Chapter 3

I returned to my family villa alone, planning to pack up some of my mother’s belongings.

But the locks had been changed, and strangers were wandering in and out of the house.

“This house was left to me by my mother. Who gave you permission to be here?”

The door opened from the inside.

Leonardo stood in the doorway, holding a ring of new keys.

There was one last item on Liliana's bucket list: filming a farewell video in a warm home.

Leonardo didn't dare to meet my eyes as he explained.

“She’s only staying for two days to take some photos. Once it’s over, I’ll restore it to how it was.”

Liliana walked out of the living room holding my mother’s photo album.

"Elena, please don't be angry. I just heard that your mother founded an orphanage before she passed away. I thought she was a kind-hearted woman, so I wanted to film here."

"I figured she wouldn't mind."

I reached out to take the album, but she let go before I could touch it.

Though her words were about her respect for my mother, her eyes were filled with obvious malice and mockery

The album hit the floor with a heavy thud. My mother’s portrait slipped out, the glass frame cracking cleanly in half.

I crouched down to pick up the photo.

Liliana covered her ears in front of a camera, sobbing:

“I’m sorry, I’ll leave right away. I won’t ever touch your mother’s things again!”

For once, Leonardo didn't defend her immediately.

He turned off the camera, chased away the film crew, and pulled me into the kitchen to tend to my wounds.

His movements were still practiced. He remembered that I was afraid of pain, gently blowing on the cut before applying the antiseptic。

"I'm sorry. Liliana went too far this time, and I shouldn't have let her in."

"I'll have someone restore your mother's photos."

"Elena, please don't be mad, okay?"

I stared at his lowered eyelashes.

Leonardo hadn't always been like this.

After we fell in love at first sight, he didn't care about my ordinary background.

He had once bid on a pink diamond necklace at a sky lantern festival, declaring to the world that I was one of a kind.

He had also set off fireworks for an entire night on my birthday, telling the world that I would be his Donna.

But then, his childhood sweetheart got sick.

I was no longer his first priority.

I realized once again that waiting for someone who is biased will never lead to anything.

Suddenly, something crashed to the floor in the living room.

Leonardo dropped the bandage and bolted out of the kitchen.

Liliana was collapsed beside my mother’s rattan chair, blood at the corner of her mouth. She gasped that she might not make it to the farewell banquet after all.

Leonardo scooped her up instantly.

As he passed me, he left only one sentence:

“We’ll talk about the house later. Stop provoking Liliana.”

I didn't respond. I simply picked up the half-wrapped bandage and silently finished wrapping it.

After they left, I found a medical billing statement Liliana had dropped on the floor.

A few charges had been double-billed, and the nursing logs showed abnormal medication records.

I took the billing records to the private clinic Liliana frequented.

A retired nurse looked at the statement, hesitated for a long time, and finally lowered her voice to tell me:

“Miss Liliana has two medical files. One is public, and the other is known only to her.”

“The real test results show she isn’t terminally ill.”

The nurse refused to say more. She just pressed a flash drive into my injured palm.

I returned to my room, copied all the files onto the banquet’s main control system, and backed them up to my phone.

Leonardo called. He asked first if my hand still hurt.

He said the locks on the old villa had been changed back and the keys were left at my doorstep.

Staring at the frozen medical record on my screen, I asked:

“If one day you realize the person you’ve been protecting isn’t worth it at all, what then?”

Leonardo let out a sigh, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

“Elena, I know exactly what kind of person Liliana is. ”

“I promised to walk her through the final chapter of her life, and I won’t abandon her halfway.”

“I have always known that you are my bride. You should try to trust me.”

I closed the video.

“Okay. Then go ahead and say your proper goodbyes.”

Leonardo didn’t catch the sarcasm in my voice.

I just hung up the phone directly.

Once I got my mother’s ring back, I would leave. There was no way I was going to be his bride.