Chapter 113 Chapter 113

Chapter 113 Chapter 113
Mrs. Briona looked at her daughter with heartache. "This is Vince’s decision, but if you look this sad in front of him, I think he’ll only feel worse. Serenity, I hope you can understand."

Serenity looked at her mother, tears streaming down her face. "Vince is abandoning us... is that really true, Mom. He’s going away alone, just throwing away his happiness like that. A happiness that was so hard to find."

"Serenity, did you suspect this would happen?"

"I had a bad feeling about it, but I... I just couldn't accept it yet."

Having said that, Serenity rushed out the door, disappearing into the falling night.

Mrs. Briona called Adele. "Hello, Adele. It’s Serenity’s mother. She just ran out in a fit of anger. Could you help me find her?"

"I understand, Ma'am. As soon as I have news of Serenity, I’ll call you."

Adele hung up and called Tony. Both of them immediately drove off to search. Meanwhile, Serenity sat alone on a swing in a park near the house. The creaking of the swing in the darkness sounded like her own muffled sobs. She remembered the things Vince had said, the promises she had cherished like treasure.

I had thought about the possibility of him having to leave, but somewhere deep in my heart, I truly believed in his promise.

In her memory, Vince’s voice rang out warmly. "I only wish for the people I love to be by my side. That’s enough."

At the time, she had asked. "You wish for the people you love to be by your side... does that include me?"

And he had answered without a second’s hesitation. "Of course it does."

Serenity buried her face in her hands and sobbed in the empty park.

I’m still waiting, waiting for Vince to choose me. Will he stay for my sake, or will happiness never smile upon me in the end? The promise made that day was real, but the departure today is also real. Is it possible that love simply cannot defeat fate?

Under the dim streetlights, the figure of the small girl on the swing looked utterly lonely, like a final petal trying to cling to the branch before the storm.

—

Adele and Tony were on edge. They had split up, weaving through every narrow alleyway in the city. When they met back at their rendezvous point, both were panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

"Adele, what happened with Serenity. She never turns off her phone or disappears without a trace like this." Tony asked, his voice thick with worry.

Adele wiped the sweat from her brow. "Don't even talk about it. We need to find her fast. Aunt Briona is desperately waiting for news. I’m afraid she’ll do something foolish."

"Then let’s keep looking." The two of them set off running once more.

At that moment, Vince was on his way home when he suddenly slammed on the brakes. He had spotted a small, familiar figure sitting lonely on a park bench. He got out of the car and walked toward her, step by step. "Serenity."

Serenity stood up, her eyes red as she turned to look at him. Then, acting on instinct, she ran to the side of the man she loved most. "I already know about it."

Vince felt guilty, yet his decision remained unshakable. "I intended to tell you when I got home. I wanted to apologize before I left."

"Really. You’re truly going." Her question was like a final plea.

"I’ve made up my mind. I want to start a new life with my mother, so I’ve decided to go to Japan with her and Ashton." Vince looked at her tenderly, but the gaze was now bitter. "In truth, I don't have to suffer her or hate her. But I believe these things will define our new relationship."

Serenity sobbed, her hand clutching the hem of his shirt. "Then will you come back?"

"I can't promise you anything right now. It could be one year, two years, or longer. I don't know how long it will be."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Serenity wept uncontrollably, her cries heart-wrenching in the empty park. "What am I supposed to do during all that time. I have to live in your house without you, in a place where happiness once existed but is now only cold and lonely."

Vince closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "I’m sorry for being so selfish. I said I would always be by your side, but I couldn't do it."

"Stop apologizing. I don't want to hear those words anymore." She screamed in agony.

"Aside from 'I’m sorry,' I don't know what else to say to you. I..."

"Vince, you’re a bastard." Adele’s shout cut him off. She and Tony had been standing there, overhearing every heartless word. Adele rushed to Serenity’s side, her eyes flashing with rage at Vince. "Can a simple apology just brush away every promise. How can you be so selfish?"

Tony couldn't contain his anger. He lunged forward and grabbed Vince by the collar, hissing every word. "You were the one who took Serenity back from me and stepped into her life. You were the one who forced her to love you and promised to overcome every obstacle with her. You said you’d never give up. So why are you giving up now?"

"No," Vince replied curtly, his face as stoic as stone.

"Then why are you leaving her to go to Japan?"

Vince reached a peak of cruelty and replied, "Just consider that Serenity once met a complete bastard."

Tony was stunned, tightening his grip on Vince’s collar. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Vince is right." Serenity spoke up suddenly, her voice calm. "He was a bastard from the beginning, so he doesn't need to be responsible to anyone."

"Serenity, why are you being like this?" Adele cried out in distress.

Serenity gave a faint laugh, though tears still rolled down her cheeks. "Perhaps I should be. Throughout our journey together, he was always the one controlling my heart. Every decision meant I had to follow him. It’s the same now. It’s his decision, and I should just accept it happily, like accepting a preordained fate."

Adele was furious on her friend's behalf. "Serenity, you’re being too kind. Are you just going to resign yourself to this? Why don't you fight back? Why aren't you angry, or why don't you do something like hit him just to vent your spite?"

Tony looked at Vince with contempt. "Look at what you’re doing to Serenity. While her feelings haven't changed at all, you... How could you change so much? Going to Japan for a family reunion. Why don't you think about it? Even without you, your mother still has Ashton. She isn't living alone. But what about Serenity? Without you, she’ll be alone in this world. Do you understand that?"