I wiped away my tears and headed home. Then I called my college advisor and told him I'd accept the closed research project at Northendria. I agreed to the ten-year contract, with no returning home. He booked my flight for three days later. He told me I should say a proper goodbye to my family. After all, I wouldn't be coming back for a decade. As soon as I hung up, Edwin came through the door. He wrapped his arm around my waist, smiling sweetly. "What were you booking on the phone?" he asked. "The opera tickets I bought earlier. I couldn't make it because of the hospital stay, so I canceled them," I said casually. "I see. But why didn't you tell me you were discharged? I would've picked you up." Before I could answer, Kelsey walked in without knocking. She said with a pout, "Stephanie, why didn't tell Edwin you were discharged? When we saw your room empty, he panicked! He thought something terrible had happened. "He's a mafia boss, you know. Tons of enemies are watching him. He really thought you'd been kidnapped by one of them." I looked at Kelsey. She always knew how to twist things around and make me look bad. She'd been doing it since we were kids. And now, she was slapping me with the same old label-selfish and inconsiderate. I glanced at Edwin, who quickly explained, "Kelsey's health isn't great. The doctor said she should rest at home. Our castle has clean air and a forest nearby-it's perfect for recovery. That's why I invited her to stay for a while." Kelsey gave me a smug smile. "Sorry, I'll be interrupting your alone-time." She was clearly waiting for me to lose my temper, just so she could play the victim and call me spoiled and unreasonable. That was always her tactic. But I just kept a calm face. "You can stay as long as you want." Kelsey froze for a second. She didn't expect me to be so chill. - The next day, Edwin was busy giving the maids instructions about Kelsey's room. He made sure they understood every little detail, especially her diet. So, it turned out Edwin knew Kelsey's preferences just as well as he knew mine. I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling ridiculous. Why had it taken me this long to realize how much he cared about her? That night, I went to my room early to start packing for the trip. I was just about to lie down when Edwin came in with a glass of water. He handed it to me and gently opened the bottle of calcium tablets. "Take this before bed," he said. "You don't want to wake up with leg cramps again from low calcium."