I had been with Lucas for ten years. I tattooed his favorite jasmine flower on my collarbone. He finally agreed to marry me, but he was keeping an 18-year-old girl on the side. Before the wedding, he indulged in a countdown to breaking up with her. He went bungee jumping with her, skiing, and watching the Northern Lights in Iceland. But he didn’t know that I didn’t have much time left. I booked a flight to leave the country, donated all his assets, and removed the tattoo. While he was counting down the days to our wedding, I was planning my escape from him. On the day I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, the young girl Lucas was keeping on the side came to find me. “I know I’m the other woman,” she began, her sincerity terrifying. She bit her lip, “Sister, I know you’re getting married soon, but—” “Lucas doesn’t love you anymore.” “I’ve been with him for a year. We’ve slept together 78 times, 53 times in hotels, 21 times at my place.” “And four times at your house, in your bed.” She looked at me directly, “If Lucas still loved you, I wouldn’t exist.” I found it amusing. I lit a cigarette and looked at her through the smoke, “Anything else? Go on.” So she took out her phone and played a video for me. The angle was discreet, as if secretly recorded. The girl was crying in Lucas’s arms, “Even if you’re marrying her out of responsibility, can’t you not let me go?” Lucas pushed her away and threw a credit card at her, “Find a stable man. Being with me isn’t good either, it’s too dangerous.” “No!” She clung to his waist, pouting, “I’m not afraid of danger.” “Can’t you not let me go?” “Lucas, I won’t be a burden to you, I absolutely won’t.” Lucas paused. His gaze swept over her face, momentarily lost. Then he leaned in to kiss her.
I stubbed out my cigarette. The young girl had just turned eighteen, her face full of collagen, truly innocent. And, the moment I saw her, I knew. She looked a lot like me. Very much like Aria at eighteen. “You’re right about one thing. If Lucas still loved me, you wouldn’t exist.” I stood up, my abdomen actually hurting a bit. I leaned on the table for support, not showing it. “But I advise you not to get in too deep. Lucas doesn’t love you, nor does he love me.” “He only loves the Aria in his memories.” The pure, beautiful Aria who died on the path of helping him rise to power. “In a few years, he’ll find a new replacement. By then, you’ll be worse off than me.” Actually, I was lying to her. I was about to die, how could she possibly be worse off than me? At most, she’d just be dumped when Lucas got bored of her.
I had been with Lucas since I was eighteen. I grew up without parents, and the grandmother who raised me passed away when I was fifteen. That’s when Lucas appeared. He pursued me intensely. Spending money like crazy, as if he wanted to offer me the best of everything in the world. Lucas was handsome and gave me a sense of security. I fell for him quickly. On my nineteenth birthday, he coaxed me into my first time. That night. From pain to ecstasy. I became completely one with him. The next day, Lucas took me to meet his group of brothers. I had never been in such a situation before, timidly clinging to Lucas’s sleeve, softly greeting people with him. Their gazes as they sized me up were full of mockery. “Lucas, why did you find such a young girl?” “She’s too innocent, she’ll hold you back.” At that time, I didn’t know what they meant by “hold you back”. I couldn’t help but retort quietly, “I won’t.” “I won’t be a burden to Lucas.” Definitely not. But later, as I gradually became exposed to Lucas’s environment, I understood what kind of life he was living. It could be described as dancing on the edge of a knife. To avoid holding Lucas back, to be able to stand by his side, I had to force myself to fit into that environment. Ten years. I cut my hair short, dyed it, started smoking, got tattoos. Even accumulated countless scars on my body. Because I was tough enough, I accompanied Lucas to climb to the position of second-in-command of the underground forces in the north of the city. But Lucas didn’t seem happy. Countless nights. He would hold me in his arms, his fingers brushing over the scars on my body, then leaning in to kiss them. “Aria.” He buried his face in my chest and sighed, “I still prefer the you from back then.” And I would always pause before pushing him away and lighting a cigarette. Laughing and cursing, “Lucas, you’re really ungrateful when you say that.”
Lucas came home at dawn. I was lying in bed, actually not asleep. Just staring into the darkness with open eyes. Until Lucas pulled me into his arms. “Not asleep yet?” He leaned down to kiss me but missed. After a moment’s pause, he suppressed his temper and hugged me, “Who upset you? I’ll go cut them down, okay?” “Lucas.” “Mm.” The room was so dark I couldn’t see his face. But I could smell the jasmine scent on him. “Let’s break up.” Lucas’s movements froze, then he let go and lay down beside me, “What’s wrong now?” He impatiently pressed his brow, “You’re not a little girl anymore, why are you being so dramatic?” “What break up,” he laughed, “Aria, you’re not young anymore. Who would marry a wife who smokes, drinks, has tattoos, and is tougher than a man?” My chest ached. I pressed hard on my heart, but couldn’t suppress the fine pain. Last year when my arm was stitched, I was allergic to anesthesia. Twelve stitches, sewn raw, I didn’t make a sound. But Lucas’s few words of drunken truth made my eyes red. “Lucas,” I couldn’t help but want to ask him, “If I had a terminal illness, would you…” “Aria.” He interrupted me, his brow furrowed with impatience, “Stop asking such boring questions.” “If you really had a terminal illness, I’d accompany you in suicide, okay?” He pressed his brow, “I’m busy with the wedding and business lately, I don’t have the energy to humor you. Don’t act up.” As he spoke, his phone suddenly rang. Lucas irritably hung up. But the other party called again. After this back and forth a few times, Lucas got out of bed with the phone, “Speak.” A girl’s crying came through the receiver, not very clear. Lucas cursed, “F*cking troublesome.” Despite calling it trouble, he still hurriedly left. “There’s a problem with business, I’m going to deal with it.” “You go to sleep early, don’t wait for me.”
My wedding with Lucas was set for the third day of next month. A simple wedding. I never told Lucas about my illness. Terminal stage, basically incurable. I also never told Lucas that I had no intention of marrying him at all. I could accept everything about Lucas. Except betrayal. Just thinking about him holding another woman in his arms, kissing her brow and eyes, searching for traces of my younger self in her, made my stomach churn. Utterly nauseating. I had been with Lucas since I was eighteen, exactly ten years now. Now, the doctor said I only had about half a year left to live. By that calculation, I had wasted nearly half my life on him. For the little time I had left. I just wanted to be Aria. I booked a flight out of the country, wanting to see the world I loved but had never seen while I still had the strength. And the flight was also set for the third day of next month.
Early in the morning, I crossed off another day on the calendar. Ten days left until I leave the country. I heard the door open behind me. Lucas came in wrapped in wind and snow, took off his coat, and came over to hug me. He still didn’t like my short hair. His gaze followed mine to the calendar, Lucas looked at the heavily circled date of the third next month and laughed, gently pinching my face, “Can’t wait to marry me?” He counted, “Ten more days.” He buried his face in my neck, “I’ll make time these two days to dye your hair back to black with you, and get some hair extensions?” “You’ll be beautiful at the wedding.” “No need.” I looked at the calendar expressionlessly, “Not many days left.” “Short hair is fine too.” Lucas was silent for a while, “Mm.” He let go of me and picked up the coat draped over the chair, “There’s a lot to do for the wedding, and Old Three’s place was just trashed yesterday. I’m busy lately, I won’t be coming back for now.” Lucas stared at me as he spoke. As if waiting for me to give in. Waiting for me to say okay, come with me to dye my hair, to get long hair extensions. But I just looked back at him coldly. “Go then.” “After all, only ten days left.” Lucas said nothing, turned and stepped into the night. Never looking back.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296419”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic
Leave a Reply