Chapter 3

“Is Sam moving out?”

Only then did Cameron notice me, his eyes filled with slight surprise.

I clearly saw the flicker of joy in his eyes, and bitterness rose within me, leaving me unable to say anything more. I simply nodded silently.

“Good, boys grow up eventually and need to leave. You can’t keep relying on your family forever.”

His words stabbed sharply into my heart.

I looked at Zoey with hope, imagining she might show even a trace of reluctance or explain on my behalf, but she didn’t.

I finally understood—perhaps even Zoey thought the same.

I was ultimately the odd one out, someone who didn’t belong here.

Fine. Today would be our last meeting anyway.

From now on, I would no longer cling to my sister-in-law.

After getting into the car, I sat in the back seat, and Zoey asked me for my friend’s address.

My heart trembled, and I just made one up. Afraid she would see through me, my nerves tightened until I could hardly breathe.

Since childhood, I had very few friends, and Zoey knew each one of them clearly.

She could have easily seen through my lie, but she didn’t. Her attention was entirely fixed on Cameron in the passenger seat.

The two chatted sweetly up front, whispering intimately, even leaning over to share a brief kiss during a red light.

I could only play the role of an unrelated observer, taking in all their sweetness, letting it turn into bitterness inside me.

Perhaps heaven felt my mood, because the already gray sky grew darker, and soon heavy rain began to fall.

Looking outside, Cameron suddenly worried that the romantic restaurant might require waiting in such weather, so he wanted to get there early.

Seeing that the navigation showed less than two kilometers to their destination, Zoey decisively made me get out of the car—along with my luggage.

She told me to find somewhere to avoid the rain and wait for my friend to pick me up, but even as she left, she didn’t give me so much as an umbrella.

The torrential rain drenched me in an instant.

I couldn’t tell whether the wetness on my face was rain or tears, blurring my vision.

I could only drag my bags along and walk alone through the rain, heading toward the nearest hotel to stay for the time being.

I hadn’t expected to run into my high school art mentor there.

The mentor was shocked by my condition, and after helping me settle in, he naturally asked about my situation.

When he learned that I would be moving abroad soon, he grew even more surprised. “With your talent, living overseas will indeed offer better opportunities. But would your sister-in-law really be willing for you not to come back?”

At the mention of Zoey, my heart trembled. A hint of discomfort flashed across my face, and I replied vaguely, “She’s fine with it. My relatives all live abroad. My sister-in-law... also wants us to reunite.”

After hearing this, the mentor sighed repeatedly and praised the depth of her affection for me, reminiscing about the past and pulling me into memories again.

“Your sister-in-law is truly a remarkable person—treating you better than any sister-in-law. Back when you entered that jewelry design competition and were accused of plagiarism, shamed in front of everyone, she rushed over to defend you despite having a 40-degree fever. When you accidentally cut your finger at school, she feared it would ruin your future. She stood up several major clients—seven or eight of them—losing hundreds of millions just to find the best doctor for you.”

“There were a few rich kids spreading rumors about you at school, and your sister-in-law confronted the board and had them expelled...”

The more the mentor spoke, the more emotional he became. He patted my shoulder, saying that as a man, once I succeeded in life, I must never forget her kindness—I should repay her many times over.

I wholeheartedly agreed and nodded.

Even though Zoey no longer treated me the way she once did, even though we were about to become strangers, I still remembered every bit of her kindness.

I would repay her for all the things she had done for me one by one.

But after thinking for a long time, I realized that for the current Zoey, the best repayment was my letting go.

Disappearing from her world completely would be the best way for me to repay her.

After saying goodbye to the mentor, I closed the door and carefully listed every expense I had incurred while living with the Shaw family on the hotel desk.

Although the final number couldn’t be perfectly accurate, it was roughly close—and it didn’t include the years of youth she had spent on me.

In the end, I decided to take that amount and multiply it by five to repay her.

That afternoon, I listed all the gifts she had given me online for sale.

It still wasn’t enough, so I took out several property deeds from the bottom of my suitcase—old ancestral homes left by my parents, untouched until now.

I listed those properties for sale as well. The proceeds should be just enough to repay Zoey.

After registering all the information, I felt an overwhelming exhaustion leave me. I lay on the bed and picked up my phone.

I planned to change my phone wallpaper, since this photo held memories of the beautiful moments I had with Zoey.

Now, those memories should fade away like smoke.

But the next second, seven or eight messages popped up—sent by Cameron.

“Sam, your sister-in-law suddenly felt like traveling with me for a few days. Have fun at your friend’s place too!”

Attached were several affectionate selfies of him with Zoey, as well as photos of their flight tickets to another country.

In the pictures, Zoey smiled brightly and happily. I stared at her face, forcing my lips into a faint curve.

Ever since she met Cameron, she had shown countless smiles like that.

In the beginning, I felt jealous and bitter, wishing I were the man standing beside her.

But now, I saw Zoey only as my sister-in-law—nothing more.

‘So, my dear sister-in-law, I wish you all the best.’

After replying to Cameron with “Got it, safe travels,” I turned off my phone completely.