Madame Camille never imagined.
One day, her most beloved Amiya would draw a sword at her, looking at her with such eyes.
"Die! Camille! Die!" Amiya roared, struggling to stab Camille.
Mobius frowned, forcefully snatching the knife from Amiya's hand.
Deprived of her blade, Amiya shrieked and lunged at Camille, her hands gripping Camille's throat as if determined to strangle her to death.
"Let go!" Mobius quickly reached out to pull Amiya away.
Amiya's eyes had turned red; she had completely lost her reason.
【Kill Camille!】
This thought consumed her entire being.
Camille clutched Amiya's wrist, unable to break free. The searing pain and pressure in her throat made it impossible to breathe.
Mobius's eyes also turned red.
So many times, he had tried so many times, and the outcome was always the same!
With nothing changing, what was the point of all these so-called struggles and perseverance?
Mobius raised his hand to strike the back of Amiya's neck.
Just then, the banquet hall's projector suddenly activated. After a burst of light, a man's voice emerged.
"Amiya."
Upon hearing this voice, Amiya seemed to finally regain her senses. She released all her strength, turned her head in a daze, and looked towards the projection screen.
"My Amiya... I don't know how to say this, but when you see this footage, I should... no longer be in this world."
On the screen, Gerona reached up and rubbed his head. "Honestly, I... I'm really not good at goodbyes. It seems besides painting, there's nothing I'm good at. I'm better at ruining everything."
"I couldn't save your mother's life, nor could I give you a happy and fulfilling childhood. I didn't give you a stable life, and I... I couldn't keep Camille either."
At this point, Gerona's voice choked. "I love her, and I know you love her too. I'm sorry, Dad did something foolish again."
"She clearly, clearly said she wouldn't stay for anyone and wouldn't develop any stable relationships. I, I still proposed to her, and I scared her away. I'm sorry..."
"I don't know how to explain to you after you come back, how to explain that someone you love has once again left us because of me, left our home. Just as I don't know how to explain... that I am leaving you too."
"Amiya, my daughter, I... I have never been a good father, I know."
"I've always known. I don't know what else I can do for you. My time is running out."
"I am very grateful for the last few years of my life, having Camille and you. These years have been incredibly happy for me."
"I messed it all up. I... I'm sorry!"
Gerona raised his hands and rubbed his face, his tone helpless. "I don't know what to say. I've recorded this segment so many times, I don't know what else to do."
"Listen, Amiya, what I want to tell you is that I left a suicide note for Camille, and one for you. I've already asked Camille to take care of you; she is an excellent artist."
"She is so wonderful, she... she possesses a talent and spirit that I can never match in my lifetime. Oh my... I can't believe such a woman once appeared in my life, accepted my love, and gave me equally beautiful moments. I love her. I truly love her. I love the way she looks in her red dress, I love the way she sways her body to music in my house wearing high heels, I love the way she immerses herself in art when she paints. When the light hits her, I always feel her beauty shouldn't even belong to this world. I... Of course, I love you too."
"Oh... I've strayed again. I'm really not good at this," Gerona pointed at the recording device in front of him. "Honestly, talking to this thing makes me feel so foolish, so incredibly foolish."
Gerona's words made Amiya laugh and brought tears to Camille's eyes.
This was her Gerona, their Gerona.
"Ahem, to make a long story short, this thing is about to run out of power," Gerona cleared his throat and continued. "Amiya, I hope you will live with Camille. She will give you the best care and will allow you to pursue art better."
"I wrote this in the suicide note to you as well, but I'm afraid you might feel hesitant to bother Camille, or because of my foolish actions, you might mistakenly believe Camille left me only after finding out I had this damned illness."
"No, she's great. She knows nothing. It was my rash proposal that scared her away. Oh God... I'm truly an idiot."
"Amiya, my daughter, I have so many things I want to tell you, but I'm really not good at it... Lastly, I want to tell you that I will always love you."
"And please tell Camille that I still love her. Having you both has been the greatest fortune of my life. Don't think my death is a terrible or bad thing; it's not. I am very happy."
"My heavens, I still feel like I'm dreaming. I have the cutest daughter in the world and the best lover. I am so lucky."
"Although the latter can only be considered as having had."
"Having, or having had..." Gerona tilted his head, seemingly still pondering the tense.
Amidst his deliberation, the machine finally ran out of power, emitting a beeping sound.
"Oh! No, no, no! It's out of power!" Gerona hurriedly leaned forward and kissed the machine, finally uttering two words: "Love you."
With that said, the screen froze on Gerona's enlarged face.
His lips curved upwards, revealing a wide smile, just like usual. His eyes showed no trace of the torment or emptiness left by his illness.
He was still that occasionally foolish, typical Spanish man, Gerona.
"Amiya," Camille finally felt her throat much more comfortable. "I looked for you many times... you took a leave of absence and moved. I couldn't reach you, but there wasn't a moment I gave up searching for you..."
"Camille, I... I don't know. The suicide note I received wasn't like this. I..." Amiya was also confused.
The suicide note she had received only contained pain and regret. It stated that Gerona's designs were plagiarized by Camille, that Camille had used him and then ruthlessly abandoned him, and that upon learning of his cancer, she had mocked and scorned him endlessly, even threatening his future with Amiya.