Chapter 247: Apple
The September night was a little chilly.
A cold breeze blew into the car, and Cassian Jennings couldn’t help but shiver. He closed the window and drove aimlessly, circling the ring road.
Before he knew it, he had driven to Arboria Park in the Westwood District.
Arboria Park was a property of the Jennings Family. It contained exactly ten thousand apple trees, which is how it got its name.
He leaned against the body of his car, looking down at the orchard below, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
’What’s wrong with me? Coming out to this desolate place in the middle of the night...’
Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. He frowned slightly, pulling it out to see a QQ message from Amelia. But when he opened it, all he saw was a notification: The sender has retracted a message...
His brow furrowed, a complex mix of emotions in his eyes. ’Why did she retract it? Did she send it by mistake?’
At this thought, he couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating laugh. Ever since Amelia left, she had never sent him a single message. The old Amelia used to pester him almost every day. But now, without her pestering, he actually found it... unfamiliar.
He always felt an emptiness in his heart...
As if with a mind of its own, his hand tapped on Amelia’s profile picture and entered her QQ Zone.
When he saw the first post, his hand froze. His eyes were glued to the man standing next to Amelia in the photo.
The man’s hand was resting on Amelia’s shoulder, their heads touching. The photo was accompanied by an unmistakably intimate caption...
["Thank you, my dear Ziyi. You found out I love apples and had them specially mailed all the way from Valerim. I’m so touched. Mmm, it tastes like home."]
Furious, Cassian Jennings was about to leave her page, but a quick glance downward made him freeze completely.
First comment: "My dear girl, happy birthday. If you’re homesick, just come back. I’ll be waiting for you at home..."
Second comment: "Happy birthday, Amelia."
Third comment: "For seventeen years, we’ve celebrated every birthday together. You’re so cruel this time, Amelia. WAHHH, please come back soon, I really miss you." Both of these comments were from Tiana; Cassian had Tiana’s QQ, so he knew it was her.
Below that were a few comments from Aiden Avery...
Just as Cassian Jennings was about to scroll down further, a notification suddenly appeared on his screen: [The user has restricted access. You can request permission to view.]
Seeing this, Cassian Jennings’s face instantly darkened. He hit the back button, closed QQ, and shoved the phone into his pocket.
’That girl... she actually dared to set permissions to block me from her Zone.’
God knows he was angry, but mixed in with the anger was a strange and complex swirl of other emotions.
’Today is Amelia’s birthday??? No wonder I drove to a place like this. Every year, on her birthday, Amelia Avery would pester me relentlessly, making me come to the orchard to pick apples for her as a gift. It had practically become a habit for me to come here on this day every year. So, even though Amelia didn’t demand it this year, I came on my own???’
At this thought, he suddenly found himself ridiculous. He had truly been conditioned by her constant pestering.
As he chuckled at himself, Cassian’s thoughts drifted back to the man in the photo. His hands immediately clenched into tight fists. ’So, she has a new boyfriend now?’
For months, he had been weighed down by a sense of guilt toward her. What happened that night was like a fishbone stuck in his throat—he could neither speak of it nor swallow it down. For months, he had even been afraid to touch another woman. And her? She had clearly forgotten everything that had happened between them, clean slate, and even found a new boyfriend.
’In the end, I underestimated Amelia Avery. How could a woman with her kind of personality truly be devoted to me and only me, as if I were the only one in the world for her...’
’How could I have taken the words of a mere kid so seriously?’