer, Jude, what a coincidence.”

With the interruption, Summer forgot what she had wanted to ask. Instead, she turned around in surprise.

Finn was standing a few steps behind them. He seemed to have suffered from some injuries, and his face looked a little pale.

A hint of worry flashed in Summer’s eyes when she saw Finn hobbling a little.

“Why are you here? Are you hurt?”

“I’m here to visit my grandmother. The road’s a little slippery from the rain, so I think I’ve twisted my ankle.”

Hearing his upset voice, Summer subconsciously walked forward to help him.

Finn saw tears flashing in her eyes. “Summer, can you send me to the hospital?”

Summer felt even worse, so she agreed without a second thought. She simply said to Jude, “Jude, you should chat more with your parents. I’ll immediately come back after I send him to the hospital.”

Both of them did not ask about Jude’s opinion at all. Instead, they left him alone at the cemetery.