8
This was the first time I had seen Brian like
this, and I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
After spending these past few days together,
I had gotten to know Brian a little. He seemed
L
like someone who was sophisticated, yet he
was very innocent.
Brian ate the rest of his meal hastily and
made an excuse to leave quickly. He even
tripped on his way out the door.
A few days later, Grandma returned. After
learning the whole story from me, she felt
distressed.
Knowing my current plan, she arranged for
me to work at the institute again.
With this opportunity, I didn’t waste any time
and devoted myself to my research, without
any time for other matters.
A year later, with Brian and Grandma’s help, I finally had my own research results.
When Ethan saw the star named Harmony, he
finally couldn’t resist seeking me out.
“Ashley, I thought this past year would give
you time to think things through, but I didn’t
expect you to drift further away.”
“I know you’re still angry about what
happened, but I apologize. Please stop being
stubborn, okay?”
This time, Ethan was truly afraid.
He had never thought that I could truly let go
of our more than twenty years of history.
“Come home with me, okay?”
Ethan’s voice was filled with pleading.
I did need to go home, but not for him.
Grandma was still angry that my parents had
kicked me out, so she decided to take me
home during her vacation to get my share of
the family assets.
Returning to the home I hadn’t seen in a year,
I unexpectedly saw Sarah again.
She still acted like the mistress of the house,
bringing Jason back to stay for a few days
from time to time.
My parents had always favored boys over
girls, but because our family was well–off, it
wasn’t that obvious. However, I knew they
valued boys.
r
But I never expected they would accept
Sarah, who had betrayed me and Michael,
without hesitation, just because of Jason.
Seeing Ethan and me coming back together,
Sarah’s face immediately changed.
Over the past year, she had brought up
marriage countless times, but Ethan always
brushed her off. She felt increasingly
insecure, which was why she returned to the
Peterson family with Jason.
Seeing Sarah, Ethan also felt inexplicably
annoyed.
He had met Sarah at a party. Her gentleness
and kindness deeply attracted him. But before
he could confess to her, he learned that she
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210
was marrying Michael.
Because of this, he was depressed for a long
time and impulsively proposed to me, but he never let go of Sarah in his heart.
After Michael’s death, he finally got his wish. But after living with Sarah, he discovered she
was completely different from what he had
imagined.
Sarah often partied with a group of so–called friends, often coming home drunk and being
held by other men.
Not even Jason’s illness could stop her from
going out to party.
Not only that, she didn’t care about anything
at home, leaving everything to him.
く
Moreover, Sarah had no real job, her only
hobbies were drinking and playing cards.
Ethan’s illusions were shattered, and he
missed the life he had with me more and
more.
I was independent and had my own thoughts,
and when I talked about astronomy, I lit up.
Sarah’s crying soon broke the silence.
She looked at me with grievance, “No wonder
Ethan wouldn’t marry me. It’s because of you,
isn’t it? Ashley, I know you’ve always blamed
me, but you shouldn’t steal Ethan away. What
am I and Jason supposed to do without him?”
As soon as Sarah started crying, my parents
<
immediately looked at me accusingly.
“Ashley, you’re causing trouble as soon as
you come back. You’ve torn this family
apart.”
Grandma walked in from the door just then. “I
think it’s you who tore this family apart! I
brought Ashley back this time to redistribute
the family assets with you.”
Most of our family’s assets were earned by
my grandparents, so Grandma had the
absolute right to distribute them.
Before my parents could speak, Sarah blurted
out, “Ashley is just a woman, what right does she have to inherit the family property?”
“You’re just an outsider, what right do you
have to be in my family?” I retorted without
showing any weakness.
