Pa—

A very loud sound.

Though she couldn’t see, Scarlett Yates swung her hand down, and the slap landed accurately on Maxwell Saxon’s face.

She had concentrated all her anger into that slap.

The more wronged she felt, the harder the slap landed.

As soon as the slap went down, Maxwell Saxon could taste blood in his mouth.

"Maxwell Saxon, you bastard!" Scarlett Yates cursed through gritted teeth after hitting him.

She had been crying so hard that her voice was hoarse, and her tone still carried a sob.

Maxwell Saxon gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, bitterly smiling, said, "Yes, I’m a bastard."

Half of his face stung with pain, and after that slap, his mind was clearer, even the slight drunkenness was completely gone.

"I’ll just assume you were drunk and acting crazy, Maxwell Saxon, and I’ll say it again, up until now I don’t hate you, but if you keep making irrational moves, I really will hate you, and I don’t want that day to come."

"If you truly care about the girl I was back then, please respect my choice. I like Matthew Saxon, and being with him makes me happy. In my heart, I’ve considered you a friend, and I hope we can continue to be friends. But since you and Matthew Saxon are rivals, I can’t be friends with you."

"I’ve said it before, I can’t ignore how he feels."

"Also, I’ve never thought of you as a failure, nor have I looked down on you because of it. On this, you really misunderstood me."

"I should go now."

Silence...

The dark room fell into a deathly silence. Maxwell Saxon lay still, eyes open, staring at the ceiling above him.

In fact, he couldn’t see anything, surrounded by darkness. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

In his ears, Scarlett Yates’ words replayed over and over.

She said, I like Matthew Saxon, and being with him makes me happy.

Those words echoed in his ears a dozen times, each time thinking of them brought pain.

The pain was like a knife twisting in his heart.

"Maxwell Saxon, do you truly like me, or is it that you can’t let go of that memory? Do you like the current Scarlett Yates, or the little girl in your memories? This, I think even you haven’t figured out. The biggest difference between you and Matthew Saxon is that at least I can be sure he likes the current me, not some memory."

After saying that, Scarlett Yates pushed the door open and walked out.

Maxwell Saxon remained in the same position, unmoving.

He only moved when he heard the door closing again, and then slowly, slowly sat up from the bed.

This time, it truly was deathly silent; the room was left with only him.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air, the scent of Scarlett Yates.

"Maxwell Saxon, do you truly like the current Scarlett Yates, or the little girl in your memories? This, I think even you haven’t figured out."

Maxwell Saxon silently repeated these words in his heart, a wry smile formed on his lips as he slowly closed his eyes.

Scarlett Yates didn’t wrong him.

He had asked himself this question many times, and even now, he couldn’t find an answer.

He also knew Scarlett Yates was no longer the same as before.

The little girl who used to sweetly call him brother had grown up and changed.