My parents died in an accident. My relatives fought over their inheritance while simultaneously treating me like a burden. Only my Uncle Xander, who wasn't related by blood, extended a hand when I had nowhere else to go. He asked if I wanted to go with him. He raised me well. Everyone said I was the rose he cherished most. And on the night of my twentieth birthday, he personally plucked the rose he had nurtured for years. The next day, as I endured the soreness all over my body, shy yet happy, I went to find him on the balcony. Instead, I heard him talking casually on the phone. "Marry her? Don't be ridiculous. An uncle marrying his niece? I can't afford to lose face like that." "Sleeping with her? That was just to prevent the rose I raised myself from being plucked by some other wild man first." Chapter 1 It was still that familiar, magnetic, yet nonchalant voice. It was high summer. The wind blowing onto my face from the balcony carried heat, yet my whole body felt like it had fallen into an icy cellar. Chilled to the bone. Steady footsteps approached. In a trance, the man's smiling, handsome face appeared before me. The Creator had favored him, carving his features with care. Deep-set eyes, sparkling peach-blossom eyes that gave the illusion of deep affection when he looked at you. When I spoke, I realized my throat was incredibly dry. "Last night..." I stammered, my heart trembling at what I had just heard. His lazy eyes looked me over. "We were both drunk last night. Let's just pretend nothing happened." He paused, then added cruelly. "Besides, no one wants to marry the elder who raised them. People with such thoughts only disgust me. What do you think... Nora?" His tone last night was so passionate, even his fingertips were burning. But today, he spoke the most heartless words. Drunk? He could have used any other excuse, but he chose "drunk." A man who could drink half a bottle of liquor without batting an eye claimed he got drunk on a glass of red wine? Just half a year ago, on New Year's Eve. He promised to spend it with me. But he was held up by elders at the dinner table. Glass after glass went down. The hands on the antique grandfather clock were ticking towards twelve. Just then, Uncle Xander's deep, slightly drunken voice called me: "Nora." He stood up, staggering, almost falling. I rushed to support him. He smelled of alcohol mixed with the crisp scent of pine. With a sleepy look, he pleaded with the elders: "Really can't drink anymore. If I keep going, I'll sleep on the floor tonight." The elders laughed and let me help him leave. I helped the unsteady Xander upstairs, wondering how I had so much strength to support a grown man. Until my shoulder felt light. Caught off guard, I turned my head and met a pair of smiling, clear eyes. Nothing like the drunkenness he showed downstairs. I was stunned. "Weren't you drunk..." "That little alcohol? Ten times that wouldn't knock me down." "Then why did you pretend?" "If I didn't pretend, would you want to spend New Year's Eve alone?" He reached out and gently rubbed my head. So he knew. He knew that because I was an orphan, I was isolated by the younger generation of the Xu family. He noticed my loneliness. I looked up at his handsome profile. My heartbeat slowed down for no reason. His large palm took my hand. "It's almost twelve. I'll take you to see something." He took me to the roof. The wind whipped around us, but I didn't feel cold. He covered my eyes. Everything went dark. He counted down behind me: "Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one." When he let go, the darkness was replaced by brilliant fireworks. Amidst the explosions of light, I heard the best blessing of the year. "Nora, Happy New Year! Happy every year!" He asked if the fireworks were beautiful. "Beautiful!" I shouted. But actually, I didn't see the fireworks. Because there was something better than fireworks that captivated all my attention. What I didn't know then was that fireworks are fleeting. And so are human hearts. Chapter 2 So, he wasn't even willing to come up with a good lie. Caught off guard, my tears fell. I lowered my head, not wanting him to see my pathetic state. He reached out and gently tidied my messy hair, just as he always did. He still seemed to be the Uncle Xander who wanted the best for me. "I advise you not to say anything." "After all, for men, this kind of thing is just a romantic affair." "But for you..." His voice dropped lower. "Others will only think you're shameless. An ungrateful girl who seduced her uncle and climbed into his bed." "Remember to take the pill. Unwanted children shouldn't be born into this world, right?" My heart felt like it had been pierced by ten thousand needles. I wanted to scream at him. He said people who liked their guardians were disgusting. But last night, he was clearly sober. He tormented the girl he raised all night long. Did he not find himself disgusting? But in the end, my lips closed weakly. Saying anything now seemed meaningless. Chapter 3 I silently moved back to the school dormitory. Xander didn't contact me. The next time we met was at the monthly family gathering. Everyone was there, except him. Grandfather Xu let us start eating. But then, Xander arrived late, holding hands with a gentle-looking woman. I was surprised. "This is...?" "This is my girlfriend, Chloe Zhang. Dad, you can call her Chloe." My hand holding the chopsticks froze. "Nora... Nora..." I didn't even hear Grandfather Xu ask me to greet her. When I snapped back to reality, Grandfather Xu smiled. "Greet Chloe. You should call her..." Before Grandfather could finish, Xander spoke up, his voice deep and pleasant. "Just call her Aunt Chloe." The whole family looked at him in surprise. Xander looked unfazed. "Why are you looking at me? I'm at that age, and Chloe is very nice. She's suitable for marriage." Grandfather Xu smiled, eyes narrowing. "I told you to get a girlfriend last week. You work fast! Nora, quickly call her Aunt Chloe." I told myself not to have hope. But thinking that he was intimate with me just last month, and today he was holding another woman's hand talking about marriage... My heart felt bitter. I squeezed out a difficult smile. "Aunt Chloe." The words felt like razor blades in my throat. Chloe smiled gently. "Nora, right? I knew about you before. Don't worry, I'll take care of you just like your uncle does." Between Xander and me, no matter who was right or wrong, it shouldn't involve an innocent woman. So I sincerely said, "Thank you, Aunt Chloe." I don't know why, but my sincere "Aunt Chloe" made Xander's face turn black. His eyes narrowed slightly. Later, at the table, he suddenly said to me in a helpless tone: "Still angry with Uncle? I apologize, okay? Move back home. I'm worried about you living in the dorms." Grandfather Xu glared at him. "Did you bully her? Tell Grandpa!" But then Grandpa added, "But your uncle is right. We're worried. Dorm life is hard." "My roommates are nice," I said softly. I couldn't read Xander. He said I disgusted him. Fine, I stayed away. Now he insisted I move back? Chloe also spoke up. "Nora, move back. Your uncle cares about you. Sometimes he stares at dishes you like when we eat. He even buys durian cakes for me, knowing I hate them, just because you like them." She smiled shyly. "If you don't move back, people will think I drove you out." Grandfather Xu made the final decision. "It's settled. Nora, move back." I had no room to refuse. Chapter 4 That evening, I went home with Xander. Unexpectedly, Chloe came too. She went upstairs with us, and I realized... they were already living together. As soon as I entered, I hid in my room. My cat, Angel, immediately clung to me, meowing complaints about my absence. I squatted down and smoothed its fur. It was a stray I saved years ago. Xander didn't like cats, but he let me keep it. He even fed it when I was at school. Soon, the kitten purred. But just then. The sounds from the master bedroom next door made my body stiffen. Crisp kissing sounds. Faint gasps. "Nora... mm... will she hear?" "We're adults. So what if she hears? Don't you want to?" What he did to me last month, he was now doing to another woman, just a wall away. I felt covered in something dirty and sticky. I ran to the bathroom and threw up until I choked on bile. The noise next door got louder. Angel circled me uneasily. Suddenly, the noise stopped. Then, a knock on my door. I knew I shouldn't, but I fantasized that maybe Uncle just couldn't accept my feelings. Maybe Chloe was just an act. Maybe nothing happened. Holding this pathetic hope, I opened the door. Xander stood there in a loose white shirt, buttons undone, revealing his collarbone. A collarbone marked with red scratches. His eyes were clear. My heart went cold. "What is it?" I struggled to speak. "Can you run an errand?" "What?" Xander looked at me, his gaze indifferent. "Go buy two boxes of condoms." I looked at him in disbelief. Asking the girl who loved him, the girl he slept with, to buy condoms for him and his girlfriend? My heart felt like it was being shredded. "What if I say no?" He sneered. "Are you that anxious to hold a little nephew or niece?" Humiliation washed over me. Just then, Chloe's shy voice floated from the bedroom. "Nora, please... I don't want children yet." I forced out a word. "Okay." I took the elevator down. It was raining. I rushed into the rain. I couldn't delay their "urgent need." I bought the boxes, face burning at the checkout. Walking back, I heard the clerks gossiping. "Who makes a girl buy that stuff? So tasteless." Raindrops hit my face. He asked me to buy protection for another girl, but told me to take pills that hurt my body. The difference between love and not love was obvious. I stumbled and fell hard on the stairs. My palms scraped raw, my leg throbbing. I limped home. The fingerprint lock wouldn't open. It beeped an error. The door opened from the inside. Xander stood there. He glanced at my wet hair and frowned. I tried to hand him the boxes, but the corner touched my wound. "Hiss." Xander looked at my bleeding palm. His brows locked tight. Just when I thought he might care, he clicked his tongue. "How did you get the package so dirty?" He snatched the boxes. I felt ridiculous for expecting care. He took the boxes to his room. I limped to mine. I listened numbly to the rising sounds next door. Angel nestled in my arms, comforting me. That night, I had a fractured dream. On one side, Xander and Chloe entangled. On the other, the day Xander first reached out his hand to me.
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