Chapter 3

Although I had lost part of my memory, fortunately my bodily functions were fine.

After staying in the hospital for a few more days, I was discharged.

On the day of discharge, Julian picked me up.

I don't know why, but Julian had been very cold toward me lately.

Actually, I had never told Julian that before Harmony appeared in our lives, I thought the two of us were meant to be together.

Watching Julian throw my luggage into the trunk, then rather thoughtfully open the passenger door for me.

I raised my uninjured hand in a gesture of surrender. "Give me a break."

"I didn't mean to treat you like a driver."

"But it's not appropriate for me to sit in the passenger seat when you have a girlfriend."

Julian's face showed a flash of anger: "Snow Miller! Are you done yet!"

I didn't know what he was angry about again. I just maintained that ridiculous pose and stared at him for a while.

A moment later, I walked around him to find the back seat, fumbling to open the car door and climb in.

Julian said nothing more, only slammed the car door with a bang when he got in.

He even drove fast the whole way, as if he couldn't wait to send me straight to heaven with one press of the gas pedal.

The scenery outside the window had indeed become strange to me now.

This wasn't the city where we went to college anymore.

Our university was in the south, where you could see gentle scenes of small bridges and flowing water everywhere.

But here—this should be Julian's and my hometown.

Through the dense buildings, I saw the abandoned building that Julian and I used to use as our secret base when we were kids.

Only now it had been completed, standing cold and aloof in the center of the city.

Perhaps in its belly, it still held all the silly things Julian and I had said over the years.

We said we would go to college together.

We also said that when we grew up, we would raise a cat together.

And Julian had once said to me with a flushed face: "Snow Miller, wait for me to marry you when I grow up."

The car suddenly stopped.

The violent shaking of the car pulled me out of those tender, sepia-toned memories.

"Get out."

Julian opened the car door for me. His tall figure cast a pale gray shadow over me. "When we get inside, drop the act."

"Don't think I'm as easy to fool as those stupid doctors."

He suddenly reached out and gripped my chin hard. "If you scare Mia, you'll regret it."

In the sudden intense pain, I don't know why I felt my nose sting.

A round tear fell without warning onto the back of Julian's hand.

He withdrew his hand as if scalded by my tear.

I pressed my lower lip, feeling dizzy from the completely different Julian from my memories and this almost entirely new world.

I practically inched my way into that villa.

I don't know why, but the closer I got to this house, the tighter my chest felt, and even my tears couldn't stop streaming down.

By the time I stood in the entrance hall, my vision had been blurred into a chaotic kaleidoscope of light spots.

But I could still make out, among those blurred shapes, the little girl running toward me.

She had eyes too similar to Julian's.

I instinctively crouched down and reached out my hands to her, but she swatted them away and ran straight into Julian's arms.

"Daddy! Why did you bring her back again!"

I froze slightly, even stepping back awkwardly.

"Mia!" Harmony rushed out after her. "You can't talk like that!"

I forced an ugly smile at Harmony. "Harmony, it really isn't appropriate for me to live here."

"How about I rent a place myself."

"I won't disturb your family of three."

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