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She seemed a lot less aggressive than at the wedding that day.
I didn't answer. Instead, I asked,
“How did you find me here? Did you track me down just to rub it in?”
Lina paused mid-sip of water and smiled at me.
“Sylvia, what if I said it wasn't on purpose? Would you believe me?”
Her eyes were a beautiful shape, deep and full of sincerity.
For some reason, Leo's ridiculous story popped into my head.
“She's not from this world.”
“She's here to complete a mission. If I don't marry her, she'll die in the most painful way in front of me.”
But I thought it must be a ridiculous excuse Leo made up to justify betraying me.
I looked at Lina coldly.
“Does it matter if it was on purpose or not?”
“I asked you to eat with me because I'm curious.”
“How could someone you've known for less than half a year come between a relationship that lasted over eight years?”
“But now I understand. Maybe Leo's feelings for me had already changed, and you showed up at just the right time.”
“So things naturally developed between you.”
I smiled bitterly, “I'm dying.”
“You can become his real girlfriend. You can become his real wife.”
Lina's face didn't show any trace of shock I expected. She just looked at me calmly.
“But the doctor said your illness isn't terminal.”
“Sylvia, your life isn't just about Leo. You have yourself.”
Lina stood up slowly, her eyes complex as she looked at me.
“Just because you lost someone like him, are you really going to give up on yourself?”
“What if you lived for yourself, just once?”
After saying that, she pushed open the door to leave.
Her words reminded me of those texts from the unknown number.
Suddenly, I connected her to that stranger.
So the moment she stepped out, I urgently asked,
“Was it you? The one who texted me?”
Lina paused, her back to me, silent.
In the end, she didn't give me an answer and just walked away.
On the way home, I reread the texts from that stranger.
If it really was Lina, why would she care about me?
She really did marry Leo. She really did come between us.
Why would she encourage me to keep going?
But if it wasn't her, why would she seek me out from so far away? And why would she say things so similar to that stranger?
It became a huge mystery swirling around me.
Just as I decided to call the unknown number to see if it was really Lina, another unknown number called, interrupting my thoughts.
“Hello…”
“You sold the apartment?” Before I could even finish, Leo's voice came through the receiver.
I was stunned for a second, then replied coldly,
“The apartment was transferred to me. Whether I sell it or smash it, it's none of your business, right?”
“Sylvia, is that how you talk to me?”
That made me even angrier.
“Leo, we broke up. Stop f**king bothering me!”
Seemingly shocked by my outburst, Leo went silent.
Just as I was about to hang up, he suddenly asked,
“When did I agree to break up?”
“Sylvia, can you stop this? You know how busy I am every day —”
“Shut up! You're annoying! I don't want to hear another word from you!”
I hung up without hesitation and blocked the number.
