"Becca, the matter with Jennifer Douglas didn’t actually create much of a rift between him and me, but while dealing with Jennifer Douglas’s issue, it made both of us realize there are many problems between us..."

"What kind of problems?"

"I can’t quite articulate it. It’s just that I always feel like there’s something missing between us. Even though we’re so close, it feels like we’re very far apart. We can no longer reach the trust and tacit understanding we once had."

"That’s because you both missed thirteen years..."

"Yes," Christine Quinn sighed softly. "These thirteen years have changed so much. Neither of us realized it, but we are no longer the people we were thirteen years ago..."

"But when you love someone, you don’t care what they have become."

"That’s true, but when you realize that the person you love no longer shares the trust and understanding from thirteen years ago, and you can’t recapture those feelings of affection, you start to see that the years you’ve missed were not just lost time, but also those initial beautiful moments."

"Sis, I can’t understand what you’re saying..."

Christine Quinn smiled gently at her concerned sister. "To put it simply, we love each other very much, but only when we got back together did we realize we were no longer the same people we were thirteen years ago."

"As long as your feelings haven’t changed, those lost beautiful moments can still be found..."

Christine shook her head and sighed lightly, "I’m afraid we can never find them again... The woman he loved so dearly thirteen years ago was a simple, kind-hearted girl, completely different from the dark and complex person I am now..."

"But brother-in-law doesn’t care about those things... I’ve seen how well he treats you these days."

"He is really good to me, but didn’t you notice how cautious he is when he’s with me?"

Rebecca Quentin said, "Being cautious is normal. After all, it was tough for him to find you again. He’s afraid you might leave him again!"

"Becca, I don’t want this kind of cautiousness, do you understand?" Christine Quinn looked at Rebecca with bright eyes, her voice slightly agitated. "Now, what I feel from him is that he seems compelled to please me, to be with me, and that he’s not following his true feelings..."

"Sis, now I understand what you mean... You’re saying that brother-in-law doesn’t truly love the person you are now; it’s just that you’ve been his deepest love hidden in his heart for so many years, and he can’t let go of you, but being with you feels exhausting..."

Christine nodded, "So, I’m giving him time to think and consider carefully whether he wants to be with a me who is so different from the one thirteen years ago..."

"If brother-in-law chooses you now because of that love from over a decade ago, then you do need to think carefully. After all, being together is a matter of all my life, and if it feels tiring to force it, it will only make you both unhappy."

"On the other hand..." Christine paused, as if adjusting her inner emotions, then continued, "I also want to use this time to reflect on whether I’ve been too selfish."

Rebecca Quentin immediately clutched Christine’s hand, her voice laden with concern and reproach, "You’re worried about your health again?"

Christine’s gaze gradually dimmed. "His life has so many more years, while my days are numbered. Even if we find those lost beautiful moments and come together again, I can’t be with him until we’re old and gray... At first, I wanted to deceive myself, not think about this problem, hoping to go as far as I could with him. But it wasn’t until a few days ago when he mentioned marriage, wishing to hold a wedding in Italy with me, that I realized, how could I be so selfish? If I leave this world the day after our wedding, what will happen to him? Would he end up living alone for the rest of his life because of this? No, I don’t want him to live that kind of life, and I don’t want to see him waste his life on me... But if I’m ultimately going to leave his side, why should I continue to take up his time? I’ve already taken up half of his life, do I want him to remember me all his life even after death?"

"So this is the real reason you decided to separate from brother-in-law for a while... You don’t want to waste brother-in-law’s time, especially when you feel that brother-in-law loves the person you were thirteen years ago."

Christine swallowed the bitterness in her throat, "I’ve already decided... In a month, if he comes to tell me that he still loves me, I’ll tell him about my illness and let him make the choice. If he thinks it through and feels we are not suited to be together anymore, I’ll give him back his time, so he can start a new life..."

Rebecca tightened her grip on Christine’s hand, her voice choked with emotion, "Sis, you’re so foolish, do you know that? Everything you’ve said to me now is all for brother-in-law, but you haven’t considered yourself at all..."

"I’m almost dying, what should I consider for myself..."

"You’re silly... Brother-in-law meeting you is the luckiest thing in his life."

Christine smiled, but there was a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

The ringtone of her phone broke the silence of the moment.

Christine took out her phone, sniffed, and composed herself.

Rebecca asked with concern, "Brother-in-law?"

Christine shook her head, "It’s someone from an auction house."

"Auction house?"

Christine took a deep breath, then pressed the answer button, speaking in a gentle tone, "Hello."

"Hello, Mrs. Jones, I am from XX Auction House..."

"I know. Is this about the bracelet auction?"

"Yes, Mrs. Jones, the purple diamond bracelet you gave us to auction yesterday and intended to donate the proceeds directly to charity, was sold this morning."

Christine was slightly surprised, "So soon?"

The person on the other end said, "Yes, we didn’t expect the bracelet to be auctioned so smoothly, and it was sold for eighty million." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Eighty million?" Christine was shocked. "Wasn’t the bracelet only valued at a maximum of thirty million? Skyler Jones initially purchased it for fifty million, which was already extravagant, and now someone is willing to pay eighty million for it; it seems a bit unbelievable."

"Yes, Mrs. Jones, a bidder indeed bought the bracelet for eighty million, and it’s a one-time offer."

"Alright, I understand. Please donate the money to the charity according to this amount!"

"Okay then, Mrs. Jones, if you have time this afternoon, please come to us to complete the donation procedure..."

"Alright, I’ll be there this afternoon."

"Mrs. Jones, your contribution to charity is greatly appreciated. On behalf of those vulnerable groups who will soon benefit from your kindness, I extend my deepest gratitude to you. Goodbye."