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360words
but as the eldest daughter, my dowry had still been generous.
I withdrew a considerable sum and gave it to my uncle.
[Next time I come back, I want a clean, quiet courtyard. the fewer people who know about it, the better.]
My uncle grinned from ear to ear, nodded immediately, and didn't ask any more questions.
Not because he was considerate — he simply didn’t care enough to be curious. When I returned , I headed straight to the hospital .
First, I went to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for a series of examinations, they told me the baby was developing well.
Then came Neurology — the place I feared the most.
When I walked out of the hospital, I curled up in the car and cried in silence.
Meanwhile, Lily’s latest WeChat post showed her surrounded by bright smiles My joys and sorrows were only cared about by myself.
I thought maybe — it was time to say a proper goodbye to Ethan. I didn't get home until nine that night and didn't receive a single message or call from Ethan.
Just as I reached for the keypad , the door opened from the inside. It was Ethan.
"Back, “he said flatly, without emotion. My eyes immediately fell on the ashtray — piled high with cigarette butts.
A chill ran through me. The window was open, the air purifier on — no wonder the smell was gone.
Ethan wasn’t a heavy smoker. He only chain-smoked when he was restless — or panicking.
"Why are there sticky notes everywhere? What are you trying to pull this time ?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but my mind went completely blank.
What was I doing? I couldn’t remember. I didn’t even know where the sticky notes had come from.
“Sticky notes?” I echoed blankly.
Ethan sneered. “If you're not insane, you’re faking it ."
Yes, Ethan, I remember that I was indeed sick.
You frustrated me so much, you triggered the very memory I’d been trying to hold onto — why I wrote those notes in the first place.
