Chapter 2 Is That True?

• "Didn't you write Camelia a love letter the year we graduated high school and ask Rachel to pass it on for you?"
• The old classmate, emboldened by alcohol, ignored Camelia's attempts to stop him and finally let out something that had disgusted him for years.
• "Back then, Rachel told us Camelia rejected your confession and was leaving for overseas a week later. After that, Rachel started chasing you, and the rest of us just forgot about it. But Ken, we were all fooled by Rachel. Camelia says she never even saw that letter!"
• It was the first time Kenneth had ever heard this secret. His eyes trembled with disbelief.
• "Camelia, is that true?" Kenneth turned to her for confirmation, though doubt still lingered in his voice.
• Camelia hesitated before nodding slightly. "I really didn't see it. If I had gotten your letter back then, I never would've left. But don't start a fight with Rachel over this. It's been so many years, maybe it's best to let it go."
• She tried to force a smile, but the bitterness behind it was obvious.
• She told him not to dwell on it, but that expression alone was enough to make anyone around them feel a deep sense of injustice on her behalf.
• The other classmates couldn't contain their frustration any longer, itching to knock some sense into Kenneth.
• "You've misunderstood Camelia all these years! It wasn't because she looked down on the Johnson family after the bankruptcy. Rachel sabotaged you two! She wanted to have you all to herself after Camelia left. Wake up, man! Camelia waited for you all these years, and you went and married Rachel? Do you know how much that must've hurt her?"
• The noise blurred Kenneth's thoughts into chaos.
• I clenched my hands tightly.
• When Kenneth first found out Camelia was leaving, he fell into despair for a long time. It was me who stayed by his side, helping him through the hardest three years of his life.
• But no matter how much resentment he had toward Camelia, or how close we were to getting married now, I couldn't deny the truth that Camelia had always been his first love, the girl who held a permanent place in his heart.
• Now, with this so-called truth shoved into his mind, even that old resentment seemed to fade.
• In his heart, it wasn't hard to imagine what he believed now. If I hadn't gotten in the way, he and Camelia could have been together from the start.
• Now that I was gone, nothing stood between them rekindling what they had lost.
• In the chaos swirling around me, I watched as Kenneth reached out and took Camelia's hand. His eyes met hers, filled with regret.
• "Camelia, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you all this time."
• Their hands clasped together like a signal, lighting a fire in the room.
• The cheers from the classmates exploded, as if they had just witnessed a perfect ending.
• "I knew Ken still had feelings for Camelia! It's never too late to make things right."
• "You didn't even marry Rachel yet. Just break it off with her already. You can't let Camelia's wait be for nothing!"
• Their shouting was deafening, splitting my head with pain.
• Kenneth's lips moved, trembling as if he was saying something, but I couldn't hear a word.
• All I could see were their hands, tightly intertwined, and a coldness spread through me, cutting straight to the bone.
• Kenneth didn't even try to ask for my side of the story. He just took Camelia's words as the truth.
• She never saw the letter? She lies!
• I remembered the way Kenneth's eyes had filled with shy hope when he asked me to deliver that letter for him. The hope in his gaze had sliced through my heart like a blade.
• But I didn't want to disappoint him, so I gave the letter to Camelia.
• She didn't even read it.
• Without a second glance, she ripped the envelope apart with the letter still inside, her face twisted in disgust.
• "Tell Kenneth there's no chance between us. The Quinn family would never let me marry into a bankrupt family. He's dreaming if he thinks we could be together. I'm leaving for overseas next week, tell him to give up and stop bothering me."
• There was no trace of the kind, gentle Camelia she showed to everyone else. Her eyes were ice-cold, as if Kenneth, her childhood friend, was no more than a stranger.
• Staring at the shredded pieces of those love letters, I couldn't help but imagine how much it would hurt Kenneth when he finally learned the truth.
• When I went back to relay Camelia's words, I even softened them, making them sound less cruel than they really were.
• Even so, Kenneth sank into despair for a long time.
• I stayed by his side, helping him rebuild the Johnson family business from nothing, pulling him out of his darkest days. Through it all, I never left him.
• Back then, it was Camelia who didn't want Kenneth. But now that he had made his comeback and regained his strength, she returned and twisted the truth with a few words, leaving me to take the blame.
• Kenneth, how could you believe her so easily?
• The killer was right. My taste in men was truly pathetic.
• As for why Camelia wanted me dead, I had my own suspicions.
• It wasn't just about stealing Kenneth from me. The real reason was that I had uncovered her secret that was big enough to destroy her completely.
• ...
• By the time the welcome party ended, it was past two in the morning. Everyone was drunk and had already called drivers to take them home.
• As the only woman left, Camelia naturally ended up being pushed into Kenneth's arms by their old friends, who made him promise to get her home safely.
• As the cold wind blew, Camelia shivered and leaned in closer to Kenneth.
• "Back then, we were all so young. Maybe Rachel just loved you too much, so don't hold it against her," Camelia murmured softly. "Also, just treat what everyone said tonight as a joke. I only came back to see you one last time. Knowing you're happy is enough for me. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I ruined your marriage."
• Her words made Kenneth's guilt run even deeper.
• Seeing his old flame, eyes shimmering with unshed tears, stirred something buried deep inside him.
• He couldn't hold back anymore. Pulling her into his arms, his voice low and thick with regret, he whispered, "Camelia, I can't end my engagement so easily, but I swear, I'll make this right."
• After a brief embrace, Kenneth let her go and took out his phone, dialing back the missed call from me.
• I sat on the steps, watching him call me with anger blazing in his eyes.
• At that moment, the man I had spent six years with felt like a complete stranger.
• All my years of devotion couldn't outweigh a few sweet words from her.
• Of course, the call didn't go through.
• I was already lying dead in some desolate field, thrown away by Camelia's hired killer. How could I possibly answer?
• "Didn't Rachel pick up?"
• Camelia leaned closer, her brows furrowed in fake concern. After a moment's hesitation, she sighed. "Actually, there's something I didn't tell you... I confronted Rachel a week ago when I first found out about all this. I wanted to make peace, and I even invited her to the welcome party tonight. I don't know why she didn't come. Maybe she's just afraid of being exposed and doesn't dare answer your calls."
• Her fake sympathy nearly made me laugh out loud.
• Why didn't I come to the party? Why couldn't I answer the phone? Camelia, no one should know better than you.
• I was already dead. She could spin the story however she liked now because no one would be able to expose her lies.