Looking at the decoration of the hotel room, the wallpaper was elegant and serene, the ceiling had graceful and beautiful carvings, and the landscape painting on the wall was vivid.
However, everything seemed beautiful and yet vulgar and dull in Nana’s eyes.
Last night, she had been drinking and contemplating on the rooftop, but in the end, she gave up the idea of suicide.
Jumping off was easy, but living on required courage.
Nana decided to use the remaining time in her life to find out who was behind the murder of her entire family.
Who deliberately set the fire? And who instructed the driver who deceived her to go to the airport?
Nana knew that pondering alone wouldn’t bring answers. She had to investigate personally.
With a purpose in her life, Nana buried her grief deep in her heart and prepared to get up and visit the burned-down house.
But as soon as she got up, she noticed William sleeping on the couch.
Suddenly, Nana felt a twinge of guilt.
She tapped William’s shoulder and softly reminded him, “William, I’ve made the bed again. You should go and sleep on it.”
Upon hearing Nana’s voice, William opened his eyes.
His face carried the weariness of not having enough sleep, and he was astonished to see a radiant expression on Nana’s face.
“Nana, you look so beautiful!”
William stared at Nana infatuatedly, with her short and refreshing hair, delicate and beautiful features, and a serene smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
He felt as if he was seeing the Nana who had just graduated from university, full of youth and vitality.
“Thank you.”
Nana smiled faintly and calmly replied, “I want to go home and take a look. You can go to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.”
“Can I accompany you?” William asked persistently.
“No, I want to go alone.”
Nana’s voice was calm, but there was a glimmer of dim light in her eyes, like a fleeting shooting star.
After a moment, her expression returned to the enigmatic smile from before.
Soon, Nana left the hotel. She took out the key, opened the newly replaced lock, and saw the chaotic scene of the burned-down living room.
Although more than a month had passed, the sight still made her nose tingle with sadness.
Later, Nana went to the police station to inquire about the progress of the investigation into the fire.
Unfortunately, no clues had been found so far. Nana became more determined in her belief that only by investigating personally could she bring peace to her parents and daughter.
Meanwhile, as William saw Nana’s mental state improving, he started making plans for their future while contemplating unfinished matters in the city.
He thought about Carl, his archenemy who also loved the same woman.
Considering that Carl would be released soon, William hurried to the outskirts to a grave with an empty tombstone, hoping to make him give up completely.
In the evening, Nana returned to the hotel. In the corridor, she faintly heard the sound of a television coming from the room and guessed that William was inside.
But just as Nana was about to raise her hand to knock on the door, she suddenly heard a conversation from inside.
“William, so you’ve been lying to me all this time. Your intention was to be with Nana, right?”
Scarlet’s voice sounded full of sadness and anger. She hadn’t expected to encounter William while shopping.
William sighed, apologizing with a hint of guilt in his voice. “I’m sorry, Scarlet. I admit that I lied, but my intention was for you to find your own happiness.”
“My happiness? Didn’t I give myself to you that night?”
Scarlet asked lightly, with a hint of blackmail in her tone, referring to that drunken night.
Thinking back to that night, William felt extremely remorseful.
If he hadn’t succumbed to his drunken impulses, he wouldn’t be entangled by Scarlet now.
“One night doesn’t decide anything, and your life is still long. We might not be suitable for each other.”
William tried to persuade Scarlet, saying that he didn’t mind compensating her with some money as long as they could part amicably.
Most importantly, Nana must never find out about their past relationship.
Otherwise, with Nana’s personality, she would never accept him.
“Now you say we’re not suitable, but what were you thinking when you touched me that night?” Scarlet sneered disdainfully.
Upon hearing this question, William felt frustrated. He could only tell Scarlet his true thoughts and make her understand that there was no love between them.
“Because I was drunk that night, I must have mistaken you for Nana. Otherwise, how could I…”
William stopped himself, unwilling to argue with Scarlet any further.
He waved his hand at her and picked up his phone.
“Scarlet, I know you’re a good girl, and I owe you a lot in this matter. If you need money, I can compensate you further!”
“Slap!”
Just as William finished speaking, a slap landed on his face.
“Money, money, money. Is our relationship just about money?” Scarlet was infuriated, her face turning red as she stared directly at William. “I know you’re wealthy now, but so what? What I want is you!”
Ever since they started teaching together, Scarlet saw the potential in William. She knew he would achieve great things in the future. Coupled with his kind personality and care for girls, Scarlet couldn’t help but fall for him.
But later, Scarlet discovered that William had a former girlfriend, Nana, who they were forced to separate from. Nana was the light of his heart.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t fulfill that wish for you.”
William didn’t hold a grudge against the slap. No matter how angry Scarlet got, he took it as repayment for his actions.
“You…”
Scarlet was too furious to speak.
However, William remained calm and patiently explained to Scarlet, “You can force someone to work for you, you can force someone to obey your commands, but the one thing you can’t force is genuine love from the heart.”
“I understand. So, what you’re saying is that no matter what, you won’t be with me, right?”
Scarlet laughed bitterly. She had no way to deal with William.
Just as it was impossible for her to forget about this man, it was equally impossible for her to be with him.
“Yes, since you found me today, I might as well speak my mind. The only woman I love is Nana.”
Since things had come to this point, William didn’t mind being honest with Scarlet.
He didn’t like dragging out ambiguous relationships.
Outside the room, Nana stood by the door, silently listening to their conversation.
It was at this moment that she learned that William had already been intimate with Scarlet, and the two of them had lived together for a month.
In fact, Nana thought Scarlet was quite nice and suitable to be a wife.
In comparison, Nana’s personality seemed more fitting for someone like Carl.
Two idealists could understand and accommodate each other, while William was a thorough pragmatist.
Nana could imagine that if her parents hadn’t objected in the past, she and William would have naturally married and had children, but their marriage would have been filled with endless conflicts.
After waiting for a while, Scarlet and William finally had a complete falling out.
Scarlet wiped away her tears and turned away, while William followed her to persuade her to approach their relationship calmly.
Taking advantage of William’s absence from the room, Nana calmly walked in, grabbed her suitcase, and left the hotel.