A Graduation Gift

Rufus's embrace tightened further when he heard what she had just said.

"I will not allow you to jump. If you do, I will tear down the Qin family house and your company!"

Rufus shrieked at Cassandra on the spur of the moment. The domineering way in which he spoke would have made her laugh normally but she just wasn't in the right mood now.

In the end, she forced a bitter smile, underlying her soberness and bewilderment.

"I remember, when my family wanted me to marry Lionel, and I strongly opposed it. On that night, I went to the roof of my parents' house with this unicorn and spent the entire night sulking. I remember, the wind blew so strongly but still wasn't enough to blow my miseries away.

I kept asking myself, why it had to be me? Why did I have to make such a compromise?

Ever since I was young, I received less care and love from my parents as compared to my sister. Why, then, did I have to bear the responsibility in such a situation?"

Cassandra poured out her heart, her eyes half-closed, mellowed by tears. She kept thinking of how her family treated her when she was young and the tears started to flow out in streams.

"I stared at the sky from night to dawn, till the moon and stars faded and the first light appeared, till the sun rays pierced through the clouds and illuminated the sky.

Then suddenly, I heard sounds of colliding tableware coming from the kitchen and my mom speaking in the background. Eventually, the smell of breakfast wafted through the air."

down. Her tears left traces on her cheeks even after the wind dried them away. Her eyes turned wistful,

still my parents, after all. And they were the ones who had granted me life and brought me into this wonderful world. I thought, if I chose to end my life, I would never be able smell the breakfast cooked by my mother again, never be able to hear those lively noises again, and never be able to see

her head in

eyes were dark and deep, harboring emotions that were beyond her to decipher. She had never seen him like that.

she continued, her voice seemed to contain hints of an impending confession, "I am scared of being alone. I have been alone in this villa most of the time. There is no other sound but that of my own

feels and smells like home only when you are around. Only then, I

gazed at her intently, his eyes flickering.

came off as a strong and independent person who didn't need to rely on anyone for her own happiness. The thought of her feeling lonely in a

be home more often," Rufus said

him. He saw her loneliness; he saw her grief. Now, he felt more remorseful than

used to it," she said,

crept up her lips, somehow making her look like a

her. After a while,

above the horizon, glowing on the two of them, full of warmth and hope.

to move out,"

at his sunlit face, determined not to dither no matter