So, how do you tell her to not have regrets? How can she avoid hating Finn? How can she accept the changes in life?
The process of life, the white snow in spring, the fruit of autumn, the hustle and bustle of the market, the green years, aging and greying, the mundane aspects of life, Ethan can no longer feel any of these.
He died in the prime of his life, bright like a fleeting shooting star.
On the day Aoife was processing her withdrawal from school, Finn rushed back, wanting to accompany her.
Aoife directly refused, sitting alone in the driver’s car on the way to the school to process the paperwork. As soon as she stepped out of the car, many eyes were fixed on her.
At first, Aoife thought they were admiring the car, after all, Finn’s driver drove luxury cars, worth tens of millions, which would inevitably attract attention when parked at the school gate.
But gradually, Aoife realized that those gazes were not on the car but on her, filled with sarcasm and disdain. Those eyes seemed to regard her not as a person but as garbage in a trash can, a street rat, rotten leftovers, or disgusting flies…
Wherever she went, those eyes followed her, blatantly staring, and Aoife even felt some lecherous gazes, as if they were undressing her.
Aoife hesitated and looked back at the group of people at the school gate.
They lowered their heads, whispering to each other with their backs turned towards her.
In the ten days she was away from school, something must have happened that she was not aware of. Aoife did not want to ask, nor did she want to think about it. She had endured enough, and for her, who was barely alive at the moment, a little more suffering wouldn’t make much difference. After all, she would die sooner or later, so a little more pain before death wouldn’t make a difference.
These people knew that Aoife had someone backing her up, so they dare not do anything in front of her, they could only talk behind her back and say a few harsh words.
Aoife went to the principal’s office, and the principal’s expression darkened for a moment upon seeing her.
Finn had already informed the principal here, and handed over the paperwork that was already prepared to Aoife for her to sign. The attitude was neither good nor bad, just a formal and indifferent manner.
After signing the documents, Aoife looked at the principal, who stamped it. She picked it up and bowed to him, bending her waist to a 90-degree angle.
“Thank you, Principal, for taking care of me all this time.”
“You…” The principal stood up, subconsciously reaching out to help Aoife up, but hesitated when he was about to touch her. He withdrew his hand and sighed as he looked at Aoife who remained hunched over.
“Go back and rest well. There’s still a long way to go, and don’t pay too much attention to online matters. Don’t mind what others say, and don’t care about their looks.”
Aoife stood up, slightly frowning, not understanding the principal’s words, but she could hear the care in his words.
Aoife expressed her gratitude again and left with the withdrawal procedures in hand. This time, when she left, she wouldn’t come back.
In this school, Aoife did not make any friends, she didn’t even feel the normal camaraderie among classmates. The only care she received was from the teachers.
Aoife had thought of visiting the teachers who had taught her, but then she realized it was unnecessary. It was better to leave quietly without leaving too much of an impression. It wouldn’t be good to leave too strong an impression behind…
As she stepped out of the principal’s office, Aoife took a long breath and walked down the corridor. She saw a few students again, this time closer, and she could hear their conversation.
“Is that the person in the video? Aoife, right? They say she worked as an actress for a few days and signed with an agency.”
“She used to be quite pretty, but that scar on her face now is so scary.”
“What’s the use of being pretty? She probably slept her way up, I bet the scar on her face is from her sponsors finding her dirty.”
“There have been rumors that she was kept by someone, sold herself, played the mistress, and when she was filmed, she knew this day would come, but she didn’t expect it to come so soon.”
“Not long ago after Ethan’s death, she receives another heavy blow like this.”
After leaving the school gate, Aoife stood on the steps and looked down. At this time, most students were in class, and there weren’t many people around, but Aoife felt like countless eyes were staring at her, leaving her with nowhere to escape.
The driver parked the car right at the school gate, and as soon as Aoife stepped out of the school, she could see it. The air inside the car was stuffy, so the driver came out and leaned against the front of the car, waiting. When he saw Aoife’s figure appear, he was about to get into the car when suddenly, Aoife swayed, her upper body uncontrollably leaning forward, and she rolled down the steps.
“Miss Powell!” the driver shouted, running towards her.
When someone falls, their hands instinctively protect their heads, but even with that protection, falling down the steps would still hurt and cause injuries.
Aoife fell to the ground, dazed for a moment before slowly getting up. She twisted her wrist, her right leg was in pain, and she felt dizzy and uncomfortable.
The driver came over and saw the wound on Aoife’s back from the fall, a big piece of skin had been scraped off, the wound was bloody, mixed with dirt, and even for a big man like him, looking at the injury was painful.
He quickly lifted Aoife up, his tone anxious as he asked, “Miss Powell, are you okay?”
Aoife shook her head, stood up straight, and gently pushed away the driver’s hand. “I’ll walk on my own.”
Even though her right leg was in excruciating pain and her head was spinning, she wanted to walk step by step, not relying on anyone.
From now on, she wouldn’t expect anyone to care for her, she would bear the weight of the sky falling on her own, find her own path, even if it means breaking her back or walking with a limp. Ethan once told her that he would bear the weight of the sky if it fell, but now that he was gone, there was no one to bear it for her, she would have to do it herself.
The driver opened the rear door of the car, looking concerned. “Miss Powell, shall I take you to the hospital for a check-up?”
“No need, this minor injury won’t kill me. Just take me home and bring the first aid kit.”
The driver had nothing to say, and he couldn’t force her to go to the hospital.
As the car pulled out and hit the main road, the driver glanced at Aoife through the rearview mirror and noticed her bowed head.
Although it was just a slight difference, the driver noticed that Aoife was in a somewhat different state from when she entered the school. Something must have happened.
After thinking for a while, Aoife remembered to ask the driver for his name.
“Michael, can you show me your phone?”
“Of course.” The driver handed his phone to Aoife.
Previously, Finn had prevented Aoife from checking her phone because he didn’t want her to know about Ethan’s death, but now that she knew, there was no need to stop her from looking at her phone.