As I listened to Liam recount the events, my gaze became much calmer, and I asked, "Did you ever have feelings for Sweety? Or did you give her any inappropriate ideas?"
He shook his head and said almost confidently, "I never did. I met her on Island in the Lake, which you know about. I saved her, but that was because she was your friend. At the time, I simply wanted to help, without any ulterior motives. Later, she asked for my contact information to thank me, and I gave it to her. She invited me to dinner, but I declined. After that, I was busy with overseas matters. She would occasionally chat with me. Once, she mentioned that she had PTSD after the accident, and I helped her out of kindness, but I never had any other intentions. When I returned to the country, she called me, and Ash answered. That's when I got very angry because Emily felt that I had betrayed our marriage, but I hadn't."
His brow furrowed tightly, and he said with barely controlled anger, "Later, I reached out to her and told her clearly that I loved my wife very much and didn't have any feelings for anyone else. But she begged me while crying, saying that it was fine if I didn't like her and we could just be friends. I blocked her on all platforms, but she still managed to call Em and told her a bunch of nonsense. I was helpless, so I agreed to meet her. She invited me to Tully City, which was the night at the night market. She said that as long as I accompanied her like a normal friend, went shopping and chilled together, she wouldn't bother me again."
I pursed my lips and fell silent for a moment before asking, "What exactly happened on the night of the incident?"
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes in near despair, and said, "On the day of the incident at the forest, I spotted a suspicious tourist. Based on his attire and appearance, it was clear that he was not a regular tourist, and I suspected he might be the mastermind behind the incident. I followed that man for a day, and in the evening, I followed him into a bar. I wanted to discreetly capture him and try to get some information out of him, but I didn't expect to meet Sweety at the bar. She invited me for drinks, and given the circumstances, I initially wanted to send her away and have a few drinks myself. However, after just a few drinks, I lost consciousness. The next morning, when I woke up in the room, I saw Em in the room."
I furrowed my brow, feeling a bit puzzled. "Were you drunk? Or..."
"She put something in my drink," Liam spoke, his expression darkening.
"She drugged you?" I froze, almost taken aback. It was beyond my expectations that she would degrade herself like this for a man.
Liam nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "Em doesn't want to hear my explanation. Yvette, if you can, please help me explain this to Em. I know I've wronged her, and now it's too late for explanations. But I at leasr want her to understand that my heart has always been with her from beginning to end, and there was never anyone else."
I pursed my lips, nodding slightly, feeling increasingly heavy-hearted.
After our conversation, Liam left, and I sat in the coffee shop, thinking about the lively, cheerful, and honest Sweety from the past. We walked many paths of life together, skipped classes together, fed stray cats by the roadside together, drove away thugs harassing girls on the street together, and even lied for each other in front of our parents. I thought I knew her well.
Now, in just a few days, everything seemed to have changed.
I was still in a daze when someone in front of me handed me a tissue with a hint of disdain and said, "Crying in public like this is quite ugly."
It was Charlie.
I pursed my lips when I saw him. I took the tissue and wiped away the tears on my face. Then, I looked at him and said, "I haven't seen you for the past few days. I thought you might have gone back to Lake City."
He snapped his fingers and called over a waiter, ordering a cup of coffee. Then, he looked back at me and said, "Why go back? It's the end of the year now. I don't have much to do, so going back or staying here doesn't make much difference."
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