He Stood at Memory's End

After the meal, Harry was completely drunk.

Their relatives and friends were worried about them going back in such a state, so they asked them to stay.

Celine called the housekeeper to help him back to a room. After washing up, she turned off the lights in the bedroom and only left the one beside the bed on.

After a while, Harry opened his eyes drowsily and reached out to hold her in his arms. "Juniper, you came back for me, right?"

Celine froze completely, but she did not tell him that he had mistaken her for someone else. She paused for a long time before asking in reply, "What about you? Who did you get drunk for today?"

"It's you, Juniper. It's only you. Don't you understand?"

Although she had already expected the outcome, hearing it with her own ears still caused her agony. She finally understood why those who buy alcohol to drown their sorrows would pretend never to drink liquor in front of her. It was because he was afraid of revealing his true feelings, like he did today, and was afraid of being discovered by her.

She clutched her hands tightly and could not breathe. She had no choice but to break free from his embrace.

She sat in the bathroom for two hours before calming down.

When she came out again, Harry was no longer in bed.

Celine opened the bedroom door and saw the voice-controlled light on the balcony turn off. She walked silently over and saw through the window Harry and Juniper standing outside.

The darkness concealed his expression, but Celine could hear his suppressed voice. "Didn't you tell me yesterday you weren't going back to Euronia? Why did you change your mind today?"

"What about you? Why did you marry Celine without telling me?"

Hearing Juniper's calm tone, Harry felt his fury burning brighter. His remaining rationality crumbled instantly, and he gripped Juniper's hand. "Don't you know why I married her? She looks so much like you, and she's your blood relative. Only by being with her can I see you openly! Instead of flying to Palto and waiting downstairs alone for dozens of hours just to sneak a glimpse of you, like what happened a few days ago!"

It turned out he had gone to Paris for Juniper, which was why he had not answered a single phone call.

Celine was terribly shocked, and her fingers dug deeply into her palm.

Juniper had not expected him to come up with such a plan and murmured, "You're insane!"

"I am insane! I've been insane since the day you insisted on breaking up with me, don't you know? I want you by my side. Even a substitute who looks like you is enough for me to cherish for the rest of my life!"

His unvented pain stunned Juniper. After a long silence, she finally managed to squeeze out an equally agonizing reply. "Harry, what do you take Celine for? You've been married for three years. She's even pregnant with your baby. Don't you feel anything for her?"

Harry laughed immediately. "Juniper, she's just a substitute. How do you expect me to feel anything? Even if I did, all I can think about is you when I look at her face that looks like yours!

"Celine and I are having a baby soon. I've already chosen a name—Harper Slate. It's a combination of our names. This way, we'll be together forever!"

Hearing that, a chill ran through Celine, and her tears could not help but stream down.

Harper Slate. What a good name.

She closed her eyes, recalling his insatiable behavior in bed after their marriage and his nervous attitude during her pregnancy. She bit her lip hard, swallowing the desperate cries of pain.

Having exhausted her last bit of strength, she leaned against the wall. Her steps faltered as she turned away.

The sounds of their argument faded. Before the bedroom door closed, she heard Juniper ask, "Aren't you afraid Celine will find out the truth?"

Harry said, "She'll never know. Even if she did, she loves me so much that she'll never leave!"

Never?

Celine touched her flat belly and showed a bitter smile. She would personally smash the cage he built and fly toward the sky of freedom, never looking back.

Harry did not return that night.

Celine got up at daybreak. Without disturbing anyone, she went home alone and completed her immigration procedures with her documents.

Just as she finished, she received a call from Juniper. "Celine, could you come with me to the cemetery today? I want to pay my respects to your father and also visit my sister's grave."

Celine's mother passed away a long time ago, so she had little contact with her maternal grandmother's side of the family. Although she and Juniper were only five years apart, they were not particularly close. However, since Juniper was going to pay her respects to her parents, Celine could only agree.

She bought a bouquet. She saw a sports car parked not far away as soon as she arrived at the cemetery entrance.

It was Harry. He saw her and immediately got out of the car. He walked to her side. "Why didn't you let me accompany you to the cemetery?"