Adonis spotted Rosalind and her family waving energetically at him from a distance. As he neared them, he saw three bright, beaming faces staring back at him. The gloom in his heart lifted instantly.

This was the first time ten-year-old Lyla Walsh had met her cousin. Nevertheless, she had often heard from her mother about how wonderful he was. 

As soon as she saw him, she threw herself into his arms. "Hello, Adonis. Was the flight tiring? Would you like me to massage your legs?"

Rosalind's husband, Tristan Walsh, stepped forward to take his luggage while Lyla stretched out her chubby hands and grabbed his legs with a focused expression.

Adonis' heart melted as he looked at his adorable cousin. He scooped her up and said, "I'm not tired at all. You've been waiting here for two hours, though. Aren't you tired?"

"How could I be tired waiting for you, Adonis? You're my new favorite pers

Meredith could hear the faint conversation from inside the bathroom. While drying her hair, she came out and asked casually, "Did someone call just now?"

A trace of nervousness flashed across Nicholas' face, but he quickly denied it. "It's just a scam call. I yelled at them and hung up."

Meredith nodded and picked up the clothes on the couch. She headed to the changing room.

Nicholas' heart clenched when he saw that she was about to leave. He stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "The wedding is on the day after tomorrow. Aren't you going to stay tonight?"

A flicker of displeasure appeared in Meredith's eyes, and her voice turned icy. "I told you from the beginning that this is all just an act. Don't you understand what a contractual marriage means? Let go of me."

Startled by her sudden shift in attitude, Nicholas quickly released her hand. "I understand. I'm sorry, Ms. Irving."

Af

After Adonis finished his shift, he dragged his exhausted body home. Meredith had arrived a little earlier and was sitting on the living room couch. 

When she saw him walk in, she called out sharply, "Stop right there! Why are you working in a place like that? Don't I give you enough money to spend?"

Adonis leaned against the entryway as he changed his shoes. He replied nonchalantly, "I got bored at home and had nothing to do, so I thought I'd experience a different side of life."

The anger on Meredith's face softened a little, but her voice remained cold as she ordered, "From now on, you're not allowed to go to places like that."

Adonis didn't need to go back anyway. He hummed perfunctorily in response and lowered his head as he headed upstairs.

For the next few days, Meredith barely came home. 

Yet Nicholas sent Adonis plenty of photos every day. He sent pictures of the ring, their wedding photoshoot, the venue, and their outfits. Nicholas was blatantly showcasing his happiness and joy at getting married to Meredith.

Adonis didn't reply at all, as he was busy packing his things.

Three days before his departure, Adonis ran into Meredith at the stairwell as she was heading out.

He quickly stopped her and asked, "Sis, can you spare an hour in three days to celebrate my birthday with me?"

No matter what, Meredith had raised him all these years. So, Adonis wanted to say a proper farewell to her. But to Meredith, his words sounded like a provocation.

For the past few years, on his birthday, Adonis has seized the chance to confess his love with those audacious and inappropriate words. 

As expected, Meredith rejected him without a second thought. "I've told you many times to never make requests like that again!"

Upon seeing her annoyance, Adonis hurriedly explained, "This time, I won't do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. I won't say those things like I did before. I just want to say a proper goodbye…"

Adonis' voice softened at the end, and the last words became almost inaudible. As Meredith stood some distance from him, she didn't catch a single word toward the end of his sentence.

With his assurance, Meredith was finally convinced and nodded gingerly.

…

On the day of Adonis' birthday, he waited from morning until night. However, Meredith never showed up. As it got closer and closer to his flight time, he picked up his phone and dialed her number.

After ten seconds, Nicholas' voice came through the line. "Hello? Meredith's in the shower and can't come to the phone."

His tone conveyed a suggestive hint, making Adonis' heart skip a beat.

He glanced at his watch with a stubborn look in his eyes as he asked, "When will she be done? I can wait."

A derisive laugh echoed from the other end of the line. "Adonis, why are you doing this? She's taking a shower. Let me be honest with you. We're at a hotel right now. You're an adult—you should know what comes after a shower, right?

"Do you want to watch the whole thing? She's your sister-in-law! It's bad enough that you like her. Now that she's about to get married, you still refuse to move out and cling to her. Don't you have any shame?"

Nicholas' harsh, mocking words stabbed into Adonis' heart like knives. He bit down hard on his lips, refusing to let the tears fall.

Satisfied with having vented his emotions, Nicholas hung up the call.

Adonis stared blankly at the screen displaying "Call Ended." Slowly, he lowered his hand in defeat.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally took out a small box of candles. The cake's frosting had started to melt a little from the warmth in the room. The candles that read "21" were leaning crookedly on the cake.

Adonis lit the candles. Then, he leaned down and blew them out, silently making a wish.

On his 21st birthday, for the first time, he didn't wish to stay with Meredith forever as he had done every year before. Instead, he wished that she would live a long and peaceful life without him ever being a part of it again.

After he said his wish, he blew out the candles.

With that, Adonis carefully erased every trace of his presence and left only three things behind at a place where he had called home for a little more than half a decade.

One was a bank card containing one million dollars to repay Meredith for raising him all these years. The second was a wedding gift for her imminent marriage to Nicholas, wishing them well.

The third thing he left was a final farewell note that read, "I've given up, Sis. I wish you happiness."

After writing that note, Adonis picked up his suitcase and took one last look at the home he had lived in for so long.

Then, he turned and left without looking back.

Adonis spotted Rosalind and her family waving energetically at him from a distance. As he neared them, he saw three bright, beaming faces staring back at him. The gloom in his heart lifted instantly.

This was the first time ten-year-old Lyla Walsh had met her cousin. Nevertheless, she had often heard from her mother about how wonderful he was. 

As soon as she saw him, she threw herself into his arms. "Hello, Adonis. Was the flight tiring? Would you like me to massage your legs?"

Rosalind's husband, Tristan Walsh, stepped forward to take his luggage while Lyla stretched out her chubby hands and grabbed his legs with a focused expression.

Adonis' heart melted as he looked at his adorable cousin. He scooped her up and said, "I'm not tired at all. You've been waiting here for two hours, though. Aren't you tired?"

"How could I be tired waiting for you, Adonis? You're my new favorite person!" Lyla replied.

Adonis beamed so much that his eyes became squinted.

Rosalind took Lyla from Ad

Chapter 9