Aunt Clare opened the door and was surprised to see Rebecca Quentin.
"Aunt Clare, I bought so many things for you." Carrying several bags, Becca smiled and entered the room.
Aunt Clare followed Becca into the room with a puzzled expression. "Aren’t you with Mr. Geoffrey?"
Becca put down the bags and sat on the sofa, panting. "I didn’t go to the US with him. He has to stay in T City for a while; he said a government project requires his personal attention."
Aunt Clare poured Becca a glass of water and asked curiously, "Why didn’t Mr. Geoffrey accompany you?"
Becca replied, "He has many meetings to attend today. I didn’t want to disturb his work, so I came back to chat with you."
Aunt Clare said with relief, "I’ve seen the news on TV. It seems he still intends to treat you well."
Becca sighed. "The truth is, I still don’t know much about him. But since I’ve decided to be with him, I will trust him wholeheartedly."
Aunt Clare nodded. "Trust is the most important thing between men and women. If there’s trust, getting along certainly won’t be a problem."
"By the way, Mr. Jones is also in T City. Did you know?"
Becca nodded slightly. "I’ve heard. It seems there’s been a problem with a project recently, and both Howard Geoffrey and Mr. Jones are in T City dealing with it."
"Mr. Jones came this morning."
Aunt Clare sighed faintly. "It’s rare for a young man like him to be willing to chat with an old woman like me. He sat here for a whole morning and only asked if you were alright, saying nothing else."
Feeling guilty, Becca asked, "Aunt Clare, how did he seem?"
Aunt Clare replied truthfully, "He seemed fine, but I could tell he misses you."
"I’m the one who let him down."
"It’s not entirely your fault for letting him down. From the start of your relationship, you said it was just a trial, and you didn’t accept his proposal. However, compared to Mr. Geoffrey, I’d still prefer to see you with Mr. Jones."
Becca shook her head slightly. "After returning from the island, even if I hadn’t chosen Howard Geoffrey, I couldn’t have continued with Mr. Jones. It would have been unfair to him."
"Only you know what’s truly best regarding your feelings. Since you’ve made your decision, try not to overthink it... By the way, when will Mr. Geoffrey come to pick you up?"
"Probably in the evening. He gets very busy with work."
"Alright then. I’ll go buy groceries and make you something delicious tonight."
Just a short while after Aunt Clare left, the doorbell rang.
Thinking Aunt Clare had forgotten something, Becca got up to open the door. However, she never imagined that Christine Quinn would be standing in her doorway.
Without waiting for Becca to speak, Christine asked, "May I come in and sit down?"
Becca hesitated for a second before nodding lightly. "Please come in."
They sat facing each other on the sofa. Christine began softly, "Are you happy to see me in such a sorry state?"
Becca looked at Christine. She had always been beautiful and proud, but today she seemed as if her soul had been drained. Becca said softly, "I’ve never taken pleasure in hurting others’ feelings. The reason you and Howard Geoffrey reached this point isn’t me; it’s because of the problems that already existed between you."
"You’re right. Howard Geoffrey and I broke up because of me... I didn’t cherish what we had. I have nothing to blame you for. So, I’m not here today to confront you. I’m here as your blood-related sister to remind you not to be blinded by your current love. Otherwise, when you eventually discover it’s all an illusion, you’ll have no way out."
"Although I don’t fully understand what you mean, I believe you... Please don’t worry. I’m not the same person I was at twenty. I’m always aware of what I’m doing, and I won’t let myself be trapped with no way out again."
Christine smiled bitterly. "You truly are smart and have a strong personality. No wonder so many people like you."
Becca sincerely said, "I hope you can find strength and move forward too."
"My life has been out of my control since the moment I was born. So, I’m not as lucky as you. I can’t find that strength, and I’ll never find happiness in this life."
Christine’s words carried a depth of sorrow Becca couldn’t comprehend, yet she could sense that Christine was speaking from the depths of her heart.