Emptiness is all that remains 3

Shawn felt that Candace had changed, but he couldn’t identify which part of her had changed exactly. He gave the silver necklace a thorough cleaning before handing it to Yelena. “This is my most precious necklace. It’s yours now.” “Shawn, I think Candace is angry. You should hurry home,” Yelena advised gently. “What does her being angry have to do with me?” Shawn asked. “Let’s go!” … The clock on the wall struck midnight, but Shawn still hadn’t returned home. The Candace of the past would have called everyone close to him to ask about his whereabouts before asking them to tell him to come home. After all, Shawn had undergone two craniotomies. His body wouldn’t be able to handle it if he stayed up too late. Currently, Candace was busy going through her belongings and had no time to waste on people who didn’t matter to her. She ordered her maid, Lisa Fairview, to get rid of all the presents she had given Shawn over the past few years. There were enough items to fill five big boxes, which included watches that were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, paintings, and 136 haute couture suits. There were also 238 love letters that Shawn had written for her in the past. Candace had once tried to use these letters to jog Shawn’s memory, to make him recall the love he once had for her. She never expected her roommate, Yelena, to plot against her behind the scenes and delay her trip to the hospital to visit Shawn. When she finally made it to the hospital with the love letters clutched in her hand, Shawn, who had just regained consciousness, had been holding Yelena’s hand tightly. His eyes overflowed with affection when he said, “Lena, I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life. I’m going to make you the movie queen of this generation!” Candace had been shocked and upset. She tried to use the love letters and silver necklace to prove her identity to Shawn. However, she was only met with his cold suspicion. “You’re such a malicious woman. How dare you steal the love letters I wrote for Yelena and change the recipient to yourself? “You even went so far as to get the same tattoo that I have over my heart and steal the silver necklace I gave to Yelena. You’re the worst of the worst!” The man who had once loved her so deeply had fallen for Yelena’s lies. The only feelings he had for Candace at that moment were disgust and disdain. No matter how hard his friends tried to explain the truth to him, Shawn was convinced that Candace was deliberately trying to steal Yelena’s rightful position from her. He even told his friends that if they continued to stand up for Candace, he would sever his friendship with them. Candace recalled how she had chased after Shawn for the last eight years. Tears welled in her eyes and turned her vision blurry when she remembered the endless waiting and how she had to endure his biting insults. If Shawn truly loved her, why would he have no recollection of her? Why would he mistake another woman for his girlfriend? Why would he hurt her so much and have no trust in her? The bottom line was that Shawn’s love for her wasn’t strong enough, which was why he had been so easily deluded by Yelena. Candace suppressed the bitterness in her heart as she removed her wedding ring and threw it into the trash. She then poured gasoline all over the discarded items. Lisa retrieved the ring from the trash and said urgently, “Mrs. Hamilton, Mr. Hamilton personally crafted this lily-shaped wedding ring for you when he was 16. You can’t throw this away! “He also cherished the gifts and love letters once upon a time. If you burn them all, he won’t be able to take them back. I beg you to give Mr. Hamilton more time. He loves you so much, so he’ll definitely regain his memories!” “It doesn’t matter to me if Shawn regains his memories or not. I don’t want him anymore.” Candace tossed the lit-up lighter atop the clothes. “The Shawn whom I loved died when he was 16. He’s never coming back.” The rising flames were reflected in Candace’s cold but clear gaze. An all-encompassing despair swirled within her eyes, but there were also glimmers of hope for the future. In 62 hours, Candace was going to take Jamie with her and disappear. She wasn’t going to leave a single thing behind for Shawn.