Chapter 65 Someone Else's Wedding
Ethan was wearing a sky-blue shirt today, paired with white casual pants and beautifully crafted leather loafers—he looked fresh and clean.
The moment he appeared, the classmates who'd been chatting around Matilda immediately shifted their attention to him, especially the women.
Back in school, the girls had been much shyer, but after years of real-world experience, plus being surrounded by old classmates, their excitement made them bold enough to say anything.
"Ethan, you were absolutely gorgeous back then! We secretly voted in our dorm for the hottest guy in school, and half of us picked you."
"But then you suddenly transferred and didn't even come to graduation. Did something happen with your family?"
"I used to love watching you play basketball on the court..."
Ethan smiled as he answered their questions. "Yeah, my family ran into some sudden issues and I had to move overseas with them... It was a pretty rough time, and I wasn't adjusting well to the new environment, so I lost touch with everyone."
"Oh my God, life abroad must have been really hard for you then?" Lally said in surprise.
Ethan glanced at Matilda, then said loud enough for her to hear, "Living under someone else's roof overseas wasn't exactly ideal. But things are better now—I can develop my own career and pursue the lifestyle I want, so I came back."
Hearing this, Matilda felt her chest tighten with an inexplicable discomfort.
...
The ceremony began, and Matilda sat at a table with their old classmates. Ethan joined them shortly after.
With old friends reunited, most conversation centered on school memories.
Mid-conversation, someone suddenly asked, "I remember Ethan and Matilda were neighbors, right? You used to walk home together all the time."
Everyone turned to look at them.
Matilda nodded openly. "Yeah, we were neighbors, but after he moved abroad, we lost contact."
A male classmate started teasing, "So you both showing up today... is there some story here?"
"Of course not," Matilda said immediately. "I was married. Just got divorced last week."
The moment she finished speaking, everyone at the table froze, creating a brief awkward silence.
Married and divorced—Matilda's life had certainly been eventful.
Matilda suddenly felt she shouldn't have come—showing up to someone's wedding right after your divorce seemed inappropriate.
Fortunately, the classmates didn't dwell on it. Lally smiled and said, "Marriage is for happiness, and so is divorce. Today's a celebration—cheers!"
Just then, the bride on stage was about to throw her bouquet. To lighten the mood, classmates swarmed over to catch it.
Matilda didn't join in, and neither did Ethan.
But Matilda's gaze stayed fixed on the couple onstage. Their blissful smiles gradually brought tears to her eyes.
She thought of Wentworth again.
She didn't know why he suddenly came to mind, but she couldn't help it.
Ethan noticed her expression—she'd barely looked at him all evening, but now she was watching the newlyweds and crying, clearly moved by the scene.
If she cared that much about that man, why had she said those cruel things? Claiming she'd never had feelings for him?
...
After the wedding ended, Ethan couldn't help asking, "Matty, are you heading home? We're going the same way—want to ride with me?"
Matilda shook her head. "Since you're going home, go ahead. I want to do some shopping at the mall."
"Want me to drive you?"
"No need, I'll just grab a cab."
A yellow taxi happened to be parked ahead. Matilda said goodbye to him and got in.
Ethan watched the cab gradually disappear into traffic.
...
Half a month passed peacefully.
Summer was winding down. After several autumn showers, the weather was getting pleasantly cool.
Matilda had mostly adjusted her emotional state and stopped making absent-minded mistakes. Occasionally during quiet nights, she'd think of Wentworth, but instead of forcing herself to forget, she'd silently wish him well and hope for his happiness.
One day in late September, the hospital's internal email sent out a notice—they were looking for doctors to participate in a rural medical assistance program in remote counties. There were benefits: career advancement opportunities upon return, and in some states, doctors' children would get priority for public school admissions.
Matilda was sitting in the hospital cafeteria eating lunch when she read it.
Many doctors discussed the notice:
"I heard it's mountain towns with harsh conditions—unstable cell service, driving hours just to see a patient."
"And it's a year and a half commitment. Your family could fall apart by the time you get back. I'd rather push my kids to study harder than rely on that priority status."
"This kind of work suits young, single doctors."
"But young doctors need to date too. Even the single ones are busy looking for partners—who wants to go?"
Becoming a practicing physician typically required four years of undergraduate study, four years of medical school, then at least three to seven years of residency training. By the time you could practice independently, you were usually close to thirty, so most people were focused on starting families.
Going to a place like that for over a year might leave you disconnected from city life when you returned, so nobody wanted to go.
Only Matilda quietly stared at the email.
She was different from the others—her childhood dream had always been to leave Phoenix City.
In high school, she'd studied frantically and gotten into an out-of-state university, but job hunting after graduation was rough, forcing her back to Phoenix City.
She still wanted to leave.
But going to a remote area wasn't a small decision—she felt it needed careful consideration.
...
That evening, just as Matilda finished with her last patient, she heard someone loudly calling her name outside: "I want to see Matilda!"
That voice sounded like Brianna!
Why was she here again?
Matilda felt her scalp prickle with dread.
Brianna was strong—soon the examination room door was forcefully pushed open.
Brianna barged in immediately demanding, "I heard you moved back?"
"Yes," Matilda said warily.
"Didn't you move in with your new boyfriend? What happened this time—did he dump you?"
"That's my business, nothing to do with you."
"You're my daughter, so it is my business!"
This time, Brianna abandoned her usual aggressive approach and went for emotional manipulation. "Matty, I've always told you—you're unlucky in love, always meeting bad men and losing money in the end. When you moved in with that boyfriend, did you lose both your dignity and your savings? When I heard the news, my heart ached. Such a beautiful girl—why do you keep meeting scumbags?"
Matilda could sense she was scheming something.
Sure enough, Brianna started sighing, though her eyes held no tears.
"You're my flesh and blood, part of me. I only couldn't take care of you because I had a new family. I've regretted it all these years. But we're mother and daughter—blood relatives. I still love you."
Matilda felt goosebumps all over from the discomfort.
Brianna continued, "Life's been hard for me lately. That video got your father and me pelted with rotten eggs on the street, and his driving school barely has any students left. Now that income's tight, I was thinking—your money's just sitting there benefiting other people anyway, so maybe you could lend me some..."