Henry Edwards had envisioned countless scenarios of meeting Rachel Saintclair again. It could be at a street corner, with petals swirling in the air; perhaps under a tree filled with falling blossoms, where a gentle breeze was blowing; or maybe in a coffee shop with melodious music playing, and sunlight filtering through the windows onto them. Even in numerous dreams where he frantically searched for her, eagerly hoping to see her as soon as he looked up.
Even today's deliberately arranged dinner, the sole purpose was to catch a glimpse of her. However, he had never expected that they would meet in such an awkward, unexpected way.
Could this be the encounter that fate had in store for them?
Henry Edwards suddenly found it somewhat laughable. When he learned that the jewelry he designed had been used by Rachel Saintclair, he thought someone was playing a joke on him.
After confirming it was her, he tossed and turned restlessly at night for countless times, desperately eager to see her. Nevertheless, when he finally saw her in person, he discovered that the accusations and hatred pent up in his heart didn't know how to surface.
He arrived at the private room earlier than Rachel Saintclair. While exchanging greetings and pleasantries with the others, his heart remained in turmoil. He constantly had a feeling that she would push the door open at any moment.
Every time someone pushed the door open, Henry Edwards' heart would tighten abruptly. When he saw that it wasn't her, although the tension in his heart eased, a trace of disappointment would well up inside him.
He shouldn't have such emotions. He was supposed to hate her. How could he be looking forward to seeing her face?
Henry Edwards could no longer endure the emotional ups and downs brought about by each door - opening. Eventually, he made up an excuse to leave first. Ironically, his excuse was also to go to the restroom.
Henry Edwards witnessed Rachel Saintclair enter the restroom with his own eyes. The moment he saw her, shock filled his heart. It seemed both expected and unbelievable.
From the moment she went in, he had been waiting for her to come out.
What should he say to her? The woman in front of him clearly didn't expect to meet him in such a situation either. Her dazed expression was as cute as before. Her eyes were wide open, and her lips were slightly parted, making Henry Edwards unable to resist the urge to kiss her.
Damn it! Henry Edwards snapped out of his daze and secretly scolded himself for having such thoughts.
He should hate her!
But... at this moment, he just wanted to pretend that nothing had happened and leave.
It was ridiculous that he still wanted to love her and have her back by his side. He could even pretend that nothing had occurred. As long as she said she still had feelings for him, Henry Edwards could overlook everything.
These dozen or so steps seemed to take an eternity for Rachel Saintclair. Her heart was in a fierce battle. Looking at the complex emotions in Henry Edwards' eyes, she felt the same turmoil.
Many past memories, both sweet and sad, welled up in her heart and appeared before her eyes. She tried desperately to forget them but couldn't.
However, everything could never go back...
She forcefully suppressed the thoughts in her heart. Now, all Rachel Saintclair could do was...
"Long time no see." She lowered her eyes, and when she raised them again, she had regained her composure. Just like in front of Leonard Winston, she put on a disguise that even she herself was almost deceived by.
Rachel Saintclair tugged at the corners of her mouth, tilted her head slightly to make herself look more natural, and said in a relaxed tone as if she had just met an old friend. "When did you come back? You didn't even say anything. I was really startled when I saw your name. I thought it was just a coincidence."
Henry Edwards narrowed his eyes. The last bit of fantasy in his heart was completely shattered by Rachel Saintclair's casual attitude.
A layer of frost gradually covered his once - gentle eyes. When he spoke again, a hint of mockery appeared on his face. "I've been thinking about what you would say to me as the first words when we met again..."
Rachel Saintclair's heart clenched tightly. It was as if an invisible hand was kneading her heart hard, stabbing it repeatedly.
At that moment, the mockery on Henry Edwards' face, the indifference in his tone, and the flash of sadness in his eyes almost made Rachel Saintclair's disguise crumble instantly.
She secretly took a deep breath and tried her best to maintain the smile on her face. She had to hold on, keep this mask on, even if it looked extremely unnatural.
"I thought about many possibilities, but... I didn't expect it to be like this." Henry Edwards laughed and closed his eyes. Rachel Saintclair's calmness made him feel like a fool. Even just now when he saw her, he had been thinking about starting over with her.
He was still so eager to see her, so restless and at a loss because of the name "Rachel Saintclair". But she regarded him as an insignificant passer - by. Whether he was the down - and - out young man three years ago or the successful person he was now, it seemed that in Rachel Saintclair's eyes, nothing had changed.
Did she really love him?
Henry Edwards began to doubt. He wondered if the past memories had been distorted because of his wishful thinking, if the person in front of him had really appeared in his life, and if their hands and hearts had ever been closely intertwined.
Rachel Saintclair felt that breathing seemed no longer important. Her facial muscles ached from maintaining the smile for so long. "There are a lot of things you didn't expect. I, Rachel Saintclair, am not the kind of woman you can see through at a glance."
With that, she turned to leave. If she didn't go now, she was afraid that her barely - maintained disguise would completely collapse.
However, before she could take two steps, Henry Edwards grabbed her back and forcefully pushed her against the wall without any room for argument.
Rachel Saintclair's back hit the cold wall heavily. Just as she was about to get angry from the pain, she looked up and met Henry Edwards' deep eyes. At that moment, all the words got stuck on the tip of her tongue.
"... Why are you leaving? Why didn't you wait for me..." Henry Edwards' hoarse voice rang in her ear. At that moment, Rachel Saintclair's heart ached unbearably, and two lines of tears almost welled up in her eyes.
"No reason. I'm tired. I don't love you anymore."
"I don't believe it!"
"Believe it or not!" Rachel Saintclair interrupted him with a frown. "Henry Edwards, I'm not your possession. I have my freedom. Well, not to mention we were just boyfriend and girlfriend. Even if we were husband and wife, we could still get a divorce, right? Besides, I don't owe you anything."
Henry Edwards looked at her in disbelief. The Rachel Saintclair in his memory was definitely not like this. Shrewd, mean, unreasonable, so vulgar...
But...
"But... you owe me a heart."
Rachel Saintclair's mouth twitched a few times, and she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat.
Henry Edwards, the heart I owe you, I'm afraid I can never return it in this lifetime. I owe you so much that the only thing I can do is run away from you, stay as far away from you as possible. I can't make any other compensation.
Any compensation would be a great insult to you. If possible, I hope I'll never have any connection with you again in this life.
I hope you can forget me. Then, I'll be the only one who's unfortunate. It would be great to see you start anew. I should be happy seeing you happy.
Rachel Saintclair finally forced a ugly smile. "Mr. Henry, the great designer, really knows how to joke. The heart belongs to oneself. If it's taken away, one would die, right?"
"... Yes. After you left, I might as well have been dead."
Without Henry Edwards having to elaborate, Rachel Saintclair could fully imagine what he was like at that time. The two of them had been so tacit that they could understand each other's minds with just a glance, without the need for words. In the past, Camille Dubois had been very disdainful of this tacit understanding, saying that she would get goosebumps all over just by seeing the two of them being affectionate.
But now, when thinking about this tacit understanding, it made one's heart ache.