Chapter 3

He smiled and said: "What wonderful news! It's great that you have recovered your memory! Let's forget all about the past and start over again. Sis, after my graduation this year, I promise I will work hard to support our family. Your body is still weak, so stay at home and rest. Leave everything to me, I'll bring plenty of money to support the three of us!”

Liana answered with a smile. "I believe you, but please stop worrying about me, I assure you I'm fine," Liana understood Jack's words and realized how worried he was about her.

"Sister, you're still human, so how can you be okay with the drastic changes? You were a star student at the S Academy, heading for a bright future if not marred by that godforsaken accident.", Liana's encounter, if experienced by anyone else, would be extremely disheartening. Anyone would be frustrated if their bright future was forcibly taken away.

However, Liana was not just any random person. She believed that her ability was not defined by a certificate from Academy S. She believed that she could survive a divorce and lift herself out of poverty. She was no longer afraid of the things that once held her back. She would get her life back and this time no one and nothing could stand in her way.

"It's very good, don't you have faith in your sister? By the way, what kind of job are you looking for," Liana asked, changing the subject.

"My degree is in computer science, so I plan to join a technology company, but don't worry, it won't be the TXT", Jack said with some enthusiasm.

TXT was the number one in their country, the most famous internet company, and back in the day, technology business was tops. TXT used to limit its business ventures to hotels and real estate, but Edward saw beforehand how lucrative the online business would become.

Under his expert leadership, today's TXT  was the largest company in Europe, and Edward had made it onto Forbes' list of the ten richest people in the world several times.

Liana said gently: " TXT  has the best technology, good management and favorable benefits, it's a good platform for aspiring programmers like you. You should go.

Jack replied firmly: "Over my dead body. They treated you so badly that I couldn't work for them!”

"It's okay, I won't force you if you don't want me to. In the future, we'll have our own technology company.”

"That's always been my plan. Sis, believe me, I'm sure I'll make you proud," Jack said with great enthusiasm. With Jack's potential, Liana believed that her cousin could really succeed in the world. Not that he needed to, but if the worst happened, he still had her to lean on.

While Liana talked all night with Jack, Edward was looking for her.

He had been searching for two hours, but it was in vain.

He only realized how ridiculous he was acting when Betina called.

"Edward, are you in bed?”, It was Betina's habit to call him every night. Honestly, Edward didn't have many topics of conversation in common with her and he had no interest in hearing her recapitulate his daily life, so the nightly calls rarely went beyond the superficial hello and goodnight.

"I'm still awake, is there anything you want to discuss?", Edward asked without enthusiasm.

"How is Dylan? He didn't look so good over dinner," Betina asked cautiously. She knew Dylan was averse to her presence, but to preserve her image, she had to pretend she didn't notice.

"He's fine. He's sleeping now.”

Betina said with a smile in her voice: "It's good to know. It's late. Edward, go to bed soon.”

"Ok”.

"Good night," Betina concluded warmly.

Edward put the phone away, stopped the car at the side of the road and lit a cigarette. As crowds of cars passed by him, he chuckled to himself. So what if Liana had disappeared, why was it his responsibility to find her? She was a grown woman, she could find her way home.

Edward returned home with the car, but as a security measure, he ordered some men to investigate Liana's current situation. At least this way he would know that she was still alive and would finally have an idea of what had happened to her over the past few years.

He was interested in finding out how a woman with such a large amount of alimony could end up in that state.

The next morning, Edward received updates on Liana for the past 3 years.

After the divorce, she was taken in by her uncle. Through family connections, he understood that her uncle had a son and the three kept each other afloat. Their lives took a turn for the worse when Peter was diagnosed with kidney disease. To earn money, Liana had to do various jobs, such as cleaning, dishwashing, waitressing ... She spent her time doing all kinds of manual labor.

However, she was bullied and isolated in every workplace due to her reticence and reluctance to socialize. This meant that none of her jobs lasted more than a month. Three years jumping from one difficult work environment to another took a heavy toll on her.

Edward was still surprised when he thought about yesterday's meeting. It seemed that she had aged tremendously since the divorce.

He could hardly recognize her anymore.

If it weren't for yesterday's chance encounter, he wouldn't know how much pain and cruelty she had endured... However, there was one thing that puzzled him. Why didn't she use her alimony?

He knew Liana was not a spendthrift, but even if she was, it was impossible to burn through the amount he had given her in a short period of time. Edward leaned back in his chair with a serious expression. It seems that there were some details that were hidden from his knowledge... When Edward entered the dining room, the whole family was already seated, eating breakfast.

Dylan was the first to wake up, as he had slept early the day before. He had already finished breakfast when Edward sat up.

"Take Dylan to school for me", Edward ordered one of his maids.

"Yes, sir," the maid agreed. She took Dylan's hand and led him out of the room.

Mrs. White took a gentle bite of his barley porridge with a porcelain spoon before asking, "Why did you leave so suddenly yesterday? You're the reason we're gathered here, you know. How awkward you made your father and mother look”.

"I called to tell you that Dylan wasn't feeling well, didn't I? By the way, Mom..." Edward looked at his mother, the rest of his question stuck in his throat.

Mrs. White encouraged him with a smile, adding a "Yes?"

Edward continued: "Liana accepted alimony after our divorce?" Old Mrs. White froze in midair and her face fell...Based on her reactions, Edward knew instantly that the answer to his question was no.

"Why didn't you tell me if you didn't give her alimony?" He thought Liana was living well on the money. That was why he didn't think to check on her. If it hadn't been for yesterday's chance encounter, he would still be in the dark.

Edward's mother's face froze, so she just shrugged. " It's not that I didn't give her alimony, but she didn't want it!”

"And yet, you could have told me”.

"Why should I? She had nothing more to do with the White family. It's better that the relationship was severed cleanly. If she didn't want our help, good riddance, I'd say.”

Edward said quietly, "Anyway, Liana is still Dylan's mother. Yes, we are no longer legally married, but we can't just turn a blind eye to her suffering.”

Mrs. White frowned slightly as she retorted: "It is the woman's decision to slap our friendly hand. You, yourself, are familiar with her strange and stubborn attitude. It's been nothing but trouble since she joined the White Family. She is unwilling to admit her mistakes and refuses to communicate with the rest of the family, causing us all to tiptoe around the house. I did the best I could, offering her help once, but she refused. We are not running a charity here, I'm not going to beg her to accept our help.”

"Independent of that, you should have at least told me…”

"Edward, your marriage to her was a big mistake from the start. Your father obviously wasn't thinking straight when he allowed that woman to marry into our family. I know it couldn't have been easy for you to have to live with that horrible woman. It was a blessing that she filed for divorce, so I won't give her any chance to squirm her way back into our family. Besides, she's a grown woman, she's not going to starve to death.”

True, but she's not living much either... When the truth is revealed to Dylan in the future, he will definitely be angry with them. 

Without waiting for breakfast to arrive, Edward got up and said: "I'm going to the office.”

"But you haven't had your breakfast yet." Old Mrs. White called out to him, but Edward left the house without turning his head once.

"See, didn't I tell you not to hide this from our son? I said he would be angry when he found out. " Edward's father, Charles White, scolded his wife.

Mrs. White glared at him. "Are you blaming me now? This is entirely your fault. If you hadn't agreed to the marriage in the first place, we wouldn't have ended up in this hot soup. Now you see, neither of the parties involved is happy.”

Charles sighed. "I owe my life to Liana's father, and that was his dying wish, so how could I say no? Besides, how could I know that the two don't go together? Anyway, I've learned my lesson. I will stay out of our son's wedding in the future. He can choose whom he wants to marry.”

"What nonsense are you talking about this time? That person has been chosen, and it's Betina. I have known this girl since she was a baby and have always treated her as my own daughter. She is perfect for Edward," Mrs. White curved into a smile at the mention of Betina's name.

Liana woke up as tiredness washed over her.

The sudden appearance of her old memory must have added some pressure to her mental state. The fact that she had been hit by a car did not help her situation either. She decided to stay home that day to take care of her health.

It was a school holiday, so Jack also stayed to help take care of his sister.

"Miana, are you sure you're feeling all right? Let's go to the hospital?" Jack asked worriedly.

Liana shook her head, saying: "I'm fine. Doctor's orders, I should stay home for a few days to rest. The injury isn't that serious or they wouldn't have let me out.”

"But you're looking frighteningly pale.”

"This is how a recovering patient usually looks..." Liana said with forced lightness. She didn't want to go back to the hospital.

Their family had no money to spend on her medical bill. Edward obviously let the driver who knocked her down leave. She didn't want to owe Edward, so she chose to remain silent.

Jack couldn't bear to see her like this, adding: "Sister, I think we'd better go to the doctor. We still have some money to spare. Even Dad said to take her to the hospital before she left for work, so please, listen to us!”

Liana insisted that her injury was not serious and refused to leave her room.

Jack, of course, knew why she wouldn't go. Just as he was losing his mind, someone knocked on the door of his house. It seemed slow and deliberate, a great contrast to the rushes usually made by his ruffian neighbors.