The Day Our Promise Breaks

With a frosty expression, he firmly grasped her hand and strode towards the exit.

Evelyn couldn't break free, so she stopped struggling and complied, walking out with Charles. Deep down, she was counting silently. "One."

"Two."

Before she could count to "three," a weak cry from behind, "Charles..."

As the voice trailed off, a loud "thump" followed. The delicate and frail Dahlia had fainted.

Charles' steps halted immediately. Without a moment's hesitation, he released Evelyn's hand, quickly turned around, and rushed towards Dahlia, who was lying on the ground. "Dahlia!" Evelyn didn't need to look back to know how worried Charles must have looked at that moment. He looked completely different from his indifferent mockery when Evelyn fainted yesterday. This was the difference between love and indifference.

Evelyn stood still, her gaze falling on the clear red mark on her wrist. Her lips curled into an almost imperceptible sneer of self-mockery.

This wasn't the first time Charles had chosen Dahlia over her, but it would be the last.

...

to enter this year's jewelry design competition.

a million. She didn't have that

given Evelyn a monthly allowance of ten thousand for living expenses. She wasn't extravagant. Initially, it was enough, and she could even save a bit each month. But then, Charlie fell ill, and Charles didn't believe she was

lies. Because of

burial plot. She didn't want to tarnish Charlie's path

make a million, she ran into Samuel. He was her college professor and also one of the judges of

on recommending her for that year's jewelry

she had designed in her free time over the years and urged her to enter this

jewelry, and winning the competition meant

the second basement level, walking towards where she

suddenly opened, and a well-defined hand reached out, grabbing her

pupils dilated in panic, and