“I know you’d be here,” William said.

Rachel was very glad she had brought Cecilia over. If William had shown up and she hadn’t, it would’ve stirred up another storm for sure.

She looked at the roses in his hand with a puzzled expression. “What made you think of bringing roses?”

“Did you forget? Our anniversary is in a couple of days. I know it’s not the actual day yet, but I wanted to surprise you a little early. And this isn’t all. I have more planned. This is just the appetizer.”

William held the bouquet out to her. Rachel paused for a moment before reaching out to take it. There was no spark of excitement in her chest and none of that giddy feeling of receiving a gift from someone she loved. Her mood was strangely calm. She accepted the roses with a blank expression.

“Thanks.”

“There’s more. Come here.”

He led her to stand in front of the television. He plugged in a USB drive and brought a video up on the screen.

It was Rachel in her college uniform, with her earphones in as she memorized vocab. Suddenly, a group of classmates swarmed in from behind. A girl tugged on her arm.

“Rachel, come on! They’re about to pull a prank!”

Rachel hadn’t even reacted yet when some boys dragged her forward. A few others pushed William toward her from the other side. Their classmates crowded around, squeezing the two of them together, and one of the guys playfully shoved William’s head toward Rachel’s face.

Everyone started chanting.

“Kiss! Kiss!”

Caught in the chaos, Rachel had no way to escape. Her cheeks burned red, and before she could even think, their lips met in the middle of all the shouting.

“They kissed! They kissed!”

No one knew how she had really felt at that moment. Nobody knew how excited she had been and how it had stirred something unfamiliar in her heart. It was that hazy, fluttery feeling of youthful romance.

But now, watching it all again, those memories only seemed to mock her. They mocked her for how foolishly in love she’d once been, how blind she had been to fall so hard for a man who would eventually cause her so much pain and even leave her deaf in one ear.

Rachel stared blankly at the screen.

William was lost in nostalgia. A gentle smile appeared on his face. He was completely immersed in the moment.

He pulled Rachel into his arms. His eyes were full of what looked like tender affection.

“Rachel, see? This is proof that we were once deeply in love.”

Seeing the emotion in William’s eyes, all Rachel felt was a chill creeping down her spine. She didn’t know how he managed to still act like this. How could he perform this role of a devoted lover so convincingly?

She didn’t want to respond. She wasn’t as good an actor as he was; in fact, she didn’t even want to play along anymore.

But she was leaving soon. She couldn’t afford to let William suspect a thing.

Chapter 253

She clenched her fists and pressed her nails hard into her palms. Only pain could keep her mind clear. Otherwise, she might really lose control and smash those roses right into William’s face.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Then, she put on a strained smile.

“Yeah. These are all memories of the past. When did you even get someone to film this? I had no idea.”

Still swept up in his feelings, William didn’t notice the subtle change in Rachel’s expression. “Ever since we got together, I had someone record all our little moments. I’ve kept everything, been saving it for a day like this. And when we make it to our next seven years, I’ll show you them all.”

Rachel fell silent.

William had no idea that their relationship was about to come to an end. There wouldn’t be another seven years, and that ending was entirely his doing.

He’d have to live with the consequences.

Chapter 254