Chapter 19
Ernest squatted on the ground, frantically rummaging through the pile of trash.
Dominic, who had hurried over, was stunned by the sight. The high–and–mighty Ernest Gilmore had never lost his composure like this before.
A pair of couple slippers, their photographs, the scarf Ivana had knitted for him and, their matching rings, bought with the money Ivana earned from selling her first cake. Their names were engraved
on the inside.
Holding the photo and the ring, Ernest’s body trembled slightly. His gaze was filled with shock and pain as he choked out, “Where … where did this come from?”
The girl next door, startled by Ernest’s intense demeanor, stammered, “It … it was from a young woman who lives there previously. She… she said she moved out
35% 09-53
1/5
Chapter 19
and didn’t want these anymore.”
Ernest turned, storming back inside and dragged Sydney out by her hair. He hauled her to the doorway and forced her in front of the girl.
“Was it her?” Ernest pointed at Sydney, who was slumped on the floor, her face imprinted with finger marks.
“The girl trembled with fear, but after carefully looking, she shook her head, “N- no, it wasn’t her. That woman didn’t have such big eyes and her hair was shorter.”
“Was it her?” Ernest unlocked his phone, showing her Ivana’s profile picture.
The girl nodded, “Yes, yes, it’s her.”
The light in Ernest’s eyes instantly went out, leaving behind only endless darkness. His chest felt impossibly tight. It wasn’t Sydney who had thrown these things away, it was Ivana herself. She had thrown them away… herself.
115 09:58
+
2/5
Chapter 19
The matching rings …Once, Ernest had accidentally dropped his ring down the drain while showering. He thought nothing of it and told Ivana to pick a new pair the next day.
But Ivana insisted on calling someone to dig through the entire drainage system that night, even disturbing people a few floors. below in the process. When she finally retrieved it, the ring was filthy, but she carefully and patiently cleaned it until it
shone.
“Ernest, this is our first pair of rings. They’re special, we can’t lose them. They mean we’ll always be together!” Her words and the radiant happiness on her face. echoed relentlessly in his mind.
Ivana… she really didn’t love him
anymore. She truly didn’t want him, she wanted to leave him. Every piece of
‘garbage‘ before him struck a chord with his overwhelming memories.
“Can I … can I have these? I’ll pay your
35 00:53
3/5
Chapter 19
whatever you want.” For the first time, Ernest seemed utterly humble.
“N–no, you don’t need to pay. You can just take them.” The girl, as if afraid of causing trouble, waved her hands and quickly ran inside to retrieve a heap of yet–unorganized belongings. “Everything’s here. I haven’t sorted through them yet,” said the girl.
“Thank you.” Ernest carefully packed the heap of things, which others would dismiss as trash. But still, he accidentally broke a cup. Half of a heart design shattered into several pieces on the ground.
In a panic, Ernest bent down to pick it up, only to cut his hand in the process. So, this is how much it hurts… At that moment, he thought of Ivana losing her toe. Suddenly, he realized how blind and foolish he had been, he was such a bastard.
Ernest personally packed every single item into his suitcase. By the time he arrived at the airport, his name was already being called. He sprinted to the gate, just barely
35 09:53
4/5
Chapter 19
catching the flight. Luckily… luckily, he made it.
***
When Ernest finally laid everything out on the hallway floor outside Ivana’s
apartment, like a street vendor displaying his wares, Ivana was only briefly surprised before returning to calm indifference..
“Ivana, I found it all. Everything. What happened before, it was my fault. I didn’t know how awful Sydney was. I’m sorry. Please, come back.” Ernest’s voice was full of sincerity, but this had nothing to do with Ivana anymore.
She said coldly, “Mr. Gilmore, putting all this on the ground like this will block people’s way.”
“Ivana, look! These are our rings. I found them. You said, ‘we’ll always be together…” he cried out.
+35 09:53
