Chapter 3

Confusion flickered in Liam's eyes:

"Something happened? What happened?"

"Mia and I always had a great relationship during grad school, we never even argued."

"No wonder people always sugarcoat the mistakes they made back then."

Brenda's gaze towards Liam grew cold, filled with scorn and condemnation:

"That year, Mia cried for a day and a night because you cheated. She called you hundreds of times, even flew to A-City overnight to find you."

She pulled out her phone, scrolled for a long time, and finally brought up a photo.

The pixel quality from over ten years ago was blurry, but it was vaguely identifiable as a photo of Stella and Liam.

In the picture, Liam's collar was open, his neck covered in suggestive hickey marks.

Stella lay in his arms, smiling at the camera.

My heart felt like it was being pricked by needles, hurting intensely as I looked at the photo.

So the grown-up me was with Liam, but he cheated.

Brenda grew angrier as she spoke:

"Even on our university's anniversary, Stella, visibly pregnant, publicly slandered Mia as a homewrecker in front of hundreds of faculty and VIPs."

"The incident became a huge scandal. Mia was crushed by public opinion, unable to hold her head high, and was eventually forced to drop out of school."

"Liam, did you even have a heart back then?"

Liam stared at the photo, his eyes filled with shock:

"I had no idea about any of this."

"That year, I was drinking all night for a tricky project. The next day, I had no record of Mia's calls on my phone, and I didn't know she came to find me."

"Even when she dropped out, she only told me she wasn't feeling well and wanted a short break..."

His throat tightened, and he involuntarily gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white.

Liam didn't remember how he got home. Exhausted, he instructed a maid to prepare a room for me:

"Get some rest first. Call me if you need anything."

After that, he walked straight to the liquor cabinet, opened a bottle, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

Smoke quickly filled the air, blurring his expression.

From upstairs, I watched Liam curled up in the corner, feeling an inexplicable ache in my heart.

His phone buzzed. Liam glanced at the screen, then silently turned it off.

In the evening, Stella returned.

She stomped her foot, pouting dramatically with feigned grievance:

"Liam, didn't you say you'd pick me up? Why didn't you answer my calls?"

She naturally threw herself into Liam's arms, not noticing the pile of empty bottles on the floor.

Liam looked at her, then after three seconds of silence, he abruptly grabbed her by the neck:

"Why did you go to Mia's school and cause trouble that year? Do you even know that her biggest dream since childhood was to study?"

Liam's grip slowly tightened. Stella's face turned crimson, gasping for breath, as she weakly tried to argue:

"I was just a jealous young girl back then. I didn't know it would affect her so much."

She cried harder and harder, tears splashing onto Liam's hand.

He paused, then withdrew his hand.

Stella collapsed into his arms, sobbing:

"Liam, it's been so many years. Please forgive me."

"Besides, didn't I get punished too?"

"Mia pushed me down the stairs. I miscarried, and it'll be difficult for me to have children for the rest of my life."

Liam's fingers curled, but he ultimately pulled her into his embrace.

For a long time, he stood on the balcony, cigarette butts littering the floor.

"She bullied my mom. Are you just going to let her get away with it?"

Liam turned around and saw me standing in the darkness, my eyes fixed on him.

That gaze almost made Liam squirm with shame.

Especially looking at my face, so similar to Mia's, he couldn't even meet my eyes.

"Adult matters aren't as simple as you think."

He touched my head, a bitter smile on his face:

"Your mother also did something very wrong back then."