Chapter 4

"Charlotte, I'm back. Don't worry. I'm here now. I'll take care of everything."

Hearing his voice through the phone filled my heart with emotion.

Too much time had passed.

So much that I had forgotten how many years it had been since Alex had spoken my name with such warmth.

On the other end of the call, Charlotte simply replied coldly, "Thank you."

The younger Alex sounded hurt. "Charlotte, why are you thanking me all of a sudden?"

When Charlotte didn't answer, he didn't press her. Instead, he urged the doctor to prepare the surgery as quickly as possible.

A little while later, she finally pulled the phone out from under her blanket. "After my surgery is over, I'll leave. I won't be there for the proposal."

I nodded, feeling as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted.

When I got home, Alex came upstairs with Lydia, who was still crying.

He grabbed my wrist angrily.

"Did you tell Grandpa about Lydia and me?"

His grip hurt.

Years ago, I had injured this same wrist while saving him in a car accident. But now, he had long since forgotten.

I shook his hand off and replied coldly, "I have no interest in telling anyone about your shameful relationship. You may not think it's disgraceful, but I do."

He looked shocked for a moment before letting out a cold laugh.

"Oh, really? Stop pretending. Once Grandpa knew, he'd send Lydia away for your sake, wouldn't he?"

Lydia was nearly crying so hard she couldn't breathe.

A bright red handprint was still visible on her face.

"Charlotte, I'm begging you. I just want to stay by Alex's side. I don't even care if I never marry him."

The moment she finished speaking, she dropped to her knees in front of me.

"Please!"

Before I could even react, Alex hurried over and helped Lydia to her feet with obvious concern.

Then he turned to me. "Why are you forcing her like this? She has never tried to take anything from you. She's only stayed quietly by my side."

He shook his head in disappointment as he spoke.

"How did you become so cruel? You're nothing like the Charlotte I used to know."

His words hurt more than I expected.

Bitterness and quiet mockery filled my eyes.

"You think I've changed? Then what about you? Haven't you changed too? You were the first one to change."

The voice of the younger Alex echoed through my earbuds.

"Charlotte, your surgery is ready. They'll take you into the operating room soon. Don't be afraid. I'll be right here.

"When you wake up, we'll get married.

"Whether your legs heal or not, I'll stay with you forever. If you can never walk again, then I'll be the one to support you for the rest of your life."

His voice trembled with emotion, gentle and sincere.

That only made the cold, heartless Alex standing in front of me hurt even more.

My eyes filled with tears.

Alex noticed. His expression softened, and his voice became calmer. "As long as you apologize to Lydia, I won't hold this against you."

I slowly closed my eyes.

"Apologize? Why should I apologize to people like you? Alex, get lost."

"Charlotte!"

His voice dropped low. He was so angry that his chest rose and fell. "You told me to leave. If I walk out that door, I'm never coming back!"

I didn't even look at him.

He stared at me for a long moment. "This is what you wanted. Lydia, let's go."

The house fell silent.

I lowered my head with a bitter smile, packed my things, left the house, and headed straight for the airport.

More than ten hours later, Charlotte suddenly broke down crying through my earbuds.

"Charlotte, I drove him away. It's really over between us now."

I let out a long breath. At the same time, every memory I had of him began to disappear from my mind.

Meanwhile, Alex was working at his company when a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. The next second, he collapsed onto the floor.

When he woke up, he found Felix and Lydia sitting beside his bed.

"Grandpa, what happened to me?"

He looked around the room before asking with disappointment, "Where's Charlotte? Why didn't she come see me when I got sick?"

Felix immediately smacked him on the shoulder.

"Your wife, Lydia, is sitting right here! You little brat! Why are you still thinking about that old college classmate you haven't seen in ten years?"