Chapter 15
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He slowly got out of the car and gently draped his coat over my shoulders: "It's getting chilly—you need to stay warm."
Seeing that I didn't speak, he asked in a low voice: "Worried about your brother?"
I nodded, unconsciously nestling into his embrace for warmth.
"I'm afraid my brother will get hurt. From the first day I met Lily, I felt like she was hiding behind some impenetrable mask."
Ethan Shaw took me to a nearby park.
He handed me a cup of hot coffee, remained silent for a moment, then said: "Ten years ago, I first met Lily Smith at a hospital..."
He told me that ten years ago, his older brother had a severe allergic reaction while driving and accidentally hit and killed a couple.
In their final moments, the couple shielded their young daughter with their bodies; the girl escaped with only minor injuries.
"That girl was Lily Smith. After her parents died, her aunt took her in, and our family paid substantial compensation. But two years later, my mother actually saw her digging through trash for food... Out of guilt, my mother brought her home."
As Ethan Shaw spoke, he cracked open a beer and took a long pull.
He gazed at the moon overhead, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"She had a gloomy personality and rarely spoke, so my mom arranged for therapists to counsel her. But I was different... Every time I saw her, I thought of my brother and that accident. Seeing how my parents gave her special treatment, I resented her and bullied her constantly."
"Until four years ago, when my parents handed the business over to me. With my newfound position, I clashed with Lily even more fiercely. She was stubborn as hell, and one night she simply packed her bags and left. I didn't go after her, but my mother tore me a new one."
Up to this point, he still hadn't mentioned any feelings for Lily Smith.
I couldn't help but start to doubt.
Could it be that I had misunderstood everything all along?
So I decided to ask him directly: "When exactly did you fall in love with her?"
Ethan Shaw looked at me in surprise, then reached out to ruffle my hair, smiling ruefully:
"What makes you so sure she's the one I'm interested in?"
