---- Chapter 14 The hidden memories Jake had once tried so hard to forget were gradually awakened. Countless fragments from the past flooded into his mind. He had stolen glances at her, secretly kissed her, followed her, and spied on her. He had even sneaked into her bedroom when she wasn't home, just to smell the scent left on her pillow and blanket. Why did he do that? His best friend's voice continued on the other end of the line and rambled with a mix of helplessness and disappointment. "Eva clearly had feelings for you, too. We thought that you'd clear up the misunderstandings from the past after you got married and then become a couple blessed by the heavens." That was right. Eva did love him. But why did he feel such disdain when he first learned of her feelings for him? He had secretly loved her for so many years. From the moment he first realized that he had feelings for her, he didn't dare tell her because she was so young. He couldn't show her his love and was only nice to her silently. ---- As she grew up, she still sweetly called him brother. And he was afraid again. Then Ryann told him that if Eva ever found out that he had always had feelings for her, Eva would surely be scared, terrified, and eventually run away from him, and that he would never find her. So he was terrified and locked his heart away again. He started dating Ryann and treated her with the same care he showed Eva. He thought that it would be best for both him and Eva to be siblings and that they could always get along peacefully with each other like that. But one day, he learned that Eva had feelings for him. He despised her just as he had despised himself before and distanced himself from her. He had told himself repeatedly every day that he only loved Ryann and that he wasn't the pervert coveting his sister. Whenever he was tormented by pain and self-doubt, Ryann would be there to encourage and comfort him. She said that she would treat Eva as her own sister. Few women could tolerate their boyfriends having feelings for another woman. He had thought that Ryann was truly kind and tender. ---- When he protected Ryann, he felt like protecting his own secret. But clearly, both Jake and Eva had feelings for each other. How could they end up parting ways? Jake stumbled into Eva's room. Looking at the empty space, he remembered she had taken care of him when he was drunk. She was always meticulous and patient. When he woke from drunken slumbers, he'd find his face clean, his beard shaved, his clothes changed into his most comfortable pajamas, and the room filled with the incense he loved, even though Eva disliked it. She had done that countless times. She had been so good to him. How could he show impatience or even disgust upon waking up to her? Jake sat on the bed in agony. There were still two pillows in the bed, two lamps in the room, and two sets of pajamas in the closet. But there was only he in the room. Her belongings were there, but her aura was fading. Suddenly, he got up and mechanically opened every drawer and cabinet. He desperately tried to gather all of her belongings. He seemed to keep her with him by doing that. ---- Inside a drawer, there were some documents. On top was the torn divorce agreement. He picked it up, and beneath it was another divorce agreement. He flipped through them and found three in total. Jake's fingers trembled. The drawer didn't just contain divorce papers. It was a testament to Eva's determination to break up with him. He continued to sort through the documents and found the evidence she had shown him to accuse Ryann of severe bullying, causing depression in several classmates. Some had dropped out, and others had attempted suicide But he hadn't believed them back then. Ryann had been an angel in his eyes. Yet he held these documents at that moment, and doubt crept into his heart. He thought of Eva's words at the auction about funding students with psychological issues from being bullied. She tried to help them overcome their psychological scars. He flipped through more pages and found the psychological evaluation Eva had shown to him back then. The result was that Ryann didn't have depression at all. He hadn't read it closely before. Now he saw the signature of Vernon. Was he the famous foreign psychologist he had ---- recently failed to hire? He stared at the name of the studio and was stunned. The evaluation report slipped from his fingers to the floor.