After only a few seconds of shock, Cassia remembered. She had told Vivienne these words herself.

Back then, she had been full of hope, simply wanting to share her feelings with a friend.

She never imagined that the friend who had listened with a silent smile was a thief.

Cassia’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

For a moment, she wanted to storm over there and demand to know why Vivienne would do this.

Even if she had already given up on this love, her past was still an indelible part of her.

How could Vivienne steal even her most personal feelings about her own life?!

Cassia was trembling with such rage that her hands shook at her sides.

Over there, after hearing Vivienne's speech, Damian’s eyes were filled with a soft, tender affection. “Vivienne, you are also everything I could ever want.”

Cassia couldn’t stand it for another second. Every inch of air in this place felt like it was crushing her.

She strode into the restroom, leaning against the door and taking deep, shuddering breaths.

“Calm down, calm down… All this love and hate, I shouldn’t care about it anymore…”

Cassia tried to soothe herself, to find a state of complete peace.

But in the end, her eyes still stung with unshed tears.

She slid down the door and curled into a ball, pressing hard against her heart, as if only this physical pressure could offer a moment’s relief from the ache.

A long time later, Cassia finally composed herself and walked back out.

But when she returned to the fitting room, Damian and Vivienne were long gone.

She asked a sales associate, who looked at her, surprised. “Mr. Blackwood and Ms. Thorne left about half an hour ago.”

Cassia was silent for a moment, then nodded her thanks and walked out of the shop.

It was no surprise. Ever since she was a child, she had always been the one left behind.

She had understood long ago that Damian taking her in was only temporary. She would have to leave sooner or later.

So there was nothing to be sad about. Even if the whole world abandoned her, she still had herself.

Besides, she had so many people who loved her.

Her father, her mother, Uncle Don…

Suddenly, a downpour began.

The people around her scurried for shelter, but Cassia walked alone in the rain, a solitary figure moving against the tide.

She didn't know how long she had been walking when a tall figure suddenly blocked her path.

Before she could even look up, a harsh reprimand rained down on her. “Cassia, who are you putting on this pathetic show for? So I didn’t take you with us, you couldn’t call a cab for yourself?!”

Cassia froze, lifting her eyes. It took her a moment to realize she had walked all the way back to the townhouse.

Damian stood before her, holding an umbrella, his face an unreadable mix of anger and worried tension.

He pulled her into the living room, yelled for the butler to bring a towel, and then called the family doctor.

“Go take a hot shower, now! Don’t tell me you need someone to bathe you too!”

Cassia shook her head and, wrapped in a towel, went into the bathroom.

After the hot shower, her thoughts cleared a little, but her head grew heavier and heavier.

The moment she stepped out of the bathroom, she pitched forward and collapsed onto the floor.

“Cassia!”

Just before her consciousness faded completely, she heard Damian’s panicked voice.

…

When she woke up again, Cassia was in her own room.

The decor hadn't been completely changed yet, but the curtains were now a somber gray.

Surprisingly, Damian was sitting by her bed.

Seeing her awake, he handed her a glass of water. “You’re up. Wet your throat.”

Cassia took a sip from his hand, then heard him say, “You should thank these prayer beads. They truly kept you safe. You were clutching them the whole time you were unconscious. That’s why the fever broke so quickly.”

Cassia was taken aback. She looked down.

She was indeed holding a string of prayer beads, but it was the one her mother had given her.

This time, it was her mother who was watching over her.

But Damian hadn't noticed that it wasn't the string he had prayed for, nor had he noticed that the curtains in her room had changed color.

Should she be relieved, or should she laugh at the irony?

Cassia said nothing, simply lying back down.

Damian put the glass down, looking as if he didn't want to stay with her any longer. “If you need anything else, call the butler. I have to plan the wedding.”

With that, he got up and left.

Cassia watched him close the door, then picked up her phone to check the time.

She hadn't realized that in her feverish state, drifting in and out of sleep, two whole days had passed.

There were only 10 days left until she was gone.

She paused, opening her social media feed to find some gossip to distract herself.

But the moment she did, the top trending topic, in bold red letters, screamed at her—

【Paparazzi Catch Rising Star Vivienne Thorne in Passionate Kiss in Parking Garage. When Interviewed, Fiancé Damian Blackwood Claims the Woman is NOT Vivienne Thorne, but His ‘Niece’ Cassia Shaw, Who Lives With Him!】