"Be good, let's not talk about that," Grayson said, taking me home. He apologized, "Mila has been threatening me with this, that's why I..."

He said there was nothing between him and Mila.

That child wasn't his either. Back in school, he just wanted to see if I, the blockhead, would get jealous.

"..."

Just to see if I'd get jealous, he deliberately kept close with Mila, letting the rumors spread.

They believed Grayson and Mila were a perfect match and treated me as the third party. Some even blocked me on the rooftop after school to stand up for Mila.

They were many and physically assaulted me, even stripping me to humiliate me.

Even though I fought back later, because of Grayson's attitude, my high school years were still marked with disgrace.

"You could have told me, Grayson."

My body trembled uncontrollably, those memories were unbearable. Grayson reached out to hug me, gently stroking my back.

"I was afraid you'd despise me if you knew about Uncle Smith. Just like back then, you turned away and ignored me."

Grayson was referring to the time when rumors were rampant, and I avoided being with him.

"I've been used to you following me since we were kids. I always knew I'd marry you when I grew up. My mom..." Grayson paused, opening his mouth but not continuing.

I was very tired. I leaned on the sofa and did nothing. I fell asleep.

In my dream, I was back to my childhood. Grayson and I were neighbors, and we were close. I often sat by my window, secretly talking to Grayson through his.

He would gently tell me bedtime stories, coax me to sleep early, and buy me many little gifts.

Violet, Violet...

I was awakened by the sound of Grayson's low breathing in my ear.

I saw Grayson busy in the kitchen. He was a good cook and quickly prepared a sumptuous meal, but the smell made me want to vomit.

I missed Emily. If she were here, she would have hugged me. Emily had always been very sensible, and everyone said she was emotionally intelligent for her age.

But behind her sensibility was a father who didn't love her. She carefully tried to win Grayson's affection.

"You don't need to go to all this trouble. I won't eat, and there's no need to be kind to me. Even if there's nothing between you and Mila, it's impossible for us."

"I know I haven't treated you well, nor Emily. Give me a chance to make it right, please?"

Grayson said he just didn't know how to express his feelings. It was his first time being a father, and when he saw Emily, so small, he wanted to hold her.

He wanted to comfort Emily, but every time he reached out, his body would stiffen.

"I couldn't face Emily, and I couldn't face you."

"Ridiculous." I laughed in anger. It was clearly their fault, yet my Emily had to bear it all.

What did Emily do to deserve being born into my womb, to endure Grayson's cold violence? From the moment she was born, I knew she had congenital heart disease.

I watched over her carefully, afraid this time bomb would explode. My carefully nurtured little flower still wilted in the end.

"Grayson, you don't understand my pain, and you don't deserve Emily's goodness."

"The unopened gifts are all in Emily's little room. Grayson, if you still have a heart, accept her kindness."

I didn't really want to give them to Grayson, but I wanted him to feel guilty. How could someone like him deserve an angel like Emily?

Grayson's body stiffened. He gently coaxed me, "Eat something first. You can't keep not eating or drinking."

"I don't need you to worry about me. I won't seek death. Emily said I need to be strong. I will live on in her place."

Grayson sighed deeply and went to that room.

Grayson didn't like pink, and he made it very obvious. Emily deliberately avoided these colors when choosing wrapping boxes for him.

Every year for birthdays and holidays, Emily prepared gifts.

She had drawn a family portrait by hand, with crooked writing beside it, wishing for family peace and happiness.

There were also beaded chains she made herself, beautifully colored, custom-made for both of us for Valentine's Day. I had one too.

As Grayson looked at them, he started crying, tears streaming down his cheeks. He said he truly deserved to die.

"I'm sorry, Emily."

Emily was gone, and Grayson held onto those gifts tightly, expressing his guilt toward her.

I didn't want to see his repentance. I just wanted Grayson to live in guilt. Why should I be the only one suffering?

"I really deserve to die..."

Yes, you really do deserve it.

But what's the point of saying all these useless words now, Grayson? There are no regrets in life. Whether for you or the White family, we won't meet again in the future.

As expected, Grayson quieted down a lot after that and didn't appear in my sight anymore.

I took over an art gallery. Emily loved painting and was very talented. We had a lot of her paintings stored at home.

She once told me, "Mommy, when I grow up, I want to have an art exhibition. I want others to see the world as I see it."

She wanted to donate all the money earned from the exhibition to blind children. Emily said they couldn't experience the colors of the world and were already very unfortunate.

She loved the brilliance of this world. As I looked at her paintings, tears welled up in my eyes again. It was a pity that now even Emily couldn't see the colors of this world anymore.

There was originally some trouble with the exhibition venue. I had agreed on a time with someone, but they suddenly backed out and gave it to me.

Maybe Emily was watching over me.

I bought a bunch of flower and went to the cemetery to visit Emily. She was so lonely lying there alone.

I reached out and touched the photo on the tombstone. Emily's smile was still so warm.

Tears streamed down my face. I knew Emily was gone forever, but I still wanted to stay with her. Memories flashed through my mind of when I gave birth to Emily, and Grayson wasn't there.

Emily was a good baby. Everyone said daughters look like their fathers.

Emily's eyebrows and eyes looked just like Grayson's, but he didn't get to hold her.

It wasn't until late at night that I saw Grayson sneak in to hold Emily. The peacefully sleeping baby was woken up by him.

That was the first time I saw Grayson at a loss. His eyes clearly showed love and affection.

He excitedly kissed Emily over and over, not daring to hold her too tightly for fear of breaking her.

I didn't expose Grayson. The next day, I woke up to find him sleeping next to me for once, his body stiff and a distance away from me.

When Grayson woke up, he returned to his usual self. He asked what I wanted to eat. I was very surprised because we had several maids, and he didn't need to bother.

He said he remembered I liked the rice balls from the school gate and unusually went to buy them for me. At that time, I naively thought Grayson wouldn't distance himself from Emily because of me.

After that was the anniversary of Grayson's mother's death. He came to me drunk, crying and disturbing Emily several times so she couldn't sleep.

I had a fight with him and told him to go outside to act crazy. But he grabbed my neck and said I owed him this.

Grayson said the Smith family owed him. Later, he cried all night. I took Emily away and didn't see him for a long time.

My relationship with Grayson became very strange.

But Grayson wasn't like this when we were kids.

He was the brother. When others bullied me, he would protect me. They all said Grayson only smiled when he saw Violet and acted like a brother.

When did it all change?