The bus was crowded and chaotic. Worried about pickpockets, Eulalia dared not close her eyes to rest. After a jarring 24-hour ride, she arrived in a small town. After briefly resting for a day, she continued her journey, hopping from place to place like a rabbit from one burrow to another. Two weeks later, she reached a village that was barely discernible on the map and rented an apartment near a school.The place had its pros and cons. The downside was the inconvenient transportation and the local dialect, which made communication difficult. However, Eulalia was adaptable and soon got used to these issues.The advantages were more significant: low cost of living, a mix of people that made it difficult to be found, and the fact that no identification was required to get things done. After paying her rent, Eulalia returned to her modest bedroom, which had only a wooden plank for a bed; she needed to buy a mattress and bedding.The house was not luxurious, but it was clean and not damp.
Eulalia went shopping again during the day, stocked up on some everyday stuff, and threw some fresh meat in the fridge to chill.The lady renting out the place to her is about thirty, with two kids. Eulalia hasn't talked to her much, but she seemed nice and friendly when they signed the contract.The landlady lives in the same building, which has five floors. Eulalia's on the third floor, and the landlady's up top.One day, she stopped by Eulalia's place, knocked on the door, and brought over some veggies from her garden.Eulalia accepted them and quickly checked her fridge to see if she had anything to give back.The landlady laughed and said, "Don't worry about it. It's just some veggies from my garden, not worth much. By the way, are you living alone?"She looked around the neat and tidy room that felt a bit too quiet."Yeah, just me."The landlady was curious but didn't pry since it's personal stuff. Still, she thought she should keep an eye on her from now on since living alone i
The landlady invited Eulalia in to sit on the sofa and poured her a glass of lemon water, which she placed on the coffee table."How have you been feeling these last few days? Are you uncomfortable?""Just a lack of appetite and a bit nauseous, other than that, I'm okay.""That's a normal reaction, but if you feel really bad, you should go see a doctor. When I was pregnant with my son, I also had no appetite for anything. My husband spent his days figuring out what to eat and took me out to distract me; it made me feel better. Oh, when I didn't feel like eating, I liked sour things, like lemon slices. Try this and see," she suggested, handing over the drink.Eulalia, touched and envious of the proprietor's words, admired the care she received from her husband and his consideration for her and their child. She tasted the lemon water, finding it pleasantly sweet and sour, and nodded, "It's delicious.""That's good, I enjoyed drinking it when I was pregnant too, but you can't drink too m
Early the next morning, Eulalia boarded the bus to the county town. Upon arriving, she took a taxi to the largest shopping mall in the area. This was her first visit to a mall since she had arrived in town, and she concealed the excitement trembling in her heart.Eulalia surveyed her surroundings while memorizing the route, searching for a jewelry store. After asking around, she finally found a shop where she could pawn jewelry. She glanced at the décor and then her eyes settled on the jewelry displayed behind the glass—too ordinary. She was unsure how to price them.It was only when a sales clerk saw her wandering around that he approached her and asked, “What kind of jewelry are you looking to pick out, miss?”Eulalia responded directly, “Is your boss here?”The clerk’s smile faltered slightly, subtly masking his concern—perhaps fearing she was there to return an item or cause trouble.“Our boss isn’t here, but the manager is.”“Could you please call the manager over? Thank you.”Th
“If youcan’t afford it, then I’ll have to look elsewhere,” Eulalia said as she had meticulously observed the jewelry store’s decor upon entering. It was unlikely they couldn’t come up with a million.“This necklace, nearly worth amillion, I’m sure there are other stores that can pay for it, like the jewelry just around the corner.”What Eulalia was sayingwas Mr. Louis’s competitor. Hearing this, hewas about to say something when Eulalia suddenly stood up.“Not to mention, using this necklace as a centerpiece could attract many customers, or even selling it in the city for millionswould net you a huge profit.As Eulalia spoke, she casually walked towards the exit, her nonchalant demeanor making Mr. Louiseven more anxious, sweat beading on his forehead.“Ms. Clearwater, pleas
Eulalia’s mind went blank with fright, and her phone nearly slipped from her hands and crashed to the ground.She quickly realized that there are many people with the same name in the world; this Trent might not be the one she knew.Besides, she had changed her phone number and her FB account.Eulalia didn’t dare accept the friend request, tossing her phone aside to continue with her tasks, hoping to dispel her unease.But the name "Trent" kept circling in her mind, making it impossible for her to concentrate on anything. By evening, she picked up her phone again to find that he had sent three friend requests, this time with a message.“Don’t recognize me anymore?”“Since you left Percival, would you consider me? I’m very interested in you.”There was no doubt now—it was Trent. How did he get her ID?Eulalia’s hands shook with nerves, her fingers trembling like those of someone with Parkinson's disease, the harsh light above making her eyes hurt.She finally clicked "accept."It seeme
“Meow~”The eight-month-old Ragdoll cat had grown to weigh about 10 kilograms. Ms. Hayak had kept its fur spotless, and those blue eyes looked super well-behaved when staring at someone.Ragdoll cats are really friendly with people. Even faced with Percival, who always looks gloomy, the cat would still come over and rub her head against him, leaving her hair all over him before sauntering away leisurely.Right now, Percival was scrolling through photos of Eulalia on his phone, and the Ragdoll cat came over to peek, jumped onto the back of the sofa, and pawed at Percival’s shoulder.Percival, who once hated pets and wouldn’t even touch them, now didn’t mind at all being stepped on by the cat. He reached out to rub the cat’s head and then turned around, hugged the cat into his arms, and pointed at Eulalia’s photo on the phone, saying, “Soon, your mom will be back.”The Ragdoll cat nuzzled the phone and gave a soft meow.---“Eulalia, stop right there!”Eulalia didn’t dare to stop. She r
“When you told me that this child was an accident and shouldn’t have come into this world, I thought it was you who shouldn’t have been born. Your mother should have killed you in her womb, or taken you with her when she died,” Eulalia’s voice was icy.“You deserve to be parentless and unloved!”Words, such potent tools, can express love deeply but can also cut sharply when used to hurt someone, like a dagger that can stab and leave a person bleeding profusely.Once deeply in love, these two now pressured each other with the most venomous words. If she had a dagger in her hand, she would not hesitate to thrust it into his chest.Percival inhaled deeply, trying to calm his chaotic emotions, but it was futile; his blood felt frozen. The repressed feelings seemed to have no outlet.Had anyone else spoken to him like that, he would have slapped them hard, the kind that could cripple or kill.The death of his parents was a wound that never healed, even after so many years. Just thinking ab