A Graduation Gift

Cassandra anticipated that Horace would deny her request, but she at least expected him to dilly-dally. However instead, he
gave her an outright rejection.
"You want to divorce Lionel? Over my dead body will you divorce!" he roared.
Every muscle on Horace's face convulsed with rage.
He went ballistic.
He thought that he treated her nicely. She was still young when she married his son. When she requested to take up higher
studies in Rome, he allowed her to do so and even sent her to the best design school.
Upon finishing her study, she came home and refused to be a real couple with Lionel simply because they did not get along.
Horace did not interfere with their affairs as a father, either. He believed that the young couple should solve their own problems.
He made Cassandra the manager of the Design Department, which actually made many board members unhappy. It was a very
coveted position. Still, he gave it to her despite their opposition.
The way Horace saw it, Cassandra had no reason to leave the family. He had given her everything she needed. Now, she was
telling him in front of everyone that she wanted a divorce? He felt so betrayed.
Jill stood up and rubbed her husband's back to calm him down. It was rare for Horace to be this agitated. He was not easily
angered but right now, he was fuming. She blamed Cassandra.
"Don't be so unreasonable, Cassandra. You know his condition. He is not at his peak health, to say the least. Should news of this
break out, something terrible would surely happen to him because of distress!"
Jill said. The moment she finished talking, Horace began to cough severely. He had asthma so he had to monitor his breathing
often. However, what Cassandra told him today caused him to cough uncontrollably.
Cassandra had to swallow her words when she saw her father-in-law's condition. It was really not her intention to cause so much
trouble.
"I'm sorry..."
Cassandra felt as if her chest was getting tighter. It suddenly became so difficult to breathe. Not knowing what to do and quite
devastated with what she had done, she decided to run out of the room.

On a kneejerk reaction, Lionel stood up and was about to chase after Cassandra. He felt anxious when she left the room. Ivy,
however, was hawk-eyed. She shot him a sharp glance and pulled his arm before he could go anywhere.
"Lionel!"
She called his name with an affectionate yet aggrieved voice. This immediately stopped Lionel on his tracks.
He lowered his head and looked at Ivy.
There were tears in her eyes, making her look very vulnerable.
Lionel frowned seeing her sad face. His heart ached to see her like that.
Ivy was pregnant. If he went out to chase after another Cassandra, how would she feel?
Lionel turned around and slowly sat down beside Ivy.
With sad eyes and a quivering voice, Ivy also slowly looked at everyone in the room and started to speak.
"Auntie, Uncle, I...know I cannot marry Lionel. I just really wish I could. I will also give you my baby. All I would ask is that you let
me stay here for a few more months after he is born so I can at least feel what it's like to have the love of a husband and
parents-in-law,"
she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. Everyone looked at her with sympathy.
"My parents died when I was still a girl. I long for a family. And although I didn't stay with you for so long, I'm keeping all the
beautiful memories in my mind. Thank you for taking care of me. Now, Cassandra wants to divorce Lionel because of me. I know
this made you very unhappy and it's all my fault. I'm so sorry for ruining your family. I think now it would be the best for me to
move out so that she can eventually change her mind," Ivy continued.
She kept letting her tears run down her face. They sparkled like the dew on the grass in the morning.
Jill had always gotten along with Ivy. It broke her heart to see her so sorrowful.
"Ivy, please don't blame yourself. And please don't think about leaving. Just relax and focus on taking care of yourself and the
baby. It's not your fault. As for what Cassandra said, she may be overwhelmed. We'll just move on for now and see where it
goes,"

Jill assured her. With a wave of her hand, she signaled a maid to fetch Horace's medication and had him take it. Dinner was
prepared but eating was the last thing on everyone's mind.
They all left the dining room sullenly and went to their respective rooms. When Rufus got to his, he immediately changed his
clothes and hopped out of the window onto the grass of the ground floor.
The light was dim and he was hardly recognizable. He ran to the wall and climbed up so smoothly. It was clear that he had done
this several times before. Letting go of the edge at the other side, he landed on the sidewalk.
He shot glances left and right looking for Cassandra. True enough, he found the woman walking lost in thought.
He approached slowly and inconspicuously observed her. She walked slowly with arms wrapped herself. The wind blew over her
hair. She looked so lonely in the cold, windy night.
Rufus followed her from behind at a slow pace. He wanted to know where she would head for.
Cassandra was at a loss after she ran out. Where could she go?
She remembered experiencing this once when she sat in the snow for a long time before Rufus took her to the hospital.
Tonight's weather was nice, though. The moon hung on the sky, big and round. The stars sparkled from far away. It was neither
raining nor snowing.
Still, she felt as if her heart were covered with a blanket of snow. It was cold and shivering.
Cassandra always took pride in her independence. Yet, she often found herself unable to maneuver her own life at the most
critical moments. She recalled how she choked up when Horace shut her down.
She was a caged bird. Right when she thought that God had opened a window for her, she realized that it was still covered with
glass. She was trapped and all she could do was watch the world she wanted to be part of, from a distance.
Cassandra understood how risky and drastic her decision was. Still, she felt that it was something she had to do. She sacrificed
her youth and her life for the benefit of the Qin family. Lionel, on the other hand, was forced to marry someone he did not love
either. They were both victims here, trapped for the rest of their lives.
She also felt sorry for Ivy who had moved into the Tang family hoping for a better future at the expense of her dignity. What was
more, she had to endure everything people said about her behind her back.

She risked everything, and Cassandra could not seem to make sense of her decision. 'Cassandra, how could you jump out of the
cage without having a backup plan?' she thought to herself.
'How naive!'
Suddenly, a car approached slowly and stopped beside Cassandra. The window rolled down and inside was Dylon.
"Cassandra!" he greeted her. "What a coincidence! Why are you wandering on the street?"
he asked her loudly, interrupting her train of thought.
Rufus, who was not so far away, noticed the man. He clenched his fists and carefully observed what was happening.
"Yes. It's a bit stuffy at home. I'm just going for a walk. Why are you here?" she asked.
In Cassandra's memory, Dylon did not live nearby.
"I'm here visiting a friend and happen to see you here. Have you had dinner? I haven't. Wanna join me?"
Dylon smiled brightly. His invitation was just too sincere for Cassandra to reject.
She tilted her head as she considered. It would be awkward for her to go back to the Tang house now, anyway. Having dinner
with Dylon might be a better choice. She indeed felt a bit hungry after everything that had happened.
"Sure," she said as she pulled the door open and slid in. Dylon smiled and started the car.
A doleful expression appeared on Rufus's face. 'Who was that man? Why did Cassandra seem familiar with him? She did not
even hesitate to go with him when he invited her. That was strange.'
He found himself feeling nervous when he remembered how she would refute him whenever they argued.
Rufus hailed a taxi and got on.
"Follow that car, but stay hidden. Quick, don't lose it," he ordered.
The driver nodded and did what he was told. Steadily and quietly, they drove behind the other vehicle.
Seeing Cassandra so preoccupied, Dylon decided to say something to cheer her up.

"Hey, Cassandra, I found something interesting. This is the third time I've seen you lost in thought. Did that occur to you?"
he jested with a bright smile across his face. He wanted to make her laugh a little.
Cassandra sat on the passenger seat, looking into the distance. She had milky skin just like a doll. Despite Dylon's remark, she
remained as distant as she was. Her face was frozen and her depression had a firm hold of her.
"Don't be unhappy all the time, girl. Look, I have good news. I decided to be a photographer as a hobby and a doctor by
profession here!"
Dylon announced. Finally, Cassandra turned and stared at her friend with huge, wide eyes. He was rather satisfied with her
reaction.
"Really? That's amazing! Your father must be super happy!"
Cassandra's eyes began to glimmer with excitement. This was something she always encouraged him to do. Now that he was
set to pursue it, she felt very delighted for him.
"Yeah, of course he is. But I have to start with the basics: be an outpatient doctor first, I guess,"
Dylon replied, feeling relieved to see Cassandra in a lighter mood.
Unfortunately, this cheerful Cassandra only lasted for a minute. As quickly as her face lighted up, her eyes darkened.
"I envy you a lot, really. You can make your own decisions, not like me. I barely have control in my life," she confessed.