Chapter 9

As Brittany stood surrounded by a crowd of admirers, Priscilla could not take it anymore. She stood up and walked toward the stairs. However, she had not made it far before Brittany caught up to her from behind. Britney taunted, "What's wrong? Aren't you touched? Ending a relationship with such a romantic candlelit dinner. Won't that be a highlight in your life story? Here, take these photos. You'll want to remember it." Priscilla looked down and saw the Polaroids Brittany held out. In one of them, Josiah stood in front of heart-shaped fireworks, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. They looked like a happy couple. That is, until she noticed that his gaze was not on the camera, but aimed subtly toward Brittany's direction. Priscilla did not take the pictures. She simply stared at Brittany, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "I already signed the divorce papers. I was giving him to you. Was all this really necessary?" Brittany laughed. "Was it not? I thought that you'd be really moved. But if it didn't work, forget about it. It's not like you'll have another chance anyway." As she spun around to leave, the chandelier above them suddenly groaned. A second later, the massive crystal fixture, weighing dozens of pounds, came crashing down. Priscilla instinctively raised her hands to shield her head, but then she saw Josiah rushing over just as the chandelier fell. It slammed onto her wrist, shoulder, neck, and spine, knocking her to the floor. Tears welled up and streamed down her face as pain shot through her body. Her limbs trembled as she tried to cry for help, only to see Brittany crouching beside Josiah, who was also bleeding badly. Brittany sobbed as she held him. "Josh, you're such an idiot. Why do you always show up to protect me, no matter what kind of danger I'm in? Why do you stay by my side like I can't shake you off? Why…" "Because he loves you," Priscilla answered the question in her mind. Her vision grew blurry, her thoughts hazy, and before she could form another thought, everything went black. ... When Priscilla opened her eyes again, she saw Brittany. Brittany placed a birthday invitation on the table and chirped, "Six days from now is the end of your divorce cooling-off period, and it's also Josh's birthday. I plan to confess to him that day. He's loved me for a long time. This will be the best gift ever. I just know that he'll be thrilled." She added, "Josh got a mild concussion from the accident. I'll be taking care of him until he recovers. If you want to spend a few more days with him while you still can, I can have you moved to the room next door." Priscilla closed her eyes and calmly said, "No need. He's probably hoping to see you anyway. Plus, I have no desire to see him again." Brittany nodded and quietly left the room. ... In the final days at the hospital, Josiah called and messaged several times, but Priscilla never replied. On the day she was discharged, she went straight to finalize the divorce. Once home, she carefully placed the signed divorce certificate and the paperwork into a gift box and tied it with a ribbon. Then, she grabbed her suitcase and was about to head out when she ran straight into Josiah at the door. He looked surprised to see her with luggage. He asked, "Celia? It's my birthday today. I was about to take you to the party. Where are you going?" Priscilla smiled and lied without blinking. "I have a flight to catch. I'm heading back home. It's today." She turned, grabbed the gift box from the table, and handed it to him. "I got you a birthday present. Happy birthday. I'm in a rush, so I'll get going." Without waiting for his reaction, she walked out the door, got in a cab, and headed straight to the airport. As Josiah watched her hurrying away, a strange unease rose in his chest. He had an ominous feeling, and a wave of panic crept over him. He instinctively wanted to stop her and to ask her to delay her flight or at least stay for the party. Yet, just as he took a step forward, his phone rang. It was Brittany. "Josh! The party's starting soon. Where are you? I've been planning this for weeks. I even got you a huge surprise. I can't wait to show you…" He hesitated briefly but ultimately turned and drove off. He left the gift box from Priscilla on the passenger seat, unopened. ... The hotel ballroom was packed. Glasses clinked, people mingled, and laughter echoed everywhere. As soon as Josiah walked in, Brittany lit up and rushed over. She said sweetly, "Josh, you made it!" Josiah nodded, his expression filled with tenderness. "Yeah. You said you had a surprise for me?" Brittany smiled even brighter. "Josh, this is a surprise you're definitely going to love." She hurried up to the stage and picked up the mic. Her voice rang clearly across the ballroom as she said, "Thank you all for coming to celebrate Josh's birthday. Today's a special day, not just because it's his birthday. "I have two pieces of good news to share! First, let's congratulate Josh on his divorce. He's finally free to move on from the past and step into a brand-new future! "Second… I'm going to confess to Josh, right here and now! Josh, you've loved me for many years, and I've selfishly taken that love for granted. But I finally figured it out today. I want to be with you forever."