5
I fell seriously ill.
Mrs. Foster, afraid I might infect her son, told me to go back to my family for a while.
Seeing how thin I had become, Uncle Jack kept asking if I had been mistreated at the Foster house. Not wanting to worry him, I just smiled and shook my head.
After a few years away, Emma had finished her graduate studies. She had studied jewelry design and started her own brand after returning home, making a name for herself in the industry.
“Aria, thank you. If you hadn’t sacrificed yourself to save me back then, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said.
It was the first time she had called me ‘sister‘, and I suddenly felt emotional.
Time really flies, and everyone keeps growing. Only I seemed to be stuck in an endless loop, unable to find a way out.
“Aria, Dad has been working hard to adjust the company structure in recent years, trying to reduce our dependence on the Fosters. Noah and I can also stand on our own feet now. If you’re not happy at the Foster house, you can leave anytime,” Emma said.
Her words shocked me. Before this, I had never thought my life could have any other possibilities.
“Can I really?” I asked.
Emma held my hand and nodded firmly. “It’s not just my opinion. All these years, Mom and Dad have felt guilty. Their only wish now is for you to be happy.”
“I don’t know. My mind is a mess. Let me think about it,” I replied.
I only stayed at Uncle Jack’s house for three days. Mrs. Foster called, saying Lucas couldn’t get used to other people’s cooking and asking me to come back quickly.
When I returned home, I didn’t see Lucas. The housekeeper told me that for the past few days, he had been going out early and coming back late, refusing any company.
This was strange. In my impression, Lucas was a homebody. Every time he needed to go out, I had to coax him for a long time.
Him staying out all day alone, not talking to strangers – it was hard to imagine.
I made his favorite tofu soup, planning to eat with him when he came back. But I accidentally fell asleep on the couch while waiting.
O
<
Vaguely, I felt someone beside me. I opened my eyes suddenly and found Lucas staring at me expressionlessly.
“Where have you been? Why are you back so late? What if something dangerous happened to you?” I asked anxiously.
“Aria,” he said.
“Yes?”
“Do you know what I hate most about you?”
I was speechless, not knowing how to answer.
“You keep saying I’m your husband, but in your heart, you just treat me like a child who never grew up, a disabled person who can’t take care of himself. I hate that feeling,” he said.
