"Ou Chen..." she struggled, trying to lift her head from his embrace, but he held her tightly, as if terrified of something, refusing to let her move even slightly away.

So, confined within the circle of his arms, she could only whisper, "I came today to apologize."

"..." "I'm sorry. I completely misunderstood those things as your doing, and I resented you for a very long time."

She spoke against his chest.

"..." Ou Chen's arms instantly stiffened! Did this mean... she was beginning to accept him? He released her, gazing at her upturned face like a statue. Sunlight spilled into her eyes, serene and crystal clear.

"That night... you were in a car accident?" Her gaze quietly traced his face. Recalling what Butler Shen had said in the hospital room, the guilt in her heart deepened further.

Though she told herself it might have just been a random accident, an inexplicable unease refused to let her rest... Car accident... Ou Chen slowly repeated those two words in his mind. The bitterness tasted as if it had returned to that desperate, chaotic night six years ago................ In the pouring rain.

On the deserted highway, he furiously pushed the car to maximum speed. Rain lashed wildly against the windshield. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed across the sky. In that blinding, white world of water, he knew she had completely exiled him from her world. She had never loved him, and never would forgive him... Bright headlights! A colossal truck suddenly appeared ahead on the road! His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He listened numbly as the rain streamed down the glass; nothing could be seen clearly anymore. Only her coldly cutting words and her indifferent retreating figure tore and churned in his mind................ "How much more do I have to pay before you'll forgive me?!" Whatever the cost, as long as she would stay, even if she would only look at him one more time.

And in the vast, white night fog, her silhouette was pitch black, as if it could dissipate at any moment... "Unless—" Without turning back, she stared at the inky night sky, her posture icy.

"—you die."

...Die... She would forgive him then... In the blinding, dizzying lights of the truck, he slowly closed his eyes and released his grip on the steering wheel.

In the silent, rainy world, the piercing screech of the truck’s brakes, followed by a deafening crash... Die... She would forgive him then................ "It was an accident."

Ou Chen said calmly, unwilling to dwell on the topic any longer. He turned and picked up a list from the desk, saying to her, "The wedding invitations have been sent out. Take a look and see if any of your friends were missed."

"Really..." Although the sense of guilt might lessen slightly because it was merely an accident, why did her inner unease intensify as she looked at Ou Chen's impassive face? She must have been wrong; she had hurt him so terribly with her willful youth... "Yes."

He stated faintly, "You don't need to think about those things anymore.

We get married the day after tomorrow. Those past matters are no longer important.

You just need to remember..." Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window of the study, he gazed at her, a faint, bright light in his eyes.

"I will use every effort to make you the happiest person in the world."

Happiness... Under his intense gaze, her thoughts dissolved into a blank slate. An ineffable tremor and warmth began to flow through her bloodstream. Yet, in a moment of distraction, a lonely, fog-like shadow drifted slowly across her heart, causing that warmth to gradually vanish without a trace.

Bubble Summer III