Chapter 3 First Love

That certain girl had such a radiant smile, and it was the only source of light in Elijah's dark days fifteen years ago.

At that time, the Stephens family hadn't accepted him yet, and he had been living a hard life with his mother. Back then, his mother wasn't in a good mental state and often lost control of herself like a madwoman. His peers always mocked him for not having a father and for having such a crazy mother.

During the day, he'd attend school, whilst at night, he'd work several part-time jobs to support himself and his mother. Day in and day out, he had to work hard until midnight to finally put his feet up and enjoy his late dinner—a bowl of instant noodles.

Who would've thought that the second son of the prestigious Stephens family would live a very hard life?

He was trampled underfoot like mud, and it was only natural that he felt nothing but despair. But one day, a young girl appeared.

She saved him from the darkness.

He still remembered her sweet scent when she got close to treat his wounds. He still remembered how soft her voice was when she asked him if it hurt.

The girl had a dark red birthmark on her back, shaped like a beautiful blooming rose.

He was fifteen years old back then. It was his first time having a crush on someone, and those feelings never changed over the years.

Thinking of this, bitterness filled Elijah's eyes. He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white, his nails digging into his palms.

Because later on, that girl had drowned at sea.

When her dead body was fished out of the sea, her face had been horrifically disfigured after being soaked in the salt water for so long. However, he immediately recognized the white cotton dress she was wearing.

Every time he recalled this scene, Elijah's heart ached, as though an invisible pair of hands was squeezing the life out of it.

He subconsciously took a step forward and tried to get a closer look at the birthmark on Kaylee's back, but at this time, Kaylee put the veil back on, and it covered her back.

Kaylee held his hand and strode forward. In a daze, Elijah followed her without thinking.

It wasn't until Elijah was dragged into the wedding venue that he came to his senses. His usual frivolous expression was gone, and his face was unusually serious.

He couldn't help but start to ask, "Are you—"

But before he could get another word out, Kaylee cut him off. "Just finish the wedding procedures as soon as possible, and then you can go back to whatever you were doing."

Elijah fixed his eyes on the veiled Kaylee, trying to find any trace of his first love.

But he got nothing.

His sharp eyes made Kaylee feel a little uncomfortable. Scalp tingling, she frowned slightly.

All of a sudden, Elijah came to his senses and forced a smile. "You saw her dead body with your own eyes," he told himself. "What the hell is wrong with you? How could this woman be her?"

Elijah stood still all throughout the wedding ceremony.

After they exchanged the wedding rings, the ceremony was officially over. Since it was impossible for the two to kiss, they skipped that part and directly started the lunch.

Ever since Elijah had shown up, Gemma couldn't stop staring at his handsome face, her eyes filled with disbelief and jealousy.

She didn't expect that the second son of the Stephens family would be so handsome. Her bitch of an adopted sister was so lucky!

What pissed Gemma off the most was the idea that Kaylee lived a better life than her, which was why she was always so determined to ruin her life. Now that she saw how handsome Kaylee's husband was, she made up her mind to marry an even better, more handsome man.

Gemma had come here today to see the Reynolds family, who were also attending the wedding.

The Reynolds family and the Stephens family were both top clans in Atheton. But in comparison, the Reynolds family was much more powerful than the Stephens family in every aspect.

If she could marry into the Reynolds family, then she'd become a real rich lady.

When the lunch was about to end, Keegan Reynolds, the head of the Reynolds family, climbed onstage and gave a speech.

He enjoyed high prestige and commanded universal respect in Atheton. Naturally, he was the most suitable person to make the speech.

But to everyone's surprise, as soon as he started speaking, he suddenly turned pale and started clutching at his chest. The next moment, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell down in a heap.

Chaos broke loose.

The members of the Stephens family panicked and hurried to call the most famous doctor in Atheton to check on Keegan.

Just as everyone was anxiously waiting for the result, the doctor came out.

With a serious look on his face, he told them that Keegan's condition was very tricky, and that he had never dealt with a case like this before.

The doctor looked around at the anxious faces, at a loss as to what to do. "Mr. Reynolds' condition is only getting worse, but I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do about it."

Keegan's wife, Molly Reynolds, burst into tears. "Even the best doctor in Atheton can't save him. What're we going to do?"

Frowning, the doctor thought for a while and then cleared his throat. "There is someone known in the medical field as Tide. He specializes in all kinds of difficult and rare diseases. If you can get Tide to see Mr. Reynolds, there's a high possibility that he will be saved."

Molly's eyes lit up with hope. "That's wonderful! Where can we find Tide? I'll reach out to him now. I'm willing to pay whatever he asks!"

As soon as they mentioned the name "Tide", Kaylee coughed and scratched her neck uneasily.