Keith's voice trembled as he stared at Iris in disbelief. "Iris, these are my gifts to you. Why did you set them on fire?"

The unexplainable loss of control made him panic.

She watched the burning doll turn into ashes. Then, she slowly turned around and calmly stared into his eyes.

At that moment, Keith had a bad feeling that she might leave him.

Iris took a deep breath. The moment his gifts turned into ashes, she managed to let go of her feelings. She no longer cared about her parents' favoritism or grieved over Keith's changed affection.

Those were none of her business anymore. She needed to walk her own path.

She said to him, "The gifts turned moldy. That's why I burned them all."

At first, she almost wanted to lay everything out with him, telling him that she no longer loved him.

Still, she had to bear with it for 20 more days, after which she'd be gone.

Feeling relieved, Keith nodded. "Well, better to burn them all. They're not that valuable anyway. We can always buy new ones after we're married."

Iris flashed a smile. After all, they'd never be married, and there would be no future between them.

Keith gave it some thought and decided that his worries were unfounded, as Iris had no better option than him. He was confident that she would never leave him.

He reverted to his haughty demeanor and frowned unhappily. "Smile, won't you? Erica became depressed after she lost both of her parents. She can't be triggered. You have everything, so do not try to fight with her."

Iris smiled mockingly. "Tell me. What do I have?"

She had lost the love of her parents, and Keith didn't care about her. She didn't even own proper clothes.

What else could she cede to Erica when the latter had taken away everything that once belonged to her?

Keith, oblivious to Iris' bitterness, grew impatient. "You have me and your parents! Erica is suffering in the hospital now. You should apologize to her."

Iris thought that she had misheard him. Erica had faked her depression, but her family and Keith feigned ignorance.

Her voice was devoid of emotions as she said, "My parents keep her company, and you take care of her, too. The medical staff attends to her. Do you still think I need to be there?"

Keith became enraged. "How could you be so heartless? Erica developed depression because of you! I don't care. As her older cousin, you need to be the bigger person.

"You haven't acknowledged your mistake until now. It looks like I have spoiled you too much. Iris Burnett, I'm giving you a chance now. If you refuse to go to the hospital, I'll need to think about registering our marriage."

With that, Keith left in anger. He thought that Iris would cave in if he threatened her with their marriage.

But Iris couldn't care less. She watched as Keith left in his car, her expression totally calm.

Iris returned to the house again, ready to pack up her stuff and leave, only to realize that nothing in that spacious house was worth bringing along.

At night, her parents gave her attitude, as though they blamed her for triggering Erica.

Rosanne went up to Iris, her expression stern. "Iris, you need to give up on Keith. Erica loves him, too, and she's threatening to take her life at the hospital over him. You're the older cousin, so you need to be more generous."

Even though Iris knew that Rosanne was hopelessly biased toward Iris, she never thought her mother could be this shameless.

Rosanne's words were like biting cold winds in the middle of the summer.

Iris stared into Rosanne's eyes numbly and croaked, "Mom, I'm your birth daughter. You asked me to give things up to Erica, which I did. I gave up many things to her over the years.

"I gave up the meat in my meals, my new clothes, my bedroom, and basically everything new in our house to Erica. I even gave up on Bellevue University. Now, you're asking me to give her Keith. Are you going to make me take my life if that's what Erica wants?

"Mom, am I your daughter or not?"

Iris could no longer keep her anger under control and confronted Rosanne with a piercing question.

Instead, Rosanne slapped her while looking disappointed. "Erica, your cousin, lost her dad because of you! You have enough blessings in your life!

"Your dad is right. You're indeed an ingrate. This time, you have no choice but to give up on Keith, or I'll disown you!"

She then left after making that cruel remark.

Iris leaned weakly against the doorframe. The setting sun shone from above, seemingly mocking her. Apparently, she was a blessed daughter in her family's eyes.

Not long after, Keith came back. He said frankly, "Iris, Erica's mental state is deteriorating. We need to postpone our marriage registration."

It wasn't a discussion but more like an order.

Sadly, Iris had been let down too many times to feel sad over his words.

She looked pale as she enunciated each word, saying, "Alright. Fine."

To Keith's surprise, Iris agreed to his suggestion without throwing a tantrum. Caught off guard, he stood there helplessly.

Iris did not even look at Keith. Her attention was on the sycamore tree in the garden. The tree reminded her of a memory from when she was 11 years old.

That year, she was framed by Erica. Her parents beat her up badly and kicked her out of the house. When she was alone and despairing, she crouched under the sycamore tree, crying.

It was Keith who came up to her and extended a hand. Smiling warmly, he offered, "Come home with me."

Back then, Keith was a handsome, tall man who shone a light into her dark life. Since then, she had found hope and someone to rely on.

Keith had hoped that Iris could make it into Bellevue University and achieve her dreams.

That was why, in 1978, Iris tried her best and finally made it to Bellevue University. She had thought that she would chase after Keith's footsteps and be with him forever.

Looking back, Iris realized that everything was ephemeral.

The man before her eyes had changed. He forced her to compromise. To get Erica into Bellevue University, he'd rather marry Iris—a woman he didn't love. How touching was his love!

When Keith told Iris that they'd postpone their marriage registration, she felt calm. After all, she no longer had any expectations of him.

If he proposed postponing the marriage, he'd probably walk back on his promise. When that happened, not only would she lose her chance to enroll in university, but Keith would not marry her either.

She foresaw that happening.

Fortunately, she did not actually give up the Bellevue University offer to Erica. In 20 days, she would leave this sad place behind and depart for National Defense University. She would also cut all ties with her family and Keith.

Keith started to feel nervous when Iris didn't make a scene as he had anticipated.

He explained, "Iris, don't overthink this. I've made you a promise, and I will not walk back on it. The thing is, Erica is in an unstable mental state, and I don't want to trigger her."

Iris looked away from the sycamore tree. Suddenly, she asked, "Keith, do you remember the promise you made to me under the sycamore tree when I was 11?"

Keith's expression twitched a little. Something came into his mind, and guilt immediately colored his eyes. He was about to speak, but a guard suddenly approached them, looking concerned.

"Officer Brownstein, we've got updates from the hospital. Ms. Colton is self-harming again."

Brows furrowed, Keith ditched Iris and made a dash to his vehicle.

Iris watched his jeep drive away. Then, she went back to her room—the narrow balcony. There was nothing much on the balcony anyway.

After setting fire to Keith's gifts, she realized that she had nothing in her name except a few pieces of shabby clothing. Her parents had not given her anything apart from life.

Well, they had given her a lot in the beginning, but everything ultimately went to Erica.

…

Keith was gone for a week.

During these few days, he, Thomas, and Rosanne were busy looking after Erica at the hospital. Iris preferred it that way as she didn't have to put up with Erica's revolting acts or her parents' overt favoritism.

She met with Marcus, hoping to gain some physical training before attending National Defense University. Since she had decided to major in cryptography, she knew that she would face many dangers in the future.

Marcus didn't give it much thought. He merely assumed that Iris was a hardworking woman. Hence, he gave his all in tutoring her.

A week later, though Iris appeared all sweaty while training in the garden, she looked more energetic now. She had cut off her dark, long curls.

Keith once said that he preferred women who were traditional and demure, which was why she grew her hair out.

Now that she no longer needed to attend Bellevue University to be with Keith, she seemed to be a changed person who lived only for herself.

Marcus sighed in admiration. Iris exuded the air of a female soldier.

Although he was not told the reason behind her physical training, he had a guess. Nevertheless, he did not voice out his thoughts. He decided to leave the younger generation to resolve their conflicts.

He also thought that the Burnetts were unreasonably biased toward Erica.

Marcus often embarked on missions abroad, so he did not have a say in the Burnetts' family matters. However, he didn't mind offering Iris help if she needed it.

…

Iris' peace was finally shattered when Erica came home from the hospital.

At that time, Iris was practicing squats in the garden. When she looked up, she saw her parents and Keith joking around with Erica as they entered the garden.

Erica was leaning against Keith. They looked intimate. Occasionally, she would rub her head against him while Thomas and Rosanne feigned ignorance. In fact, they seemed fine with it.

Keith did not object, either. He had only hurriedly shoved Erica away when something came into his mind after sensing Iris' eyes on him.

Erica immediately teared up. "Keith, am I not good enough for you?"

Looking awkward, he had no choice but to allow Erica to lean on him.

Erica glanced at Iris provocatively after she stepped foot at home, but Iris kept her calm as though the four people before her were nothing. Instead, Iris focused on her training.

An hour passed, and Iris wrapped up her training. She let out a long exhale. A rare breeze swept past in the middle of the searing summer. Eyes closed, she enjoyed the rare relaxing moment in the garden.

"National Defense University?"

Keith broke the silence when he spoke in a trembling voice from behind.

Iris opened her eyes and saw him clutching a magazine, panic in his eyes.

Keith had accompanied Erica back to the bedroom. That was when he accidentally spotted a magazine from National Defense University on the bed on the balcony.

Feeling unsettled, he hurried down the stairs to ask Iris about it.

He questioned, "Why are you browsing information about National Defense University?"

Iris faced his interrogation with utter calm. Instead of explaining, she picked up her towel to wipe away her sweat.

"Say something!" He grabbed her hand as his body shook as if he had lost the most important thing in his life.

She pried away the hand that she had dreamed of holding countless times. Feeling nothing on the inside, she smiled at him. "Oh, I was just casually reading it, you know."

Keith stared into her eyes. She didn't seem to be lying. Moreover, he didn't think that she would lie to him.

Feeling relieved, he nodded and said, "There's nothing much in there. Given your physical condition, you won't qualify for the university anyway. You should focus on your studies and retake the SATs next year. You're good at studying, so you'll have a chance to attend university."

Iris asked noncommittally, "Do you think so? But Dad and Mom want me to work part-time after summer break to sponsor Erica's education. I'll be leaving soon."

Keith's expression fell. He had something to say. Seemingly feeling guilty for his treatment of Iris as of late, he softened. "Don't worry. I won't let you work part-time. Money is not a problem. I've set aside enough money for Erica's university expenses."

Iris flashed a self-deprecating smile. He sure was nice to Erica and had thought of everything. Not only did he force Iris to give up her place at Bellevue University, but he even prepared to pay for Erica's tuition.

The Burnetts were definitely a happy and blessed family.

Naturally, Iris could sense the nervousness and panic within Keith but knew that it did not stem from love. He merely felt guilty.

She believed that her parents would definitely force her to work part-time if Erica made a scene. If that happened, Keith would not stand up for her.

Still, it didn't matter because she no longer cared about them.

Keith, however, mistook Iris' silence for jealousy. He caressed her head and finally noticed that she had cut her hair. She looked very different from her previous demure and adorable self.

He had a feeling that she was about to disappear from his world, even though she was right there before his eyes. The sense of loss slowly crept in.

"Iris, I will marry you. Trust me. We just need to delay it," he said firmly.

In the past, Iris would have been excited to hear that from Keith. But now, she only gave him a soft response with a flat expression, which disturbed him very much.

Meanwhile, Erica was staring at the two of them from the second-floor balcony with thick resentment.

…

Iris went to sleep early, partly because she didn't want to watch her parents fussing over Erica and partly because the physical training in the day was too strenuous.

The next morning, she woke up early and left home for school.

In the teachers' room, Iris saw a handsome, determined woman dressed in a military uniform. The woman, who left an excellent impression, introduced herself as a lecturer specializing in cryptography at National Defense University.

She was on a mission while also here to take Iris to the university.

The cryptography major at National Defense University was one of a kind. All approvals were granted beforehand, so they did not need to follow any standard operating procedures.

The university lecturers personally picked up the students to train at a secret location without notifying the high school beforehand.

Once the handover process was completed, the lecturer told Iris that she would visit Sevanne High School the following week to pick her up.

On Iris' way back home, she fantasized about her future at the university when she thought of that lecturer in military uniform. She vowed to study hard and serve the country, hoping to become a cool woman like that lecturer one day.

Even though Iris' family life was devoid of love, she eagerly anticipated the day she would attend National Defense University.

…

Night had fallen by the time Iris arrived home. Thomas and Rosanne were nowhere to be found.

When Iris stepped foot in the house, she saw Erica sitting on her bed on the balcony and staring at her, her expression haughty.

"Iris, Keith seems to love me more." Erica wore an amused and derisive expression. "See? Anything I want from you will be mine. So, why stick around? You should just die."

Now that Iris had a new hope to cling to, she didn't care about Erica's provocative remarks.

Erica thought that she could incite Iris and drive the latter to insanity with her words, just like before. She would watch Iris collapse onto the floor in pain and cackle maniacally.

But she felt frustrated when Iris gave no response. She scowled.

She hated this feeling. The sight of Keith making a promise to Iris in the day also filled her with maddening jealousy.

Even if she had self-harmed, she could only force Keith to delay registering his marriage to Iris. At the end of the day, she could not make Keith her man.

Hence, Erica had made those remarks to provoke Iris.

Yet, Iris' indifference only fueled her envy. Madness flashed across her eyes. She grabbed Iris and hissed coldly, "Say, who will they trust if I tell them that you shoved me down the stairs out of jealousy?"

Iris' expression fell. She was about to break free from Erica's hold when the latter pushed her down the stairs.

"Help me! Don't kill me!"

Erica first rammed her head into the wall to make herself bleed. Then, she ran to the foot of the stairs and lay beside Iris.

Iris had fallen off the stairs and hit the ground hard. She was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe.

Erica's shrill scream immediately attracted the attention of Thomas, Rosanne, and Keith. The three of them hurried over and saw the young ladies lying at the foot of the stairs.

Thomas and Rosanne kicked Iris without asking. They growled at her, "How could you do this to Erica?"

Iris watched her parents' twisted faces with a blank stare. Her words were stuck in her throat.

She closed her eyes, feeling the throbbing pain in her chest.