Bloom Again, My Heart

Now, Fabian could ignore me being hurt and even warn me not to make things difficult for the woman he loved.

How could someone change so completely? How could I trust my whole life to someone like that?

If I were to marry him, I would only repeat the same tragedy.

I wiped my tears and went to the clinic to have a doctor treat the cut on my leg.

The moment I stepped inside, I saw Viola and Fabian on the other side of the hall, standing close together and acting all affectionate.

I heard her syrupy voice.

"If Sonia finds out you faked memory loss just so you could be with me openly, do you think she'll lose her mind?"

Fabian ruffled her hair fondly.

"Even if she does, it won't matter. Everyone knows she loves me to the core. Even if I forget her, she'll still run right to me, begging me to marry her."

My grandmother scoffed. "Keep bragging, punk. Just wait until the engagement banquet in two days. You'll cry so hard that you suffocate!"

I forced a stiff smile and sat down to get bandaged.

Suddenly, someone shouted in panic, "Run! Someone's attacking people with a knife!"

The whole place erupted in chaos.

I tried to run with the crowd, but because of my injury, I fell behind, and the crazed patient grabbed me. His knife swung upward, ready to strike.

I was just a woman, and I was nowhere near strong enough to fight him off.

In the chaos, I saw Fabian look over, startled by the commotion. I didn't care about anything else and shouted for help.

"Fabian, save me!"

Fabian instinctively started running toward me, but Viola clung desperately to his sleeve.

"Fabian, I'm scared. Please don't leave me."

His steps slowed.

In that brief hesitation, the knife slashed across my arm, opening a bleeding wound. The pain made me gasp.

My grandmother's voice buzzed in my head like a panicked hornet.

"Oh, no! In Sonia's last life, someone also broke into the clinic to rob people. How did she get caught up in this again?

"That useless Fabian. Sonia risked her life for him so many times, and he's just standing there, watching her get hurt!"

The pain was so sharp that I nearly blacked out. I bit hard on my lip to stay conscious and screamed again toward Fabian.

"Fabian, please save me! I'm going to die!"

But before I even finished, Viola let out a piercing scream.

One of the attackers noticed their fancy clothes and charged at them with a knife. Fabian instantly held Viola's hand and ran out of the clinic.

I watched with my own eyes as he protected the woman he loved and fled, leaving me behind. A crushing wave of despair slammed into me.

After everything I had done for him and after all our years together, I thought that he would at least feel enough pity to save me when my life was on the line, even if he didn't love me.

Just as the knife swung toward me again, the attacker suddenly stumbled and fell to the side.

Chandler had punched the crazed patient and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me away.

"Let's go!"

People were screaming, and the whole place was chaos. Thankfully, the patrol guards arrived quickly and brought the attackers under control.

I still hadn't recovered from the shock and crouched by the wall, shaking uncontrollably.

Chandler draped his coat over me and gave me a long, complicated look.

I forced myself to thank him, but I didn't ask him anything.

News of me getting injured spread quickly, and my grandfather found out. Furious, he demanded that Fabian and the Parhams come explain themselves.