He twisted the key in the lock of his apartment door and swung it open, a gesture of invitation. "Come in and take a seat. I''ve got something to show you."


    He stepped into the apartment ahead of me, already reaching for something as I followed.


    He handed me a folder and began, "The kids we''re sending to the orphanage all have heart defects or some other challenge. As a doctor, I want to give them a second chance at life. What about you?"


    Every time he spoke to me, it was as if he could see right through me, pinpointing my doubts and fears before prescribing the breakthrough.


    I hesitated, "Max..."


    Unlike him, my choice to pursue medicine wasn''t born out of a noble dream. The allure of a potentially lucrative career drew me in, thinking it could be a safety if ude turned me away. Back then, doctors seemed like the wealthiest folks around. When I looked back, my dreams were all about ude. That was funny.


    "I have no dreams," I confessed with a foolish smile, looking up at him.


    At that moment, he paused, probably thinking my naive grin was amusing, but not because he found me pretty.


    "Focus on improving yourself and finding inner peace just for you, not for anyone else. Live a life that''s truly yours," he advised before turning away to lock the folder back in his drawer.


    Yet, I still couldn''t grasp how to be that better version of myself. For years, my life revolved around ude. A mere nce from him was enough to make my day.


    But things had changed. I no longer cared about ude. Kate got caught. What was there for me to live for at the moment?


    Feeling down, I stood up, intending to return to my apartment. As I turned away, Max said, "I once did a consultation at an orphanage where a girl told me she''d be the greatest doctor, so all the kids there could run freely,ugh heartily, without the shadow of illness."N?velDrama.Org holds ? this.


    "She must be an incredible doctor," I


    said with a bitter smile, pushing the door open yet couldn''t help asking, "Max, you''re not pulling my leg, right? You''re not with the Hilton family?"


    I was still probing. But Max didn''t reply. His silence somehow filled me with sadness.


    Shutting the door behind me, I returned to my apartment and cried until it hurt.


    The next day, with my eyes swollen from tears, I nced at the calendar marked with a red circle. It was the day to pick up Richard from jail. In my previous life, I would have been dead by this day. But in this life, I''ve lived through it, ready to pick up Richard. Having him means having a past and family.


    I skipped the oatmeal prepared by the maid, slipped into my shoes, and took the bus to the prison, carrying a book I got for Richard.


    Watching him walk out of the


    detention area, thinner and clutching


    a ck bag, brought back memories from my past life. Back then, his only goal after getting released was to find me, no matter the risk


    "Richard!" My heart found its ce, and my soul its peace.


    He opened his arms, waiting for me to rush into them. "Did ude make you cry? Why are your eyes like that?"


    I said with tears, "ude doesn''t matter anymore. You''re what''s important, Richard. I''ve cut ties with the Hart family."


    He stopped, looked at me incredulously, and frowned as if checking I was out of my mind. "You''re not talking nonsense, are you? Weren''t you set on marrying him your whole life?"


    I nodded proudly. "No, I want to be a better version of myself, living for me and me alone."


    ''In this life, Richard, the one I care about, is still here. We will live well together. Let the past be the past!'' I thought.


    As for the Hilton family, when I was strong enough, I would reim my parents'' ashes and clear their names. They were part of the Hilton family, good people who died because of ude.