Sheryl hastily carried Shirley in her arms and said to Anthony, "Please, leave us now. I don't want to see you anymore."
She was again afraid that Shirley would be stimulated by Anthony's presence. So she hugged Shirley tightly. Her whole body trembled.
"Sher..." Anthony said with a bitter smile. Then he continued, "I can bear your hatred or dissatisfaction towards me. But straightaway avoiding me just wouldn't solve the problem at all. I just want to have a talk with you and clarify things. Even if you want to... you want to end our relationship, we should have closure before the breakup, shouldn't we?"
Sheryl hesitated for a while and then finally nodded her head slightly. "Okay, I can give you only half an hour. Is that enough?"
"That's long enough." Anthony kept on nodding after hearing her positive answer. As long as she was willing to discuss with him, he would not mind whether the time was long or short.
Then Anthony and Sheryl headed toward a small park next to the apartment. Sheryl let her daughter play on the nearby swing. They just sat on one of the adjacent stone benches and watched Shirley play. Sheryl fixed her eyes on Shirley. Actually, she didn't want to have a chat with Anthony at all.
Eventually, Anthony opened his mouth and broke the silence, "Shirley... Has she felt better now?"
"I think, you have seen her conditions," Sheryl replied with an ironic grin. "She doesn't talk or smile now. The doctor said she has had slight autism."
"I'm so sorry. I..." Anthony smiled sadly and sincerely expressed his regret. He had never thought that his behaviors after getting drunk could bring such big harm to Shirley mentally.
"Anthony, please don't say sorry to me again. It's too late. That word can't make up for anything at all now," Sheryl said impatiently. She had been tired of listening to his apology. To be honest, she agreed to talk to Anthony because she merely wanted to clearly end their relationship.
Anthony's face turned red out of embarrassment after he heard her words. He glanced at Sheryl and exclaimed, "I know you really hate me now. But Sheryl, whatever I have done, I did so because I love you so much. I didn't know what I should do just to keep you at that time. So I have to..."
"Love me? So much?" Sheryl interrupted with an ironic smile. "If your behaviors were the reflection of your love, then Anthony, your love is so selfish and really scary. I just can't afford your love," Sheryl frankly continued.
Although Anthony turned gloomy upon hearing her words, he maintained his temper and explained, "Sher, I didn't mean to do what happened that night. The drunkenness and your aloof attitude had made me do the wrong thing. I really... I really don't know what to do and how to make it up to you now."
"Anthony, I'm not talking about what happened that night," she tilted her face and coldly replied. She glimpsed at Anthony and suddenly surmised that the man standing in front of her was so strange.
"So, what are you talking about then?" Anthony furrowed his brows and inquired in bewilderment. "I know that you have regained your memory. And you must also have known your real identity now. But you should always remember who kept on accompanying you all these years? Who took care of you and Shirley all the way? Sheryl, where's your conscience?" Anthony lengthily added.
"That's precisely right, Anthony. But I have never denied, even in a single instance, what you have done for me and Shirley before. However, you should know that we became together because of your lie. Since the very first day when I opened my eyes after I had taken the pill, you told me that you were my boyfriend. For the past three years, I have lived in that lie. Could you know how pressured I felt earlier?" she interrogated bitterly.
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