Outside the operating room.

The Avery family had practically mobbed the area. Cassian Jennings stood there, surrounded, as they berated and struck him.

For three generations, the Avery family had only one granddaughter: Amelia Avery. Growing up, she was the little princess of the family, doted on and cherished—held in their hands for fear of being dropped, kept in their mouths for fear of melting.

Truly, whatever she wanted, everyone would do their utmost to get for her.

But on the matter of Cassian Jennings, the Avery family had refused to let Amelia have her way. They believed Amelia was just a child who didn’t understand anything about love. Even if she said she liked Cassian, it was just a fleeting impulse. They thought that with time, Amelia would slowly let go of her fixation.

But they never imagined Amelia’s obsession would go this far. Even after they sent her to Noridia, she had secretly run back, landing herself in her current state.

Other than "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry," Cassian Jennings had nothing else to say...

He didn’t know how many times he had apologized, nor how he was managing to endure this.

His body and soul were in deep torment...

Aiden Avery leaned against the door to the operating room. His eyes, intentionally or not, drifted to where Cassian Jennings was being reprimanded by his family. He clenched his fists, only to slowly relax them again.

He knew his own sister, of course. In this matter, he didn’t join his family in blaming or beating Cassian Jennings.

Though he didn’t blame him, that didn’t mean he would forgive Cassian Jennings.

In the end, it all started because of him.

When no one was paying attention, Aiden Avery pushed open the door and walked in.

At that moment, Amelia Avery’s wound was already stitched up. She lay quietly on the bed. As he approached, Amelia weakly opened her eyes. "Brother..."

"Amelia Avery, was it really necessary to hurt yourself over a man?"

"Brother, you know me. Once I’ve made a decision, I never turn back."

’Yes, once a decision is made, never turn back. That’s the Avery way of doing things.’ But now, he wished his sister’s personality could change just a little.

"So what do you plan to do now?"

"Brother, Amelia Avery is already dead!" ’Cassian doesn’t want her, doesn’t like her, so why should Amelia Avery still be alive??’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’The real Amelia Avery should have died at Cassian’s wedding. That would have been the best wedding gift she could give him.’

"Amelia, what are you planning to do?"

Amelia’s gaze was firm, her tone pained. "Brother, I want you to announce to the world that Amelia Avery is dead."

"Amelia..." Aiden Avery was shocked and scared.

"Brother, you don’t want to watch me die a second time, do you?"

"Fine. We’ll announce that you’re dead. But Amelia, you have to promise me that from now on, you will never think about Cassian Jennings again."

"Of course. The person who loved Cassian Jennings was Amelia Avery, not me." ’Isn’t Amelia Avery already dead?’

Aiden Avery waved a hand at the doctors standing to the side, signaling them to begin.

Half an hour later, the light above the operating room door went out. The attending physician walked out, his face etched with pain, and announced that the patient had missed the optimal window for treatment. Due to excessive blood loss, the rescue attempt had failed, and she had passed away.

The moment he heard those words, Cassian Jennings’s mind went blank. He felt the world go dark as he staggered back a few steps, slumping against the wall and kneeling on the floor.

The Avery family all rushed toward Cassian Jennings and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. If Fiona Vance hadn’t been there, constantly holding them back and shielding Cassian, he might have really been beaten to death right then and there.