During the car accident, Ethan Jones used his body as a shield, protecting me so that I could walk away unscathed. However, when he finally woke up, his memory was frozen at eighteen years old, back when Millie Brown was his girlfriend.

Ethan’s friends advised me to let go and fulfill their love story instead. They said that only by Millie’s side would Ethan—the model student everyone admired—step down from his pedestal and live a life. Apparently, I, the obedient, well-behaved girl, made his life dull and lifeless.

What no one knew was that, amid the buzzing cicadas of summer, that well-behaved girl had fallen for him—year after year, never once wavering. So, I waited foolishly for Ethan to remember me until three years later, when I was diagnosed with cancer.

On that very day, I finally saw the surprise he had mentioned preparing for me before the accident. Only then did I truly let go, and when he handed me the divorce papers once again, I signed my name.

After leaving the hospital, I went straight to the cinema. The manager was already waiting for me at the entrance.

“I’m very sorry, Ms. Ellis. This tape was stored three years ago, before Mr. Jones’s accident,” he explained. “After the accident, it suddenly went missing. That was our mistake…”

I waved my hand, signaling that I didn’t mind, and followed him into the screening room.

As soon as I sat down, the lights dimmed. Then, on the large screen, a figure appeared—one I knew better than anyone else.

“Sadie, today is our fifth wedding anniversary.”

Through the screen, his gentle gaze landed on me.

…

“I’m not someone who struggles to express himself,” he continued, “but when it comes to you, I never know how to put my feelings into words.”

Even through the camera, he looked shy, his ears flushed red.

“We met young, but we fell in love far too late… Please forgive me for not realizing it sooner and accept my love.”

…

The video ended, but I sat there for a long time, unable to move.

So that was the surprise he had prepared three years ago—a confession.

The day before our anniversary, he had cleared his schedule and taken me camping. The next day, as we were heading down the mountain, he told me he had a surprise waiting for me. However, before we could leave, a car driving the wrong way crashed into us, forcing our vehicle off the cliff.

In those few seconds, Ethan unbuckled his seatbelt and wrapped himself around me. While I survived without a scratch, he hovered on the brink of death.

The image froze on his pale face, and I stared at the screen greedily.

“You idiot,” I whispered. “Of course, I know you love me.”

Because long before he loved me, I had loved him for a very, very long time.

When the lights finally came back on, I was pulled out of my memories. As I stepped out of the screening room, I ran into James Harold, one of Ethan’s friends. My good mood vanished instantly.

“Ms. Ellis,” he greeted me politely.

I returned the greeting and immediately turned to leave, but he called after me.

“Ms. Ellis, if you truly want what’s best for Ethan, then let him go. Let him be with Millie.”

I had heard those words so many times over the past three years that I was sick of them. Why should I be the one to make things easier? What gave anyone the right to judge my relationship with Ethan?

Fortunately, the manager hurried over and broke the tense atmosphere.

“Ms. Ellis, this is the original tape. It would be best if you kept it yourself.”

I took the bag and walked away, not hearing the conversation that followed between James and the manager.

By the time I got home, it was evening, and Ethan was waiting for me in the living room. I knew another divorce paper was coming.

Out of habit, I was about to refuse, but suddenly, I stopped. The man from the video slowly overlapped with the man standing in front of me. I lifted my head and met his eyes, the question slipping out before I could stop myself.

“Ethan, if I sign the divorce papers, will you be happy?”

Ethan clearly hadn’t expected my sudden question. He turned away awkwardly, avoiding my gaze.

“If you don’t want to sign…”

He reached out instinctively to take back the divorce papers, just like he had so many times before. Yet, this time, I grabbed onto it.

My mind was a mess. I had just been diagnosed with cancer, and on top of that, I had seen the video he recorded three years ago. More than anything, I wanted to empty my thoughts and stop feeling altogether. However, I knew better than anyone that there was no time left.

I clenched the divorce papers tightly, staring straight at him as I pressed on, step by step, desperate for an answer.

“Ethan, will you be happy?”

My persistence clearly made him uncomfortable. He frowned, irritation flashing across his face, and roughly yanked the papers out of my hand. The sharp edge of the paper sliced across my palm, and blood slowly seeped out.

However, the pain in my hand was nothing compared to the impatience on his face. When he noticed the blood, his expression turned cold.

“Go get it treated.”

I shook my head and continued waiting stubbornly for his answer. Avoiding my eyes, he held the papers and turned to leave.

“Do whatever you want,” he said flatly. “When you decide to sign, let me know.”

With that, he started walking toward the door.

Watching him leave, I let out a quiet sigh and finally made my choice. “I’ll sign it now.”

He froze, then turned back to look at me. “You will?”

Under his doubtful gaze, I smiled faintly, a sense of release settling over me as I spoke each word clearly.

“I will.”

He stood there, unmoving, and the room fell into an unnatural silence until his phone suddenly rang. It was a ringtone exclusive to Millie.

I couldn’t hear what she was saying on the other end, but Ethan’s expression grew more serious with every second.

“Alright. Stay where you are. I’ll come deal with it.”

After hanging up, he grabbed his coat and headed for the door. For a brief moment, I desperately wanted to stop him.

“Ethan, it only takes a moment to sign.”

However, as if he hadn’t heard me at all, he closed the door behind him. He wasn’t even willing to give me a moment to sign the papers.

I stood there, letting out a self-mocking laugh. How foolish of me to still be greedy, hoping that the amnesiac Ethan would stay for my sake.

…

I had thought it would be a long time before I saw him again. Instead, he came back the very next day.

“Are the divorce papers signed?”

That was the first thing he said to me. The second was…

“We’re going to the courthouse today.”

When I didn’t respond, Ethan frowned again and asked, “You’re not trying to back out, are you?”

Over the past three years, whenever I was furious, I had threatened divorce more than once, only to regret it soon after. This time, I didn’t answer him. I simply handed him the signed papers, letting my actions speak for me.

“I won’t go back on it. I’ll go to the courthouse with you.”

He took the papers, flipped straight to the last page, glanced at my signature, and then casually tossed the papers aside.

“You can eat first,” he said, sitting calmly on the couch as if waiting for me.

I looked at the breakfast laid out on the table, then shook my head and spoke softly. “No need. Let’s go now.”

I couldn’t give myself any more room to regret it.

When we arrived at the courthouse, I didn’t expect to see Millie.

“Ms. Ellis, thank you for letting go,” she said.

I didn’t respond. I simply turned to look at Ethan instead.

Over the past three years, rumors about him and Millie had circulated nonstop, but none of it had ever been shoved in my face. Now that we were getting divorced, there was no way he would be so tasteless as to bring her here himself.

“Who told you to come? Why are you here?” As expected, Ethan lowered his voice and questioned her sharply.

Millie instinctively shrank back, but boldness had always been her nature. Almost immediately, she laughed again and teased him like nothing was wrong.

“If I didn’t come, how would you find your next option?”

His expression darkened even further the moment she said that.

People around us began to look over with open disdain. I couldn’t help but wonder how someone already in their thirties could be this careless and ignorant. Did she not know that there was a mandatory cooling-off period for the divorce?

The crowd kept growing. I had no interest in being put on display like a spectacle, so I turned and walked away first. Millie was Ethan’s responsibility, not mine.

In the past, no matter how much she dragged him into rebellion and chaos, she had never come directly to provoke me. Likewise, I had never gone looking for her. Today, though, she probably felt she was close to achieving her goal and couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

While waiting in line, my thoughts drifted.

James hadn’t been wrong. When Ethan was with me, he had always been composed and mature, never letting his emotions spill out so openly as he had just now. Even in the confession video I saw yesterday, he had remained restrained and reserved.

By the time I walked out of the courthouse, Millie was already gone.

Ethan explained awkwardly, “I didn’t tell her to come.”

I didn’t say anything. I simply nodded to show that I understood.

“Ethan,” I said, “see you in a month.”

This time, I was the one who said goodbye first and left in front of him.

I moved back into my own apartment. Everything had been packed up the night before. A same-city courier had delivered all my belongings earlier that day.

After marrying Ethan, my mother had been terrified that I’d be looked down on because of the gap between our families. So, she drained her savings to buy me a place of my own.

After putting everything away, exhaustion finally caught up with me, and I lay on the couch to rest. Without realizing it, I fell asleep. In my dream, I relived the first time I ever met Ethan.

My father had died when I was young. Timid and fearful, I lived like an invisible person at school. Thick bangs that covered half my face, glasses that hid my eyes, and dull clothing were my shields.

Then, in my freshman year of high school, a basketball flew out of nowhere and hit me on the head. I was stunned, sitting on the ground, unable to get up.

A boy’s clear, gentle voice sounded beside my ear.

“Hey, are you okay?” He helped me up and smiled as he spoke. “You have beautiful eyes.”

Meeting his concerned gaze, I came back to my senses, snatched up my shattered glasses, and fled in panic. However, that day, the sound of cicadas buzzing in the trees beside the school field lingered in my ears for a very, very long time.