Chapter 3
Back then, Yvette was unaware that he had just gone through a breakup.
His first love, Yulianna Quesnel, had broken up with him to pursue further studies abroad and left without hesitation.
Yvette knew that she might be nothing more than a temporary fix for his emotional wounds, a substitute to fill the void in his life. Yet she agreed anyway.
She always believed that true love would be reciprocated.
For four years, she poured her heart and soul into loving him. She learned to cook his favorite dishes, learned to wait quietly for him when he worked overtime, and learned to accept everything about him.
She thought that her tender care would eventually warm his heart.
That was until Yulianna came back from abroad.
A month ago, Yulianna called tearfully, "Vernon, my dad is critically ill. I'm all alone at the hospital, and I'm so scared."
The look of panic and urgency on Vernon's face as he rushed to the hospital was something Yvette had never seen before.
From that moment on, everything changed.
He started returning home late with increasing frequency, and he always smelled of Yulianna's perfume. He would leave the house in the middle of the night because of a call from Yulianna. When Yvette pressed him for answers, he would say impatiently, "Can you stop being so sensitive?"
In his eyes, Yvette's constant anxiety had become nothing more than childish tantrums.
She had told herself countless times that he was only acting out of a sense of duty. That was until she saw that unsent picture post.
*****
Yvette walked to the curb, flagged down a taxi, and gave the driver the address of the home she shared with Vernon.
The home she had personally decorated, once filled with her hopes, now held only endless desolation.
By the time she returned home, it was already broad daylight.
The house was eerily quiet, just like she had left it. The gardenia bush on the balcony was in full bloom, filling the air with its gentle fragrance. She had planted it herself last year, thinking that she would take pictures together with Vernon when the flowers bloomed.
But now, the flowers were destined to wilt, and it was time for her to leave.
Yvette retrieved two large suitcases from the storage room. She had prepared them long ago, thinking that she could go traveling with Vernon. However, they had become the luggage for her departure now.
She began to pack her things. First came her photography gear, which included her camera, lenses, and tripod. These were her passion, the things she cherished most besides Vernon. She carefully wiped them clean, as if wiping away her own past.
Then came her clothes. She didn't have many clothes, and they were mostly in plain colors, which were suitable for photography. She folded them neatly and put them in her suitcase.
Finally, there were a few odds and ends. She put the photo of her and Vernon in an album. Then she placed the first gift he had given her, which was a small teddy bear, in a storage box. And as for the note she had kept for ten years, she hesitated for a moment before finally tucking it into her wallet.
That was her youth. She couldn't throw it away.
Halfway through packing, she heard the front door unlock.
Vernon walked in, still wearing his white coat. His eyes had become bloodshot from going without sleep all night. The moment he saw the suitcases in the living room, his face changed at once.
"Yvee, what are you doing?" he asked in an anxious voice as he hurried to her.
"Clearing out things," Yvette replied calmly, without slowing down. "There's too much stuff in the house. I'm getting rid of the things that are not needed anymore."
"Not needed?" Vernon looked at her in bafflement. "These are all things you like. How are they not needed?
Yvette didn't raise her head and merely replied indifferently, "I don't like them anymore."
Vernon's heart sank suddenly.
He was about to say something else when his phone rang. It was the ringtone unique to Yulianna. The crisp melody sounded particularly jarring in the quiet living room.
Vernon's expression shifted slightly. He walked to the balcony and answered the call in a hushed voice, "Yes, Yulianna?"
"Vernon, my wound hurts so much. Is it getting infected?" Yulianna spoke in a weak and pitiful voice that sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry, I'll be right there." Vernon's tone softened instantly. "Just lie still and don't move around."
After ending the call, he walked back to the living room and looked at Yvette. "Yulianna's wound has become infected. I need to go take a look."
Yvette raised her head and smiled at him. "Go ahead. Don't delay anymore."
Her smile was so calm that it was devoid of any warmth.
Vernon looked at her, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only managed to say, "I'll be back at noon. I'll take you to the Japanese restaurant you've been talking about."