Chapter 3 I Can Only Choose to Let You Down

The man straightened up, slowly raising his hand to remove the eagle mask that covered half his face.

Beneath the cold mask was a strikingly handsome face, with sharp features that drew attention...

Unfortunately, Laura was already fast asleep by then. So, she missed the sight of that unforgettable face.

Laura slept deeply for a long time. It wasn't until the morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, glaringly bright, that she slowly opened her eyes, a bit dazed as she looked around.

"Ah..."

The fragments of her memory began to piece together. Last night's events rushed back like a tide—the man with the mysterious mask, exuding an aura of "don't mess with me."

Laura sat up abruptly, only to feel a wave of soreness and pain that made her groan.

She looked down at herself, seeing red and purple marks on her shoulders and chest, remnants of the previous night's passion.

Tears fell silently, landing on the blanket and disappearing instantly.

Well, she had finally become a real woman, hadn't she?

These few tears were her way of saying goodbye to the innocent girl she once was...

The sad part was, her girlhood had ended at the hands of a man whose face she didn't know, whose voice she couldn't recall, only knowing his cold demeanor!

Was the face beneath the eagle mask angelic or demonic?

But none of that mattered to her anymore.

In ten days, they would go their separate ways. They might never cross paths again in this lifetime.

So, let last night be a thing of the past. Just a nightmare she never wanted to revisit.

But Laura knew in her heart that this nightmare had actually begun three nights ago.

Three nights ago, in the Midtown Gardens neighborhood.

Under the moonlight, a young woman stood by the window on the third floor of Building 17, looking out with a sorrowful gaze.

The woman, about twenty-one or twenty-two, wore a light blue camisole nightgown. Her figure was as perfect as the horizon at sunrise, breathtakingly beautiful.

Her skin, accentuated by the nightgown, looked flawless.

Her neck was slender, shoulders rounded, chest high, waist slim, hips curvy, and legs long, making her unforgettable.

What was even more captivating was her noble yet fresh aura, like a mountain spring, commanding respect and warding off any ill thoughts.

This window belonged to the Harvey family. The woman was Laura Harvey, their adopted daughter.

Soon, her phone rang, and Laura withdrew her gaze, answering the call.

"Hello? Alexander?"

Just those few words, her voice was so melodious, more beautiful than the ringtone, outshining even the clearest songbird in the forest.

It seemed only such a beautiful woman could have such a lovely voice.

"Laura, have you really decided? To marry a man you don't love, just to repay a debt? To give up on us?" Alexander's voice on the other end was initially silent, then spoke softly but heavily.

Laura listened, saying nothing, only her hand holding the phone trembled slightly. The turmoil and pain in her heart were unmistakable.

"You know I have no choice. The Harvey family raised me for twenty years. This debt is heavier than a mountain. How can I not repay it?"

After a while, she steadied her emotions, her voice calm but tinged with helplessness.

"But there are other ways to repay a debt. You don't have to marry him!" The man on the other end suddenly became agitated, shouting into the phone.

"The Harvey family raised you for twenty years. But from the start, they wanted you to be their daughter-in-law, didn't they? Laura, you used to be so independent and strong. Why are you giving in this time?"

His voice was so loud it nearly deafened Laura. She had to hold the phone away.

When he calmed down a bit, Laura gave a bitter smile and slowly said, "Alexander, I'm sorry... I really have no choice. Uncle and Aunt knelt before me to make me marry William. How can I resist that kind of pressure?"

"Laura..."

"So, I'm sorry, Alexander. I can only choose to let you down." Laura's lips curled into a bitter smile, like frost in winter.

Then, two tears silently slid down her flower-like cheeks, quietly soaking into her light blue nightgown. "Bury our feelings forever. In this life, we are destined to be mere passersby in each other's lives. Goodbye!"

Before the words were fully spoken, accompanied by the busy tone from the other end, Laura decisively pressed the end button.

She slowly closed her eyes, letting the tears flow freely, as if to wash away all the reluctance and helplessness.

Alexander, I'm sorry, forgive my weakness... Five years of love couldn't outweigh the heavy debt of gratitude!

Uncle and Aunt raised me for twenty years, insisting on no repayment.

Their only request was for me to marry their son, William Smith.

No matter how I pleaded, how I cried that I didn't love their son, nothing changed.

In the end, they even knelt before me. At that moment, my heart shattered, filled with bitterness.

I knew I couldn't refuse them.

If time could turn back, I would rather they had never adopted me!

Crying silently until the tears dried up, Laura slowly opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and turned away from the window.

Soon, the gentle blue light in the room quietly went out.

Perhaps she chose to sleep early. Only in her dreams could she find a place where she hadn't made the wrong choice and wouldn't be let down.

Under the moonlight, not everything was beautiful.

In the places where the moonlight couldn't reach, bad things were always happening quietly, like sneaky little bugs, doing things that couldn't be seen.

"Look... what do you think of her?"

Across from Building 17, in the dark window of the third floor, nothing could be seen.

In the pitch-black darkness, a flash of light, like a camera flash, suddenly appeared. Then, a man's voice emerged.