Chapter 115
Lily was momentarily stunned by what she heard. "The baby is gone? What baby?"
Royce finished the entire bottle of mineral water, feeling slightly better. "Nadia had a miscarriage."
"A miscarriage? Nadia had a miscarriage?" Lily finally understood and instinctively took two steps back. "Oh my god, it has nothing to do with me. I've been busy lately and haven't even seen Nadia. Her miscarriage has nothing to do with me, so don't try to blame me again."
Royce was slightly taken aback by her defensive and cautious reaction. "Lily, have you... remembered the past?"
Royce recalled the third month after Lily returned to the country. Lily wanted to go to a hot spring resort. He didn't want to go at first, but Nadia said she wanted to go too, so he took her along under the pretense of inspecting the resort.
While soaking in the hot spring, he heard a heavy splash and a scream from the women's section. Recognizing Nadia's voice, he quickly got dressed and rushed over. Nadia claimed Lily had pushed her because she refused to resign as requested. Lily, on the other hand, insisted, "I didn't push her. She slipped. I even tried to help her, but she pushed me away and fell."
He didn't believe Lily and harshly scolded her. In response, Lily kicked Nadia back into the pool and arrogantly said, "That time was me; the previous one wasn't."
Back then, he thought his mother was right—Lily was indeed too arrogant, unlike the obedient Nadia. With Lily's temper, she'd eventually cause trouble if provoked by someone like Karina.
In the fifth month after Lily's return, Nadia's roommate needed to move due to a job change, and Nadia couldn't afford the rent alone. He offered one of his properties for her to stay in. He would stay there on weekends. One Saturday, as he entered, he heard a loud crash and saw Nadia on the floor, bleeding, next to a shattered fish tank. Lily stood there, seemingly stunned.
Lily explained first, "It wasn't me. She ran into it herself." He still didn't believe her, as Nadia was always gentle and afraid of pain. Why would she run into it? He scolded Lily harshly, and she went berserk, smashing everything in the living room, shouting, "It wasn't me! It wasn't me! I didn't touch her!"
His mother was right—Lily was indeed too reckless, disregarding human life and showing no remorse for her actions.
In the sixth month after Lily's return, a mutual friend had a birthday party at CLu bar. Initially, the atmosphere was great until Zoya and Nadia arrived. Zoya claimed they had come to the wrong room while taking a break from drinking with friends. Knowing everyone, they naturally stayed to chat, except for Lily, who drank silently.
Later, Lily went to the restroom, and shortly after, someone rushed in, saying Lily had pushed Nadia. He hurried over to find Nadia on the floor, next to a broken vase, bleeding. Zoya, the sole witness, said it was indeed Lily who pushed Nadia, telling her to stay away from Royce.
Lily argued it was Zoya who did it. The sisters blamed each other until Nadia claimed it was Lily. Nadia wouldn't defend someone who hurt her, so Lily must be lying. Angry and drunk, he pushed Lily, who sprained her ankle. Enraged, Lily shouted, "It wasn't me! They teamed up to frame me, Royce! Can't you believe me just once?"
He didn't. He recalled saying some harsh words, protecting Nadia while Lily lunged at Zoya. Franklin arrived then, barring Nadia and Zoya from entering CLu again. As Franklin carried Lily out, he noticed her bleeding palm, likely cut when he pushed her.
He had never believed her. Later, whenever something happened to Nadia, he still didn't believe her. Eventually, Lily started avoiding Nadia, keeping her distance whenever they crossed paths. If something happened to Nadia, Lily's first reaction was always, "It has nothing to do with me. Don't blame me."
Just like her reaction tonight. For a moment, he thought Lily had regained her memories, but her cold, guarded eyes showed no love—only indifference and wariness. The Lily with memories would have loved him.
"I didn't say it was you," Royce clarified, knowing this time it wasn't Lily directly. But she was somewhat involved. Yesterday, Uncle Edmond had a video conference. Royce's proposal was rejected, making him upset. His father invited him for drinks, giving advice he didn't take.
After drinking, he went home and slept. Nadia woke him up, showing him a photo of Lily, asking if she was beautiful. He had muted the group chat and hadn't seen the photo until then. The Lily in the photo looked unchanged—same wavy hair, slender waist, and beautiful face—but different in demeanor. She had a softness he hadn't seen since her return.
Nadia, seeing him stare, sarcastically asked if he drank because of Lily's photo. He felt wronged and explained, but she didn't listen, crying. He consoled her for a long time. He thought it was over, but the next morning, Nadia started complaining again about his changed behavior, eventually crying harder. Already stressed about work and his father's words, he snapped. Nadia then clutched her stomach in pain, and blood on the sheets left him dizzy.
Blaming her for leaving the hospital against his advice, he felt the child might have survived if they had stayed. As a first-time father, he had hoped for this child.
Lily, listening to his story, was speechless. "It has nothing to do with me. Why are you telling me this?"
Royce didn't know why he came or why he wanted to talk to her—just needed someone to talk to. Embarrassed by her question, he retorted without thinking, "Lin Ye posted the photo with your permission, right? If not for that photo, Nadia wouldn't have acted out."
Lily was exasperated. A photo caused a miscarriage? Knowing he was grieving, she didn't argue but threw him another bottle of water and walked out with her car keys.