Chapter 4

I desperately clutched Naomi's hand, reciting the vows we had once made to each other.

But she brushed my hand away and said flatly, "You disgust me."

Right after that, she and Bryson went public with a high-profile announcement.

On Naomi's birthday, she took her research group out for dinner. I rushed to the venue.

Standing just outside the door, I listened to them laughing and joking inside.

Someone asked her, "Naomi, Kenneth is so obsessive and controlling. You two used to be so close, but with a temper as bad as his, how did you even put up with him all these—"

Someone else coughed, cutting her off.

The speaker let out an awkward laugh and tried to smooth it over. "Oh, my bad. I shouldn't bring that up."

Naomi didn't seem to care. Leaning back against the couch in a completely relaxed posture, she replied, "I forgot. Honestly, I can't even remember why I ever liked someone like Kenneth. The kind of guy I actually like is…"

She frowned, leaving the sentence unfinished. Then her gaze suddenly turned fierce as she looked at Bryson like an angry little beast.

The latter simply smiled at her, and the tension in her brow instantly melted away.

Naomi continued, "The kind of guy I actually like is someone gentle and considerate, just like Bryson."

I looked down at the birthday cake in my hands, let out a bitter laugh, and turned to leave.

It turned out that the will of the world was truly that powerful. It was powerful enough to make her forget me entirely, even while I was still breathing.

I went for a drive nearby to clear my head before heading back.

On my way home, another vehicle slammed into mine. I caught a clear glimpse of the driver's face.

It was Bryson, his expression twisted with pure malice. He mouthed the words, "Die, Kenneth."

I frantically spun the steering wheel to swerve, but in my rearview mirror, I saw Naomi's car driving right behind me. If I veered that way, I would crash straight into her.

I tried to angle the car to take the hit elsewhere, but a violent jolt shook the vehicle. I watched in utter disbelief as Naomi, completely expressionless, slammed on the gas and rammed my car straight into the guardrail.

The moment the airbags deployed, I heard the surrounding sounds erupt into chaos.

Naomi threw her door open and rushed frantically toward Bryson.

I let out a bitter laugh and blacked out.

When I woke up, I was entirely alone in an empty ward.

But I refused to let go. I had been obsessive since I was a child. I wanted to try one last time.

I used my family's influence to force Bryson out of school and put a grinding halt to their research project. The Dudley family also pressured Naomi.

She stormed into my office, smashing everything in sight. Once again, she raised her hand against me for the sake of another man.

I felt so incredibly tired. I tilted my head, my eyes bloodshot and carrying a faint hint of a plea as I looked up at her. "Naomi, you promised you'd never abandon me."

She let out a harsh sneer and released her grip on me.

"I don't remember a single thing I said to you before, Kenneth," Naomi said carelessly. "I don't love you anymore, and I don't want you. Do you understand? If you touch Bryson one more time, I will destroy you, even if it kills us both."

Looking at the sheer ferocity in her eyes, I knew she wasn't bluffing.

The tension left my shoulders, and I slumped back limply into my wheelchair. A hollow laugh vibrated in my chest as tears blurred my vision.

"Naomi, the way you're protecting him right now is exactly how you used to protect me."

She knitted her brow and stared down at me with a complicated expression.

Instinctively, she reached her hand out to wipe away the tears at the corner of my eyes, but I jerked my head away to avoid her touch.

Naomi lowered her gaze and walked out.

The Dudley family and I kept pressuring Naomi, but we had all forgotten that once she set her mind on something, she never let go.

In a final, decisive move, she severed all ties with her family, took Bryson's hand, and left Avenport.

I got into a catastrophic car accident while trying to chase after her, clinging to life by a thread. And after that, it brought us to the present.

The memories were too bitter. I instinctively reached into my pocket for a piece of candy. I used to suffer from low blood sugar, so Naomi always made a habit of slipping milk candies into my bag.

But I had forgotten that I was a ghost now.

And ghosts didn't have human desires or needs.

I watched as Naomi used an excuse to leave the Dudley residence and walked over to my house all by herself.

She stood at the front door, her hand hovering as she repeatedly lifted it to knock and then pulled it back.

Ultimately, she knocked on the heavy front door.

Before I died, I begged Mom that if Naomi ever returned to Avenport, she would return the things that belonged to us to her.

Mom had pulled a few strings just to get Naomi to show up.

The moment Naomi pushed the door open, she saw Mom sitting on the couch, cradling a wooden box in her arms.

"Why did you ask me to come here? Does Kenneth have something to tell me?" Naomi's brows furrowed as a strange sense of familiarity washed over her.

Mom let out a sharp scoff. "He's dead. How is he supposed to speak?"

I watched as Naomi's hands balled into fists, her entire frame trembling slightly.

Mom didn't bother hiding her displeasure. She stood up and thrust the wooden box toward Naomi. "Kenneth left this for you."