Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Chapter 527: No What-Ifs

Heather got into the car, her soft scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. The warmth wasn't just physical; it seeped into her heart as well.

All her life, she had been like an unnoticed little stone by the roadside, kicked around by passersby and ignored by others-until she met Aurora.

It was Aurora who found her, picked her up from the dirt, and polished her until she became what she was today. Aurora had given her a new life, transformed her into someone who finally caught the world's attention. She was no longer the forgotten pebble left in a corner.

Ian had confessed his feelings to her. They shared similar backgrounds and pasts, and she genuinely liked him. Receiving her first gift from him-a scarf-brought her joy that lasted for days.

At the bottom right corner of the scarf, there was a cute little deer embroidered on it. Heather kept touching the small deer over and over again. This Christmas Eve was the happiest she had ever experienced.

Gemma, watching Heather's blissful, almost girlish demeanor, felt a storm brewing in her chest. Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she said, "After all these years, Ian's still using the same tricks to chase girls. I remember back in our freshman year, he gave me a scarf for Christmas too."

It wasn't a lie. Back then, Ian had mistakenly taken Gemma for a sweet, innocent girl and had gone out of his way to pick out a scarf for her from a store.

That Christmas Eve, it had been snowing. Ian called Gemma to let her know he had a gift for her. Gemma wasn't expecting an expensive Louis Vuitton bag, but at least a bottle of Chanel or Dior perfume would have been nice.

Even if it wasn't 50ml, surely 30ml would suffice. After all, it wasn't that expensive-just a few hundred dollars.

Excited, she ran downstairs to meet him. Ian stood in the snow, holding a boutique bag. The moment Gemma saw the bag, her heart sank.

As expected, he pulled out a scarf, explaining that it was to keep her warm in the cold weather. Gemma awkwardly thanked him.

"Do you like it?" Ian's face lit up with hope as he asked.

a smile and replied, "I really like it." But inside, she was fuming. Her friends were all receiving jewelry, perfumes, coats, or handbags as gifts,

she tell anyone about this without being laughed at? She felt miserable, even a little resentful. Was Ian just clueless, or was he deliberately being cheap? Did he really think a scarf was

having him do her assignments in the future, Gemma pretended to like the gift. When Ian hesitantly asked, "Can I help you put it on?" she instinctively stepped

she said hurriedly. "I'm heading back to the dorm soon, and I'll have to take it off anyway. I'll

I'll head off now," Ian

and turned to leave. But the moment she entered the building, she unceremoniously tossed

had turned back, reluctant to part

at her action. To Gemma, it was just a scarf. But to

was heavy, but Ian felt colder. That was

bad? Was the scarf so ugly that she couldn't bear to

that Ian finally understood the truth. The problem wasn't the scarf-it was the

arm of

sweetly, "Tom Ford just released a new dress. I think it'd look perfect on me. Will you buy it for

Is it short?"

to the

it. You'll wear it for me

giggled and kissed the

He knew that brand; many girls in his class talked about it. It

when he realized it wasn't that Gemma disliked the

time, before giving Heather her gift, Ian thought carefully. He wasn't the same freshman anymore. He had saved a few months' worth of wages and

Heather

shy, elated reaction, he knew he had finally found the right