When Aurelia woke,Santino pulled back the softness in his gaze,and his eyes hardened into coldness again.When he finally spoke,it wasn’t out of concern but filled with questioning.

“Why did you go to the hospital?The follow-up call came to me.”

She remembered her last visit for the brain tumor.The doctor had told her to come back for a checkup.She hadn’t thought much of it and,as always,filled in both her number and a family contact.

For the past ten years,that contact had been Santino.Perhaps the hospital hadn’t been able to reach her,so the call had gone to him,and maybe that was the only reason he came back.

“Just a routine checkup.”Aurelia kept her tone light,unwilling to let him know the truth of her illness.

Only then did Santino’s expression ease slightly,but almost at once his brows furrowed again when his eyes landed on the stomach medicine by her side.

In a daze,Aurelia felt that this moment overlapped with the way he used to take care of her years ago.She instinctively explained,“When I was eating,I didn’t think it was that spicy…”but before she could finish,she stopped herself.

She could no longer taste the sweetness of cake,nor the heaviness of spice.The illness had grown worse,pressing on her nerves and already dulling her sense of taste.

Santino picked up her phone,unlocked it with ease,held the screen in front of her,and frowned.“You booked a ticket to Iceland,why?”

Aurelia’s heart tightened,and she quickly snatched the phone back,forcing her voice to stay calm.“Business trip.”

In the past,she would have pulled him in to complain endlessly about work,but now all she gave was those two plain words,“business trip,”and even then,only after he noticed the ticket and asked.

This thought made Santino’s face darken further.

The sudden ring of the phone broke the uneasy silence between them,and Astrid’s soft voice came through.“Santino,come out with me to set off fireworks!”

Santino’s expression softened,and his voice carried a gentleness Aurelia hadn’t heard in years.He turned and left,his figure light with the eagerness of a boy discovering love for the first time.

Aurelia closed her eyes wearily as the sharp pain in her stomach twisted her insides and left her breathless.She remembered how she had once set off fireworks with Santino,too,on her birthday,when he had planned it days in advance,even designing the shapes of the fireworks himself,just to make her smile.

A burst of dazzling light lit up the night sky outside the window,scattering sparks of color across the darkness.

Another birthday had come,and again she was watching fireworks.Only this time,they were no longer for her.

Looking out the window,Aurelia shut her eyes before the glittering sky and made the same wish she had never once changed.

Every year on her birthday,her only wish had been that Santino’s life would be safe and smooth.Ever since meeting him,she had stopped making wishes for herself.

Santino never came to see her again.He seemed truly busy,caught up with school seminars,buried in laboratory data,and so occupied that he no longer had the time or even the desire to spare a single extra word for her.

In the past,Aurelia could still catch glimpses of his life through the posts he made on social media,but now,with Astrid beside him,even those had vanished.

All she could do was search through the university’s official website,scrolling through countless photos and reports just to catch sight of him again.

After going through hundreds,she finally found him on the 999th post.

He was standing beneath the university’s“love tree,”smiling as he accepted a love letter from Astrid.The last photo in the set showed the two of them kissing under the branches,the date clearly marked,Valentine’s Day of this year.

Aurelia still saved that photo,quietly cropping it down until only Santino’s figure remained,and she set his image as the wallpaper on her phone.

In the days that followed,she gave up on her work and spent her time wandering aimlessly through the streets,circling endlessly until at last she found herself back at Santino’s high school,the place where they had first met.

Sunlight poured down,and for a moment,Aurelia thought she saw the boy in his school uniform,standing on the playground and waving at her,but when she blinked,he was gone.

She walked past the caféwhere she had once sat with Santino,the amusement park where they had laughed and played,and the pet store they had visited together,until at last she reached his university.

The top university stood tall and magnificent,and Aurelia lingered outside the gate for a long time,yet she never found the courage to step inside.In the end,she went to a bar beside the campus and drank herself into a haze.

Back then,Santino had always kept a close eye on her;whenever she picked up a glass,he would immediately set aside his book.“Aurelia,drinking is bad for your health.”

Now,there was no one left to stop her.She raised her glass with a mocking smile and ordered a few more of the bar’s special cocktails.

“Alright,please wait a moment.”

The familiar voice rang in her ears,and Aurelia turned her head to see Astrid,dressed in a waiter’s uniform and working part-time here.

When Astrid noticed her,her face lit up with surprise.“Aurelia,what are you doing here?”

Astrid was young and pretty,lively and cheerful.Though she came from a poor family,she was hardworking and full of spirit,like a little sun warming everyone around her.It was no wonder Santino had fallen for her.

“I was just wandering and thought I’d try the drinks here.”Aurelia changed the subject.“You’re working here?Santino doesn’t mind?”

“Of course,he doesn’t agree,but his birthday is in a few days,and I want to save money to buy him a gift.Aurelia,you can’t tell him,alright?”

Aurelia nodded softly.“I know.It’s a surprise.”

As she watched Astrid walk away,Aurelia quietly counted the days again.Santino’s birthday,exactly the day her flight to Iceland was set to leave.

“Bitch,don’t act so high and mighty.Aren’t you just a bar girl?What are you pretending for?”The sound of a bottle shattering cut through the air.

Astrid’s hair was yanked by a burly man,her face turning pale with fear as several sleazy old men surrounded her.

“I really am not a bar girl,I’m just a waitress…”

Before she could finish,a heavy slap landed hard across her face.

Hearing the commotion,Aurelia rushed over and was met with the scene.She even recognized the man tormenting Astrid,an infamous nouveau riche,well known for using money to force women into submission.

Aurelia had already been in a foul mood,and now this man dared to cause trouble right in front of her.He must have been asking for it.

She grabbed a bottle and smashed it against his bald head,shards scattering across the floor.The man glared furiously,but the moment his eyes fell on Aurelia,his anger froze.

“Do you know who I am?”Aurelia’s face was cold,her presence carrying authority that could not be ignored.

The man stammered,his body trembling.“Y-yes,I know…President Aurelia.”

Everyone knew Aurelia’s ways.Though only a woman,she had kicked down her elder brother to take control of the family and was known for being ruthless and absolute in her words.

“You knew,and still dared to bully my friend?”

The man panicked instantly,dropping to his knees and groveling.“I didn’t realize she was your friend,I was blind…”

Aurelia crossed her arms,a cold smile tugging at her lips as she looked down at him.The man understood at once and began slapping himself across the face.

Only when his cheeks were swollen and bleeding did Aurelia finally speak.“Get lost.If I ever see you bullying my friend again,it won’t end this easily.”

The men scrambled away in fear.

When she looked at Astrid in her arms,the girl’s eyes were filled with admiration.“Aurelia,you were so cool just now.”

Aurelia let out a laugh at the blunt compliment,and just as she was about to answer,the door was suddenly kicked open from outside.

“Astrid!”

Santino rushed in,still wearing his lab coat,clearly having come straight from work after hearing the news.

When his eyes landed on the marks across Astrid’s face and the broken glass scattered on the floor,fury flashed through him.He pulled Astrid behind him,his expression dark.

“Aurelia,don’t go too far!”

Aurelia froze at the sudden scolding,the smile on her lips stiffening.

Astrid quickly tried to defend her.“No,it wasn’t like that.Aurelia saved me.”

But Santino refused to believe it.“Astrid,you don’t need to speak for her.I know exactly what kind of person she is.”

Cruel and ruthless,willing to do anything for her goals,a woman who,when rumors weren’t enough,even went as far as hurting his mother.

Aurelia paused,then let out a bitter laugh.“In your eyes,am I really that low?”

Santino ignored her words,let out a cold snort,then lifted Astrid into his arms and carried her away.

Watching his retreating back,Aurelia lost all mood to continue drinking.

Now she even wished Santino would misunderstand her,wished he would be angry with her,because even a quarrel felt better than this cold indifference.

Back home,Aurelia’s head throbbed again.The tumor inside her skull was like a nail driven deep,forcing her to remember her love for Santino with every breath while making her suffer all the same.

Late at night,as the pain grew unbearable,she fumbled for her phone in a daze and blindly sent out a message.The moment it was sent,her strength gave way,and she sank into unconsciousness.

When she woke,Santino was sitting quietly at her bedside,watching her.

Seeing her stir,he didn’t leave as he once would,and for a fleeting moment,Aurelia felt as if she had gone back to the days when he had guarded her with tenderness.

“…Sorry.”His voice was stiff,his eyes avoiding hers as though weighed down by unease.“Yesterday,I thought you had bullied Astrid.I misunderstood you.”

Aurelia shook her head,and just as she was about to speak,crimson blood dripped onto the sheets.She pressed her hand against it instinctively,but it was no use.

She had long grown used to such bleeding,yet Santino panicked,his hands trembling as he passed her tissues.

When it finally stopped,she turned to thank him,only to see him frowning,his gaze fixed on her.

“What’s wrong with you?”Santino’s voice carried a tremor he didn’t even notice.Even he hadn’t realized yet that he could no longer live without Aurelia.

Aurelia suddenly laughed,tears glistening in her eyes.“What if I told you I had a very serious illness,one that couldn’t be cured?What would you do?”

She spoke of her terminal illness as if it were nothing more than a joke,yet Santino’s expression grew darker with every word.

She was about to explain,but he cut her off coldly.“You’re still such a liar.Dying would be too easy for you.You have to stay alive and make amends slowly.”

Aurelia let out a real laugh this time,nodding as though she agreed.“Yes,I lie.It’s just inflammation,nothing serious.”

At that,Santino’s already dark face twisted into something even uglier.

Looking at him,Aurelia couldn’t help but wonder.If he knew the truth,that she had cancer,what would his reaction be?Would he feel sorrow,would he grieve,or would he only feel relieved that he was finally free of her?

Her gaze lingered quietly on him.Forget it.Better not to tell him.Let him hate her for a lifetime.

Santino didn’t stay long.After a short while,he said he had a school meeting and left in a hurry.

When he was gone,Aurelia quietly began tidying the room,gathering everything from her years with Santino into one pile.Ten years of being stuck in this swamp had drained her completely,and only in her exhaustion did she finally decide to let go.

The table was covered with safety charms she had prayed for on Santino’s behalf.Back then,when they climbed the mountain to pray to God,she had wished for his safety,while Santino had wished for her long life.But later,everything changed.

Tears slid down her cheeks,dripping onto the back of her hand.

She threw all those memories into the fire,and the flickering flames carried away ten years of love and courage.

When the ashes settled,Aurelia opened her phone and saw a new post Astrid had just shared on social media.

The attached photo showed Santino kissing Astrid’s cheek,his eyes cold as they stared into the camera,as if declaring she was his.

Aurelia’s hand froze mid-scroll,and it took her a long time to come back to herself before she finally left a simple comment:“99.”

Just as she was about to put her phone away,a new message from Astrid popped up.

[Aurelia,do you know what Santino likes?I want to buy him a birthday gift.]

[You’ve known him for so long,you must know him better than me.]

Looking at those playful words,Aurelia seemed to see the petite girl standing shyly before her,her face touched with the blush of first love.

She agreed to meet Astrid,and when they did,she spoke smoothly about Santino’s hobbies and daily habits,as if reciting from a list she had memorized by heart.

Compared to numbers and stocks,Aurelia knew Santino even better.

Astrid listened carefully and at last raised her eyes,a trace of unease flashing within them.“Aurelia,I don’t mean anything by this,but I just wanted to ask…do you like Santino?”

Aurelia’s smooth words suddenly stopped.After a long pause,she forced a smile and asked awkwardly,“No,why?”

Santino had once said she always lied,and he hadn’t been wrong.She did lie,just as she hid her illness from him,and her love from Astrid.

Hearing her denial,Astrid finally let out a breath of relief.“That’s good,I was really afraid you liked him too.People always say you clung to Santino,that you’re a terrible woman…but I don’t believe it.You’re clearly kind and capable.If I had to compare myself with you,I’d never stand a chance.”

Aurelia found her words almost funny.“Of course not.Santino is loyal.He’ll give you all his heart.”

But Astrid’s expression dimmed.“I don’t know…sometimes I feel like Santino doesn’t really love me.When we walk together,he often just stares at his phone or at the red string on his wrist.Even when I call him,he doesn’t answer.”

The red string.Aurelia’s heart gave a quiet tremor.

That red string was the one she had prayed for during Santino’s college entrance exams,bowing step by step in the pouring rain until she finally obtained it.

Later,Santino had indeed ranked first in the exams.

She had always believed that once he began to hate her,he would have discarded it,since she had never seen him wear it again.But as it turned out,not only had he not thrown it away,he had been wearing it all along.

While Aurelia sat in a daze,Santino arrived again.Without a word,he pulled Astrid into his arms,his hostile gaze locked on Aurelia as if guarding against her hurting Astrid.

The wariness in his eyes cut deep,and she forced a polite smile.“Then I’ll be going.”

“Hey,Aurelia,since you’re already here,come sit and eat with us!”

Just as she was about to decline,Santino’s cold voice interrupted.“Stay.”

She froze.

“Stay and watch how Astrid and I love each other.”

Knowing he meant to humiliate her,she wanted to leave,but in the end,she only forced a smile and sat down.

Halfway through the meal,a burnt smell spread through the restaurant.Santino was the first to react,his expression tightening as he said,“It’s on fire,let’s get out!”

As he spoke,he instinctively stood and reached toward Aurelia.

“Fire,Santino,let’s go!”

At Astrid’s cry,his hand froze in midair before he forced it away,grabbing Astrid instead as they rushed out together.

Watching Santino’s figure disappear without once looking back,Aurelia’s heart ached bitterly.The taste of blood rose in her throat,the pressure of the pain almost suffocating her.

Thick smoke quickly filled the room,and she coughed until her lungs burned.Just then,the chandelier above came crashing down,and fierce flames erupted beside her.

Shards cut across her skin,blood gushing from her wrist.

Outside,Astrid looked anxiously at the growing blaze.“Aurelia is still inside…”

Santino’s heart lurched,but the words that left his lips were cold.“She’ll be fine.Someone like her wouldn’t die so easily in a fire.”

He ignored Astrid’s frantic cries and pulled her away,yet his grip was so tight his own fingertips dug into his palm until the skin nearly broke.