Chapter 4

The crowd passed by Silvia, slamming the door on their way out. The door creaked on its hinges as it swung shut.

Silvia could hear cheers following Ella fading into the distance. "Yay! Thank you, Gregory! You're the best!"

Then, everything faded into calm silence.

Only Silvia was left standing in the empty living room, staring quietly at the exquisite cake on the table and the banner on the wall that read, "Happy birthday, Ella!"

For some reason, she reached out and scraped a bit of cream off the cake to taste it. It was very sweet, so sweet that it made her heart ache.

Silvia suddenly remembered that when she was a child, only her grandmother would remember her birthday and give her small cakes that looked just like this.

Now that her grandmother was gone, she had lost the only person in the world who loved her.

And now, even this house, which was the only thing Silvia had to remember her grandmother by, had to be sold off to pay for her medical bills.

Back when she saw Ella and Gregory lost in their passionate kiss, back when she slapped Gregory and was pushed down the stairs by Ella, and back when she lay alone on the hospital bed, thirsting for some water while her friends reprimanded her, Silvia had already decided to leave this place.

She didn't want to be what the Fisher family called "a daughter-in-law who married into high society", nor did she want to keep being the older sister who made sacrifices without complaint or regret.

She wanted to be nothing but herself, just Silvia Robinson.

Notifications sounded on her phone. She had received two messages.

One of them was from Gregory. "I was a bit too harsh just now. Don't take it to heart. We have a long road ahead of us."

The other message was a reminder from the hospital on her next appointment, which was coming up in two weeks.

After her treatment was completely finished, she would forget everything. She would use the money she earned from selling the house and travel to a small city with a breathtaking view, and she would start over from there.

Silvia only replied to the nurse. Then, she stooped over and picked up the ribbons scattered all over the floor.

Gregory probably got it all wrong. The moment Silvia saw him kissing Ella, the road ahead of them had already been cut off.

…

After tidying the rooms, Silvia called over the agent she had contacted beforehand.

After taking some photos and uploading them to the app, the agent seemed a little hesitant.

"Ms. Robinson, this house is in a great location, and it has been well-maintained, too. For the past few years, the housing prices in this location have been rising, and I'm sure they'll continue to rise in the future. If you're not in a hurry to sell it, you can get an even better price if you wait."

Silvia simply smiled and shook her head. She thanked the agent, then said it was fine.

After the agent left, Silvia sat on the couch and stared at her surroundings in bewilderment.

Because she was selling the house, she had already packed most of her belongings into boxes and had them put into paid storage. The house looked quite empty at that moment.

Beside her was her grandmother's favorite chair, and the desk she had made herself was standing in her room.

However, the person in the chair and the photo of them on the desk were both gone.

Silvia remembered that when she was a child, Rosaline would always be extremely exhausted. She was so tired that she didn't want to talk. Instead, all she did was cry.

Silvia wanted to comfort her, but whenever she walked closer, Rosaline would grab her and hit her.

She would cry as she hit Silvia and shouted, "It's all because of you and your heartless dad! If it weren't for you, I would've remarried a long time ago! I'm suffering all because of you and your dad!

"You're a selfish brat, too. It only makes sense. With your dad's blood running in your veins, how could you not be?"

Silvia didn't know what to do. She was in pain, and she wanted to push Rosaline away.

But when she looked up, seeing the bitter agony in Rosaline's face and feeling her tears splashing on her cheeks, she lowered her arms.

Back then, Silvia thought that if this would ease Rosaline's pain, she would be willing to put up with it.

After Rosaline calmed down, she would act as if it hadn't happened. She would cook Silvia's favorite dishes and patiently mend Silvia's torn clothes.

She would say to Silvia, "Silvia, darling, please work hard at school. Don't end up like me, pinning your hopes on the wrong person and living the rest of your life in hatred and regret."

Silvia had mixed feelings about Rosaline. She couldn't completely hate her, nor could she love her wholeheartedly.

Throughout her dark years of growing up, her grandmother was her only light.

Her grandmother would always give her the candies she loved, gently apply ointment on her bruises, take her out for a treat, and tell her she wasn't a burden.

Silvia whispered, "Grandma, I'm leaving soon. I'm sorry I couldn't keep the house."

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She took out her phone to see that it was a message from Gregory. "You left your necklace at my place. When are you coming over to get it?"