Chapter 2

Silvia vaguely remembered that she had already severed official ties with Ella before her treatment.

She turned on her phone and noticed that her last conversation with Ella had taken place before she saw Ella and Gregory kissing. Ella had sweetly asked Silvia for a pair of limited-edition shoes.

Silvia had been financially strapped when she was 18 years old. She couldn't even bring herself to buy clothes that cost more than 30 dollars.

She knew Ella cared about her appearance, and she also knew at that stage in life, Ella would have a strong sense of self-esteem. So, Silvia had wired the money without saying anything.

Ella had silently received the money without a single response.

Sighing, Silvia closed the chat window with Ella and navigated to Gregory's.

Their last conversation had taken place the day after Silvia was hospitalized. He had said, "I'm very worried about you."

It had been almost two weeks since Silvia got discharged. In those two weeks, she had booked her appointments for ECT, gone through the preliminary tests, and completed her first course of treatment.

She wasn't quite sure what Gregory was worrying about.

When Silvia got home and opened the door to find Gregory and her own friends celebrating Ella's 21st birthday, she finally got her answer.

With her backpack on her back, Silvia was carrying the pills prescribed to her as she opened the door with some difficulty. It was then that she heard a wave of wishes.

"Happy birthday, Ella!"

Silvia made her way to the living room to see everyone gathered around Ella as they sang the birthday song. Ella had tears in her eyes, and she looked pleasantly surprised as she hugged Gregory tightly.

When a friend accidentally caught sight of Silvia at the entrance, she let out a small cough.

The whole room fell silent when they realized that Silvia had come home.

A moment later, Gregory asked a little awkwardly, "Silvia, you got discharged already? Why didn't you tell me? I could've picked you up."

Silvia looked at the man she had been dating for a decade. Now, he felt more like a stranger to her.

She was really upset when she saw him and Ella kissing back then.

She was betrayed by the two people closest to her, whom she had given everything to. The pain was so intense that she had almost lost her balance.

She was about to fly off the handle with curses and questions when she remembered how her own mother had gotten drunk and screamed hysterically at her. She didn't want to retrace Rosaline's steps, so she could only force herself to remain calm.

But now, as she looked at Gregory, she felt like her heart had been squeezed, but the pain only lasted a fleeting moment.

Avoiding Gregory, who had reached out to help her with her backpack, Silvia said indifferently, "I didn't get much peace and quiet in the hospital, so I might as well just go home."

As soon as she said that, all her friends at the scene felt a little awkward.

Tessa stepped forward and tried to smooth things over. "Silvia, you're just in time. It's Ella's birthday today, remember? Gregory even specifically told us not to reveal anything to Ella.

"Here, we all chipped in to get her a gift. Since you're her sister, you're the best person to give it to her."

With that, a small, exquisite box was pressed into Silvia's hands.

Silvia froze on the spot. A moment later, she eventually decided to take the box and hand it to Ella.

Ella had been living with Silvia since she was 13 years old, and she was a full-fledged adult now.

Silvia had been Ella's dependable sister for years, so this gift would be the perfect ending to everything she had done for Ella throughout the years.

With the gift presented to her, Ella reached out to take it, but for some reason, it dropped onto the floor.

The box was smashed open, revealing a beautiful glass bead bracelet that was now broken to pieces.

When Ella saw that, she was on the verge of tears. "Silvia, are you still mad at me? That was just an accident. I swear, I didn't do it on purpose! I've been really worried about you while you were hospitalized. I was so scared that you wouldn't forgive me."

Realizing that Ella was crying, the others hastily went over to comfort her. They were all glaring at Silvia with unapproving looks. "Silvia, I can't believe you're still mad at your own sister! It's Ella's birthday, so can't you just let her be happy on an important day like this?"

Silvia looked at the people reprimanding her, staring at their incessantly moving mouths.

Right in the middle was her fiance, whom she had loved for a decade. He was looking at her in disappointment.

Silvia heard a sudden roar ringing in her ears. Her vision began to blur as well, and she almost lost her balance.

She thought, "Either way, at least just get these people out of here."

Just then, Gregory spoke up, "Alright, stop blaming it on Silvia. She just got discharged, after all."

Walking up to Silvia, he touched her forehead with a look of concern and said in a gentle tone, "Don't hold it against Ella. She's just a child."

Then, he picked up the box on the floor and handed it to Silvia. "She probably just got a little careless and dropped it, so just give it to her again. It's Ella's birthday, after all. You two should sit down and have a good talk over dinner. Sort things out, you know? You'll still need to get along with each other down the road."

Gregory's voice was gentle, but he was discreetly tightening his grip on Silvia's shoulder.

Silvia took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Then, she shook Gregory's hand off.

She said in a quiet voice, "There's no need. We're… probably not going to live together anymore."

As gasps spread throughout the crowd, she continued, "Actually, I came back just to pack my things and move out."