Chapter 118: Why? Why?

~~~~~ Third-Person POV ~~~~~

Sylvia stepped out of the storage room and immediately leaned back against the door, her fingers still wrapped tightly around the doorknob.

She lowered her head.

Tears continued rolling down her cheeks, warm against her skin.

She didn’t wipe them away.

For several minutes, Sylvia remained there, completely still. Her breathing was uneven, and every attempt to calm herself only made the ache in her chest feel worse.

She pressed her lips together, trying to keep another sob from escaping.

It was useless.

The moment she closed her eyes, Amelia’s words replayed in her mind.

Let’s break up.

Those words hurt more than she wanted to admit.

Sylvia had spent so much time loving Amelia, caring for her, and believing they would stay together. She had never imagined that one day she would hear Amelia tell her that their relationship was over.

She finally pulled herself away from the door.

Her legs felt heavy as she walked toward the front entrance.

She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and dialed Venny’s number.

The call was answered almost immediately.

"Hey, little sis."

The moment she heard her brother’s familiar voice, Sylvia’s eyes burned again.

"I’m coming home now. Don’t allow anyone to go anywhere." Sylvia said as she pushed the front door open and stepped outside.

There was silence on the other end.

"What happened, sis? Are you crying?"

Venny tried to keep his voice calm, but there was a faint anger underneath it.

He had never liked hearing his sister sound hurt, and he had never seen her cry like this.

The thought that someone had made Sylvia cry made his chest tighten.

"I’m fine. I’ll be there soon." Sylvia replied.

Before Venny could ask anything else, she ended the call.

She slipped her phone back into her bag and walked through the gate.

A taxi was passing by.

Sylvia immediately raised her hand.

The driver noticed her and slowed down before stopping beside the road.

She opened the door and got inside. "Please take me to the Ashford Mansion."

"Okay, miss."

The taxi pulled away.

Sylvia leaned against the seat and stared out of the window.

She didn’t speak again.

The city continued moving around her. Cars passed by, people walked along the streets, and everything looked normal.

But to Sylvia, nothing felt normal anymore.

Her mind remained stuck on the same question.

Why did Amelia break up with me?

She lowered her gaze toward her hands.

She had loved Amelia.

She knew she had.

Maybe she had loved her too much.

After several minutes, the taxi finally arrived at the Ashford Mansion.

Sylvia paid the driver and stepped out.

She looked toward the gate.

Venny and Cleric were already waiting for her.

The moment Venny saw her, his expression changed.

He immediately ran toward her.

"Sis."

He pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping his arms firmly around her.

Sylvia’s lips curved into a small, tired smile.

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her face against his shoulder.

She didn’t say anything.

She didn’t need to.

Venny could already feel how fragile she was.

He held her tightly for a few moments before slowly pulling away.

His eyes moved over her face.

Her eyes were swollen and red.

He wanted to ask what Amelia had done. He wanted to demand an explanation.

But he knew his sister. She wasn’t ready to talk.

So instead, he gently took her by the wrist.

"Come inside."

Sylvia nodded.

They began walking toward the mansion.

Cleric stood near the entrance, watching them with a small, concerned smile.

He didn’t say anything either.

When they reached the door, Cleric pushed it open.

The three of them walked inside.

Everyone was already gathered in the living room.

Aldorin was dressed for work, his briefcase sitting beside him.

The moment Sylvia entered with Venny and Cleric, everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward her.

Venny had already told them what happened.

Still, seeing Sylvia’s swollen eyes made the situation feel much more serious.

Mrs. Ashford stood up immediately. Her expression softened.

She walked toward Sylvia and opened her arms. "Come here, baby."

Sylvia stared at her mother for a moment, and then she ran into her arms.

The instant Mrs. Ashford wrapped her arms around her, Sylvia’s remaining strength disappeared.

She broke down.

A sob escaped her throat as she buried her face against her mother’s shoulder.

Mrs. Ashford gently rubbed her back. "It’s okay, my baby."

Sylvia shook her head.

She couldn’t make herself stop crying. Her fingers tightened around the back of Mrs. Ashford’s clothes.

"Mom..." She said quietly.

Mrs. Ashford continued rubbing her back.

"I’m here."

"She broke up with me." Sylvia’s voice cracked. "She really broke up with me."

Her sobs became louder. Nobody in the room spoke.

They already knew who Sylvia was talking about.

Amelia.

There was no one else who could make Sylvia come home like this.

But what they couldn’t understand was why Amelia had broken up with her.

They all knew how much Sylvia loved Amelia.

Sylvia had always cherished her relationship with Amelia.

She had never hidden how important Amelia was to her, and now that relationship was gone.

Mrs. Ashford held her daughter even tighter. "It’s okay, baby."

Sylvia cried against her shoulder. It took several minutes before she finally managed to pull herself away.

She wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Her cheeks were wet, and her eyes were still red. She sniffed and looked around the room.

"Fine. Nobody is going anywhere."

Vastin raised an eyebrow.

"You will drink with me throughout today." Sylvia said.

"What?" Vastin immediately exclaimed.

He stared at her. "Little sis, your alcohol tolerance is very low. You will pass out after one sip."

"I don’t care," Sylvia said immediately with a small frown.

She turned toward Mrs. Lina, who was standing at the door. "Mrs. Lina, bring the best wine for me."

Aldorin crossed one leg over the other and leaned back against his seat.

He shook his head. He knew exactly where this was going.

Venny, however, suddenly laughed and clapped his hands together. "Yes! We will join little sis and drink until we pass out."

Sylvia looked at him.

For the first time since arriving, a genuine smile appeared on her face. She raised her hand and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Hey, Venny." Cleric rubbed the back of his neck. "Why do you always support her in everything?"

Venny looked at him as though the answer was obvious. "Because I love her."

Cleric sighed. "That’s not a good reason."

"It is to me."

A few moments later, Mrs. Lina returned.

She was carrying a tray with two bottles of red champagne wine and seven glasses.

She walked toward the table and carefully placed the tray down. She bowed politely before turning around and walking away.

Sylvia’s attention immediately fell on the bottles.

She walked toward the table.

Instead of taking a seat on the sofa, she lowered herself onto the floor.

"Get up from the floor, Sylvia. You will catch a cold," Mr. Ashford said immediately.

Sylvia glanced at him. "Don’t worry, Dad. I’m thick-skinned."

She reached for one of the bottles. Her fingers struggled slightly with the cork because of how shaky her hands were.

She finally managed to open it.

Pop!

The sound echoed through the living room.

Sylvia looked at the bottle for a moment and then poured the wine into her glass. She stared down at the red liquid.

"Happy breakup to me." She said quietly.

She raised the glass and looked around at everyone.

"Why are you all not joining in the celebration?"

Venny immediately walked over.

"Don’t worry, little sis. I’m here." He picked up another glass and poured himself some wine. Then he clinked his glass against hers.

"Cheers, little sis."

"Cheers." Sylvia smiled. She lifted the glass to her lips and drank everything in one gulp.

Venny watched her carefully.

Sylvia placed the empty glass down, and then she poured herself another one.

She clinked her glass against Venny’s again.

"Cheers."

"Cheers." She drank again.

This time, the smile disappeared from her face. Her eyes slowly became wet.

She lowered the glass, and tears started rolling down her cheek.

"Why did she break up with me, Venny?" Her voice trembled.

Venny’s expression immediately changed.

Sylvia looked at him. "Am I not beautiful enough?"

She wiped her cheek.

"Am I really that bad?" Her voice cracked. "Am I not enough for her?"

Venny stared at her. He didn’t know how to answer.

To him, Sylvia was more than enough.

She was his little sister, someone he had always protected and cherished.

Seeing her question her own worth because of someone else’s decision made his heart ache.

Sylvia’s breathing became uneven.

She lowered her head.

"I loved her." The words came out quietly. "I really loved her."

Venny remained silent.

Sylvia suddenly leaned forward. Her head moved toward the table.

Venny reacted immediately.

He stretched out his hand and placed it beneath her forehead before she could hit the table.

"Sis!"

Sylvia looked at him through tear-filled eyes.

"Why?" Her voice broke. "Why?"

She started crying again. "Why? Why? Why?"

Venny kept his hand beneath her head.

"Tell me, Venny." She stared at him desperately. "Why wasn’t I enough?"

Venny’s jaw tightened. He wanted to tell her that none of this was her fault.

But before he could speak, Sylvia’s phone vibrated on the table.

She reached for it. She didn’t even look at the caller ID.

She swiped to answer and immediately brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey, stop calling me."

She dropped the phone onto the table without ending the call.

Venny glanced down.

His eyes widened when he saw the name on the screen.

"Amelia..."

He reached for the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Why are you still calling her?" Venny asked quietly. His voice was calm. "Haven’t you broken up with her?"

There was a pause for a moment. For Amelia spoke.

"Uhm... sorry. I didn’t see her in school, so I called because we have a presentation."

Venny’s expression remained cold.

"Oh." He glanced at Sylvia.

She was still sitting on the floor, tears running down her cheeks.

"But sorry, she won’t be able to come to school today."

He paused.

"If possible, she will be changing schools."

"What?"

Amelia’s voice immediately changed.

"Why?" Her voice was trembling now.

Venny’s eyes narrowed. "You already know that Sylvia loved you so much, but yet you broke up with her."

He looked at his sister. "Do you want her to continue seeing you and remembering the breakup?"

"I-I..." Amelia stammered.

Venny didn’t give her time to say anything else.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up then."

He ended the call, and the room became quiet again.

Venny slowly lowered the phone and looked at Sylvia.

She had her head lowered, her shoulders shaking softly as she cried, and his fingers tightened around the phone.

He couldn’t change what had happened.

He couldn’t take away the pain Sylvia was feeling.

But he could stay beside her, and for now, that was exactly what he intended to do because he knew how painful it was to break up with someone you love so much.