Zara and Evander were only 'cohabiting' in name. They lived in separate suites in the same mansion. She wanted to talk to him, so she quietly went to his room. Seeing the door ajar, she pushed it open and entered.
The entire space was so quiet it was stifling. Clearly, he wasn't home yet. She had no choice but to close the door and back out, but she discovered there was a library behind her. She had loved books since she was a child, and whenever she saw them, she couldn't help but want to get closer and pick one up to read.
She had recently been studying databases, and her eyes fell on a book about SQL databases. Excited, she pulled it out, but with a "thud," she accidentally knocked a rolled-up item off the side of the bookshelf. It fell to the floor.
She picked it up and found that it was a scroll. She unfolded it out of curiosity, and the scenes that unfolded before her eyes shocked her: cliffs, bare trees in a bleak forest... Even though she was not there, it sent shivers down her spine. Anyone who accidentally fell from those cliffs would be crushed to pieces.
She suddenly remembered the birthday gift she had given the grandmother, and she felt as if she had found the reason for the grandmother and everyone else's shocked and horrified reactions to the gift.
Suddenly, footsteps came from outside.
The person entered the living room and was stunned to see her. All at once, his eyes turned red, and his face became as dark as a storm cloud. He strode over, snatched the tapestry from her hands, and said angrily, "Who told you to touch this? Who let you in?" With that, he took a step to a nearby cabinet, put the tapestry inside, locked it, and turned to leave.
"Evander, is the story related to the tapestry with the landscape and forest theme? Grandma that day..."
He stopped in his tracks and turned back abruptly. "Do you think you're so smart? If you know what's good for you, leave now, or I'll sue you for trespassing and invading my privacy!" After saying that, he strode out.
She had a bad feeling and ran after him.
He ran to the garage, got in his car, and hit the gas. The car sped away.
After about 20 minutes, the car drove into a cemetery.
He got out of the car with a bouquet of flowers. It was drizzling, but he made no move to seek shelter. He walked quickly to a tombstone, arranged the flowers, and brushed the dust and fallen leaves from the stone. "Dad, I've come to see you. How are you?"
"Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't take good care of Grandma. She's in the hospital, but don't worry, the doctor said she'll be discharged soon!"
Then, he lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
After a while, he finally looked up and said, "Dad, I'm sorry. If it weren't for my ignorance back then, you wouldn't have had that accident! I'm the one who caused your death. I'm so sorry!"
She had been hiding not far away, her body pressed tightly against a large tree. She had heard every word he said.
Suddenly, she felt an unbearable itch on her shoulder. She instinctively reached up to scratch and felt a strange object. She pinched it with her fingers, brought it into view, and saw that it was a fuzzy black caterpillar. She shrieked and flung it away.
The sound startled him.
He saw that it was Zara and was furious. He rushed to her and said fiercely, "Why are you here again? You're like a ghost that won't leave!"
Seeing that she had been discovered, she puffed out her chest, looking like a pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water. "You said that when we face a difficult problem, we should talk about it and solve it together, but I don't think you trust me at all! I peeked at the rolled-up tapestry in your study and overheard your conversation. Whether you want to hit me or scold me, do what you think is right!"
He was stunned and stared at her blankly. After a long time, she saw his expression soften, so she sat down. He followed suit.
He looked into the distance and began to speak slowly. "My father was an adventurous man. When he saw tapestries with landscapes and forests, he came up with the idea of exploring. My father often took me with him on his expeditions to cultivate my adventurous spirit."
"When I was 14, my father took me to a deep forest. In the evening, he took me to a hotel that was located halfway up the mountain. From the window, you could get a great view of the mountain scenery. In the middle of the night, my father's phone rang, and he went to the balcony to answer it. I sat on the sofa, waiting for him to play with me, and I grew more and more impatient. I kept glancing at him, but I saw that his brows were furrowed, the veins on his forehead were bulging, and he looked very angry! I was so bored that I ran out by myself. I was attracted by the sound of insects and birds in the mountains, and I kept following the sound, but I accidentally got lost."
"When my father hung up the phone and realized I was gone, he frantically went up the mountain to find me, but he accidentally slipped and fell to the bottom of the cliff..."
"When the rescuers found me, I saw my father's cold body! I was terrified then. I curled up in a corner, held my head in my hands, and desperately pulled at my hair, mumbling, 'Dead! Dead!'"
"Grandma was heartbroken, but she never blamed me. She only blamed herself for forcing my father to go on expeditions in the first place. I forgot to mention earlier that my father wasn't adventurous at first; it was Grandma who pushed him to be. After my father died, Ferlock hid all the tapestries my father liked so that Grandma wouldn't be reminded of him. And some of them were hidden in the study you broke into!"
"As time went on, I hated myself more and more. If I hadn't been so ignorant and gone out alone and gotten lost in the forest, my father wouldn't have had that accident while looking for me!" His eyes were red as he mumbled.
She stood up, looked at him, and said solemnly, "But you didn't do it on purpose! Neither did Grandma. You shouldn't have to live in pain!" Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. "You just said that your father was very angry when he was on the phone?"
He thought for a moment. "My father managed such a large company; there were bound to be people who angered him!"
She felt a lump in her throat. She hadn't expected that he, who was born into a wealthy family, held a high position, and had great wealth, and who was also humorous and carefree, would have such deep pain hidden inside.
She looked at him, and a strange pang of sadness arose in her heart. She stood up, reached out, and pressed his shoulder firmly, wanting to give him strength. "Time is the best medicine! Your father, in heaven, wouldn't want to see you in so much pain! Believe in yourself; you can live a good life!"
"Can I?" He looked up, a lost expression in his eyes.
"Yes, you can! I believe in you!" She said firmly, her eyes red.
His eyes became melancholic. "I'm sorry, my bad temper hurt you!"
The corners of her mouth turned up, and she winked at him. "Your bad temper did hurt me!"
He chuckled, looked up at her, and his eyes lit up. There was approval, gratitude, and even...