Where Love Lingered, Hatred Burnt

Louisa struck Rebecca hard across the face. However, Rebecca didn’t get angry. Instead, she smirked and leaned close to Louisa’s ear, whispering something. It made Louisa’s face go pale in shock.

The next moment, Rebecca threw her lighter onto the exposed electrical wires.

Sparks burst out as the flames spread quickly through the flowers and vines. When Simon saw the fire, he rushed in, ignoring the servants trying to hold him back. He grabbed Rebecca, who was closest to him and turned to run.

Louisa opened her mouth to call out to him, but sharp pieces of falling glass stabbed into her back before she could. She couldn’t help but wail painfully. Then, a loud explosion erupted. The blast sent her flying, hitting the ground hard in the yard.

Simon ran out carrying Rebecca. Once he was safe, he realized Louisa wasn’t with them. He turned to go back, but Rebecca clutched his arm as she cried pitifully.

“Simon, it hurts so much! My leg might be broken … ”

Simon looked down at her. After a brief pause, he made a decision. He scooped her up and ran toward the car.

“We’ll get you to the hospital first!” he said urgently.

Then, he ordered the driver, “Take Louisa to the hospital too.”

Simon didn’t notice Louisa lying on the ground, trembling in pain.

Firefighters arrived soon after and put out the flames. Louisa was lifted into an ambulance, treated with simple bandages and sent home alone.

Moving like a ghost, she packed her luggage into the car, picked up Micah’s urn and drove to the cemetery. She buried him quietly beside their parents. When it was done, she didn’t look back. She went straight to the airport and boarded a plane to Boston.

At the hospital, Simon waited, expecting Louisa to arrive, but she never came. He questioned the driver, who told him she had been taken away by ambulance earlier. Simon reached for his phone to call her, but Rebecca caught his hand gently and spoke in a soft, coaxing tone.

“Simon, it means Louisa wasn’t badly hurt if she isn’t here. Didn’t she say she was going on a trip? Maybe she’s already on her way now.”

Simon said nothing. A heavy, uneasy feeling filled his chest. When his phone rang, he quickly answered, thinking it was Louisa. But it was only the bridal shop.

Rebecca leaned against him and acted spoiled, her voice sweet as she said, “Simon, we’re getting married tomorrow. I don’t want my mom to have any regrets. Can you just stay with me for these two days?”

Simon let out a deep sigh. Then, he texted his assistant.

[Light a sky lantern and take a picture of the diamond. Send it to Louisa’s favorite jewelry store and have them make a ring. After that, he ordered his assistant to find the best wedding planner for a proposal.]

After sending the message, he finally felt calmer and turned off his phone. The next day, Simon kept all news about the wedding completely secret. But that same day, Boston was buzzing with gossip about Mr. Perkins, who was said to be preparing a grand wedding. No one knew who the bride was.

On the way to the wedding manor, Simon overheard people talking excitedly.

“I heard Mr. Perkins spent billions on this wedding! He even shipped over furniture and decorations from New York and dozens of boxes of rare New York roses. He said the bride is used to living there, so he wanted to make Boston feel like home.”

“Then the bride must be from New York too. Mr. Perkins must really love her!”

Simon’s heart tightened and Louisa’s face flashed in his mind again and again.

The ceremony started. Simon held Rebecca’s hand and walked toward the priest. Her mother and the guests gave their blessings, but Simon felt nothing but emptiness inside. All he wanted was for it to end.

As soon as the ceremony was done, he turned to leave. Rebecca grabbed his hand as she kept blinking her eyes in uncertainty.

“Simon, where are you going?”

Simon pulled his hand away and looked at her coldly as he said, “I’ve fulfilled my duty by being here. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other.”

With that, Simon walked away and pulled out his phone. He wanted to call Louisa to find out where she was. But to his shock, he realized she had blocked him. Every message showed only red exclamation marks.

What he didn’t know was that at the exact moment he and Rebecca exchanged rings, Hugo Perkins from Boston had approached Louisa, offering her a pair of priceless heirloom rings.