Chapter23:

Cecilia sped along the highway, the night air rushing past her as her mind navigated through all the events that had unfolded in her life up until recently. It was already 2 am, and she knew she had to go back to revise her scripts because of the early morning shoot she had the next day. Her life had been like an array of flowers through the summer and autumn seasons. Some parts, like her high school years and the waiting period before she was admitted to university, felt like dried persimmons—bare and lacking vitality. Her time at university in America was particularly dull. She had no friends, and her stepsister's constant presence, like a seasonal disease, only served to taunt her, making her feel like withered white flowers against a backdrop of vibrant blooms. Then, she made the decision to leave America and return to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career. Even though her stepmother and stepsister continued to plague her, with Carina constantly snatching up the big roles, leavin