Summer Sheng looked at the bewildered Clara before her, feeling a surge of regret.

Calling out to Clara just now had been an impulse; when she didn't get an answer, she had instinctively reached out to grab her, forgetting that Clara could no longer see. She was no longer the Clara Tang of the past.

Summer stepped back a few paces to give Clara some comfortable space.

"I called your name several times, and when you didn't respond, I reached out," Summer explained.

Because of tension and other indescribable emotions, Clara’s fingertips dug deep into the flesh of her palms. Only the pain could keep her steady at this moment.

"Do you need something from me?" Clara forced herself to remain stable, but her voice trembled slightly.

A flash of remorse crossed Summer’s eyes, but she still asked, "Can we talk?"

Clara pursed her lips and hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing.

In a corner of a tea house, the two sat opposite each other.

"Have you been well these past few years?" Summer looked at the somewhat weary Clara, unable to help but sigh inwardly.

"I'm fine," Clara’s tone was somewhat stiff.

"I'm married, and I'm five months pregnant now." Summer’s voice carried the unmistakable joy of a first-time mother.

Clara froze in her seat. She instinctively looked up, but there was only darkness before her.

She didn't respond; she didn't know how she was supposed to react at a time like this.

Seeing Clara’s rigid posture, Summer’s pregnancy-slowed brain finally caught up, and she hurriedly explained, "Don't misunderstand—my husband isn't Ethan Shaw."

Hearing that name again, and from Summer’s mouth no less, felt strangely theatrical to Clara.

"You and... Ethan Shaw, are you divorced?" Clara’s voice was clearly strained when she spoke his name.

Summer’s face showed a hint of disdain, but it turned into a smile when she thought of her husband. "Of course not. We never registered the marriage. The ceremony was only half-finished when it ended. Later, after your accident, he regained his memories, and naturally, everything between us was dropped."

Hearing that they had never been married, Clara’s heart actually felt a bit more at peace.

"I always thought you were gone, and so did Ethan. He has had a very hard time these past few years." Summer’s words made Clara’s heart tremble.

Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly, but she didn't reply immediately.

After a long silence, Clara said softly, "Forget it. That's all in the past. There won't be any more intersection between him and me in the future."

Chapter 35

"But Ethan Shaw won't give up on you." Remembering that man’s obsessive nature, Summer couldn't help but mutter "madman" under her breath.

"He is him, and I am me. It's useless even if he doesn't give up," Clara said firmly.

Summer watched her for a long time before saying softly, "I'm sorry."

Clara tilted her head toward her in surprise.

"Actually, when Ethan Shaw 'fell in love' with me back then, it was partly because of my deliberate guidance."

"Do you remember that bracelet you gave me in high school? The only reason Ethan spoke to me was because of that bracelet."

It had been so long that Clara didn't really remember the details, only the general style of the piece.

If she remembered correctly, her own had been lost in the accident where Ethan protected her.

"I liked him very much at the time. I have to say, it's no wonder we were friends; our tastes and the types we like are quite similar."

Clara didn't speak, quietly waiting for her to continue.

Summer spoke of her perspective like an outsider: "Later, when I realized I was just your shadow to him, I felt like I was sinking into a swamp. From that moment on, my feelings for Ethan changed. It was no longer pure affection; I became obsessed, as if I wanted to tie him down."

"I did many bad things during that process. I want to apologize to you."

Clara’s fingertips curled slightly, her tone sounding somewhat relieved. "There is no wrong in liking someone, and no wrong in loving someone."

Summer’s eyes turned slightly red, and her voice became lighter. "After you left, I pestered him for a long time, but he was truly cold. Later, I met my husband. He is a truly good man, and from him, I finally understood what real love is."

"Congratulations," Clara said, her throat feeling dry.

"The day I decided to give up on Ethan Shaw, I told myself: 'Instead of existing in his life with an ugly face, it's better to pursue a brand new life with a peaceful mind.'"

Summer’s words left Clara silent, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

"Actually, I didn't come to you to talk about how well I'm doing or how hard the road was. Clara, I wanted to tell you a few things—call it a way to make up for the trouble I caused back then."

Clara’s heart stirred as Summer continued, "You probably don't know, but in many small details between Ethan and me, I could feel that he only treated me as the version of you in his memory."

"I remember you really like eating mushrooms, right? Every time Ethan ate with me, he would order them, even though I don't like them at all."

"And the gifts he gave me were always wrapped in light purple paper. You are the one who likes light purple."

"He treated me as a person in his memory; he never truly liked me."

As Summer said this, her heart seemed to find complete peace.

"He only likes you."

Even after Clara returned to the Tang house and sat on her bed, those words continued to echo in her ears.

Ethan Shaw rarely made promises to her, and Clara rarely asked for them.

From the day they joined the rescue team, their lives were at stake, and their future was uncertain.

But on the night of graduation, a slightly tipsy Ethan was uncharacteristically emotional. He repeatedly sought confirmation from Clara: "Cece, we'll always be together, right?"

Clara patiently assured him, but he asked over and over again.

Finally, just as Clara reached the limit of her patience, he pulled her into a tight embrace and promised, "Cece, I will only ever like you."

Chapter 36

That night, Clara tossed and turned in her dreams. Many memories she thought she had forgotten began to come flooding back.

The past she had deliberately tried to forget with Ethan Shaw surged through her mind, perhaps because her neural activity was becoming exhausted.

The next day, when Clara woke up, she had a splitting headache.

She struggled out of bed, and as soon as she reached the living room, she heard her mother arguing with her father.

"I don't agree! Why should she?" Mrs. Tang’s eyes were red with anger.

Clara stood to the side, completely unable to understand the cause of the argument.

Mr. Tang looked solemn, reaching out to comfort his wife, but Mrs. Tang pushed his hand away.

Mrs. Tang turned around and caught sight of Clara standing in the doorway. She wiped the corners of her eyes, then remembered that Clara couldn't see.

She adopted a soft voice and walked toward Clara. "Cece, why are you up so early today?"

"Did you and Dad have a fight? Why?" Clara asked, confused. In her memory, her parents rarely argued.

At the question, Mrs. Tang’s eyes grew even redder.

The reason for the fight was that Marcus had called early that morning, saying he had found an internationally renowned doctor willing to "attempt" surgery on Clara.

But how could Mrs. Tang allow the word "attempt" to be associated with Clara’s surgery? She couldn't accept it at all.

No matter how Marcus explained it to her, she couldn't take any risks. Moreover, the surgery was on the skull—if even the slightest mistake was made, it would cost Clara her life.

If it were herself, she might have the courage. But Clara was the child she had carried for ten months; she had grown up cherished and pampered. Her blindness was heartbreaking enough, but Mrs. Tang was still grateful—grateful that she was alive.

However, this surgery might come at the cost of Clara’s life. Mrs. Tang didn't want to bear such a massive risk at all.

Marcus and Mr. Tang also couldn't bear it, but they both wanted to ask for Clara’s opinion.

Yet Mrs. Tang knew her daughter too well. Once Clara knew about this opportunity, she would definitely agree.

Mrs. Tang reached out to touch Clara’s head and pulled her into a tight hug. "Sweetheart, you are healthy now, and Mom is truly content." Even if things stayed this way forever, it didn't matter—Mrs. Tang’s heart remained firm.

Mr. Tang’s lips moved, but he swallowed his words under his wife's sharp gaze.

Clara hugged her mother back, sensing her mother's uneasy emotions.

"Is my brother coming back soon?" Clara asked, awkwardly changing the subject.