the secret of the lavender field 8

That day, the three trending hashtags were 

back on the top. 

“#JakeKilledLily” 

< 

“#JakeRevengeForLove” 

“#KarmaForMistres 

Even though the Jacob Corporation made an 

emergency public relations effort, it could not 

stop the company’s reputation from 

plummeting. 

A reporter released a video of Lily being 

interviewed on the Golden Gate Bridge. 

In front of the camera, Lily never denied her 

relationship with Jake, and even admitted that 

Jake had run away from the wedding that day 

because he was chasing her. 

く 

As soon as the video came out, Jake’s image 

of a loving husband completely collapsed, and 

Jacob Corporation’s stock plummeted. 

Many partners demanded to terminate their 

cooperation with Jacob Corporation, and 

shareholders withdrew their investments. 

The reason was simple: they thought that a 

two–faced man with bad morals was no good. 

Business is all about integrity. Even a fiancé 

of ten years can be betrayed for the sake of 

novelty. 

Who knows when they might suddenly stab 

them in the back for profit? 

< 

When the wall fell, everyone pushed it. Jacob 

Corporation was crumbling under the 

fermentation of public opinion. 

Jake was sent to prison. As for how he would 

be sentenced, it had nothing to do with me. 

On the other side of the Northern 

Hemisphere, I had settled in Switzerland with 

a new identity. 

Stella Fisher. 

And on a good day, I wish you well. 

I liked this name very much, and I also liked 

my current life. 

く 

I used the money I made from selling those 

gifts and my own savings to open a hot pot 

restaurant in town. 

On the opening day, the business was 

booming, attracting residents from the town 

to come and support me. 

As time went by, we gradually became 

familiar with each other. Occasionally, when I 

was in a good mood, I would personally cook 

two side dishes for them. 

In return, they would occasionally invite me to 

taste some of their homemade wine. 

Life was getting better day by day, and I 

< 

started making new friends. 

The emotional wounds in my heart were 

gradually healed, but I still didn’t want to be in 

a relationship. 

It was pretty good like this. 

I occasionally had small gatherings with 

friends, eating and drinking together, or 

traveling together. 

Every day was full and happy. 

I did a lot of things that I hadn’t done before. 

In the winter, I went skiing in Switzerland. 

< 

In the summer, I went boating in Venice. 

Sometimes, on a whim, I would close the 

store and live in Iceland for a month. 

Whenever I admired the aurora through the 

glass roof, I would linger. 

Late at night, I was just about to rest when a 

trending news item from China popped up. 

“Jacob Corporation Declares Bankruptcy Due 

to Poor Management.” 

After reading the news, I was a little dazed. 

Not long after I left, the fake death agency 

< 

sent me the follow–up news. 

When I learned that Lily had died and Jake 

had been sentenced, I didn’t feel the pleasure 

I had imagined. 

It was like hearing an ordinary little thing. It 

didn’t stir up any waves in my heart. 

Maybe I had really figured it out, and I had 

really let it go. 

I have no love or hate for Jake now. 

It was as if everything had returned to the 

origin, and he and I were just strangers. 

< 

I heard about Jake again three years after I 

immigrated. 

Jake had attempted suicide in prison due to 

mental problems and had been transferred to 

a mental hospital. 

Every day, he would hug a tattered wedding 

dress before he would be quiet. 

As soon as someone tried to touch it, he 

would have a seizure. 

“Get out of here! No one can hurt my 

Brittany!” 

He held the wedding dress tightly in his arms, 

L 

tears welling up in his eyes, as if some painful 

memories were constantly eating away at his 

nerves. 

He refused to accept reality and forced 

himself to recall every bit of time he spent 

with me every day. 

In the end, he drove himself crazy. 

Before the wedding, I had given him a 

chance. 

He didn’t cherish it for seven days, and he 

didn’t even care about our wedding. 

In that case, we both made our own choices, 

く 

and we shouldn’t regret our decisions. 

Before I knew it, half a bottle of wine was 

empty. I fell on the bed and re–entered my 

dream. 

In the dream, eighteen–year–old Brittany 

bravely pushed away the abusive stepfather, 

and then never met Jake. 

I woke up to find the sunlight pouring down 

through the skylight, casting a golden glow on 

the floor. 

It was another new day. 

It was also my brand new future.