To the Love of My Life

That was the most fierce argument she had ever had with Lady Gregory in her memory, just like yesterday afternoon in the hospital, Lady Gregory was so angry that her chest heaved, pointing at her speechlessly for a long time.

Perhaps when a person is suppressed for too long, once they vent, it becomes terrifying. Anyway, when she shouted at her mother, “Why don’t you let Steve Burton be your son instead, what do you want me as your daughter for, I don’t want to be your daughter at all!”, Lady Gregory angrily stretched out her hand and slapped her face.

She had been scolded many times since she was a child, but this was the first time she had been beaten.

That slap really beat out all the rebellion and defiance inside her, she didn’t even bring her phone, and in a fit of rage, she ran straight out of the Gregorys’ house and back to school.

Back in her dorm, she locked herself in the bathroom, crying her heart out. At that time, she actually had some resentment towards Steve Burton, even feeling that without him, maybe her parents would love her more.

It was only when she had cried enough that she came out of the bathroom, and saw an exquisite gift box on her bed. Before she could ask who gave it to her curiously, Maya Mitchell, who slept in the bunk opposite her, told her that it was from Edric Reat.

Edric Reat entered college as the top scorer in the college entrance examination. Although his family background was ordinary, he was a truly outstanding classmate and a prominent figure in Ruby’s class.

During the four years of college, Ruby and Edric were quite familiar with each other. Of course, this familiarity was limited to hosting several college galas together, singing a song on stage, and some insignificant rumors.

So, when she knew that the gift was from Edric, she was somewhat surprised.

She climbed onto the bed, unwrapped Edric’s gift, and after so many years, she couldn’t remember exactly if the gift Edric had given her was a skirt or a shawl. She only remembered the price of the item, which was a luxury for Edric, far from matching the value of the bracelet Steve had given her.

Inside the gift box, there was a card written by Edric, asking her if she had time, inviting her to the visit Zhouzhuang together.

She had received countless similar invitations since junior high school, and Lady Gregory had told her since she was a child that she couldn’t have too much contact with any man besides Steve, so she followed this instruction carefully and casually threw the card on the bedside storage box without thinking about it.

She still hadn’t recovered from Lady Gregory’s slap and was lying on the bed feeling depressed when the two classmates below her bunk talked about meeting and dating the men they liked.

Ruby had never experienced this for the entirety of her life, and for a moment, she was genuinely curious about what dating a guy or being in love would feel like.

Lady Gregory’s slap had a significant catalytic effect, prompting the rebellion hidden deep inside her heart. In a moment of impulsiveness, Ruby got out of her bed, picked up the dormitory phone, and called Edric, accepting his invitation.