Anastasia Kain and I were childhood sweethearts, but we resented each other for a lifetime.

She blamed me for making decisions without her consent. I had awakened her memories and driven her first love to jump off a building.

I blamed her for breaking her promise. She once swore she would love me forever, yet after losing her memory, she fell for someone else.

We were married, but we lived like strangers who happened to share a roof.

However, when I was diagnosed with ALS and the whole city urged her to divorce me, Anastasia carried me on her back and climbed 3,000 steps to reach a cathedral, praying day and night just for me to live a little longer.

When the end finally came, she stayed beside my hospital bed all night, her forehead pressed gently against my cheek.

In a trembling whisper, she said, "Mason, I've done everything I could for you in this life. If there's a next one, please don't make me remember again. Let me be with him."

Tears slipped from the corners of my eyes.

Only then did I realize I should never have chained her to me with the love we shared in our youth.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I first found Anastasia.

This time, I chose to let her memories stay buried so that the girl I loved could run freely toward the man she had always wanted.

"Ms. Kain lost her memory, and she refuses to come back with us. But we've contacted one of the top neurologists in the country. He can help her recover soon."

It was the same conversation, exactly like the last time I found Anastasia Kain after she went missing.

Only this time, there was no joy or urgency in my heart.

I shook my head, telling my men not to help her recover her memory.

Then I did two things.

First, I went to the hospital and got a full, detailed checkup.

Second, I took the ALS diagnosis report straight to her parents and asked to call off the engagement.

Anastasia's mother, Eloise Kain, gripped my hand tightly and shook her head, her eyes red and swollen. "You can't do that. Anastasia loves you so much. She'd never marry anyone else."

I said nothing. Instead, I handed them a photo.

In the picture, Anastasia was standing in front of an aquarium, looking at a man dressed as a merman with a gaze that was soft and full of longing.

"Rather than forcing her to marry a dying man, why not just let her stay as she is so she can be with the one she loves? I don't want to drag her down with me."

In my previous life, Anastasia had gone missing by accident. I searched for her for five long years, only to discover that Philip Strickland had taken her in, and the two had fallen deeply in love.

Ignoring her wishes, I forced a hypnotherapist to bring back her memories.

The day she remembered everything, Philip jumped off a rooftop. From that moment on, a gap formed between me and Anastasia that nothing could ever bridge.

Cold, distant marriage followed.

However, when I was diagnosed with ALS, Anastasia stayed by my side for seven years, feeding me and bathing me. She took me to countless doctors and cathedrals, praying for miracles.

But I knew her devotion came from duty, not love.

Fighting back tears, I said hoarsely, "Anastasia and I are over."

This time, I refused to make the same mistake.

After leaving the Kains' villa, I went to find Philip.

The moment he saw me, he hurried to send Anastasia away.

Then he turned back, flustered. "I swear, I didn't hide Anastasia on purpose!"

I said calmly, "You know the truth better than anyone."

Realizing he couldn't deny it, Philip pressed his lips tight, his expression shifting from guilt to defiance.

"I know she's always loved you, and only you! If she ever gets her memories back, she'll drop everything and run straight to you!

"But I've loved her since the first time I saw her in high school! I've loved her for years, and she's never once looked my way. Now, for once, I finally have a chance…"

"I just wanted her to stay with me for a few more days. Just a few days, that's all!"

By the end, Philip's voice was cracking, and he was close to tears.

I stood there quietly, listening. My eyes, however, drifted past him and landed on Anastasia.

She was staring straight at me; her whole body was tense, and her eyes were dark and stormy. It looked as if something was about to break loose inside her.

The woman who once followed me everywhere had become Philip's "guard dog" now, ready to attack the moment I so much as looked at him the wrong way.

I didn't know exactly what I felt. I just knew that this time around, I couldn't be selfish and keep her chained to me again.

I forced a faint smile and said to Philip, "You don't have to be scared. I'm not here to break you two up. I came to take both of you back to the Kains'."

Philip froze, wide-eyed. "Both of us?"

"That's right." I nodded. "You're the man she loves. If I tried to leave you behind, she wouldn't come with us anyway.

"Go pack up your things. Both of you are coming with me."

My voice stayed calm and even. "Her parents already know about you. They're okay with you being together."

Philip let out a huge sigh of relief, and his face lit up with joy. He grabbed Anastasia's hand, grinning from ear to ear, then he hurried off to get their stuff ready.

Only then did Anastasia realize I had no intention of hurting Philip. Her shoulders relaxed a little, and she pursed her lips.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "I thought you were going to do something to him."

Her moods rose and fell with Philip's, as if she were tethered to him now.

Back then, when Philip wouldn't stop pestering her, she would run straight into my arms, acting all pitiful. She would insist that I claim her as mine in public.

"Tell them I'm yours, and say it like you mean it."

She would even scrunch her face into a fierce little scowl and make me mimic her.

In the end, we would always end up in fits of laughter and roll across the couch, making a ruckus.

But that was all gone now. Anastasia didn't belong to me anymore.

With a forced smile, I brought them back to the Kains' villa.

When it came time to introduce myself, everyone hesitated, unsure what to call me.

So, I stepped in. "Hi, Anastasia. I'm Mason Beck. We grew up together, and I've always treated you like a little sister. You even promised to set me up with someone, but then you lost your memory, so I'm still single now."

The people who knew the truth exchanged awkward looks, but Anastasia only laughed. "Alright, Mason. Once everything settles down, I'll play matchmaker and find you a girlfriend."

That night, I woke up to the smell of smoke.

When I walked out, I saw a pile of flames in the backyard. The fire was devouring every trace of the life I had shared with Anastasia.

Childhood photos, certificates we'd won together, even the little wooden puppet she had given me when she first told me she had feelings for me… Everything was burning, crackling as it turned to ash.

A sharp pain seized my chest. It felt as if something inside me had been ripped apart.

Right then, Anastasia turned and looked at me. "Back then, neither of us had anyone else, so being close didn't seem wrong.

"But now, Philip lives with me, and it bothers him to see these things, so I burned them. I hope you don't mind."

I clenched my fists hard, trying to keep my composure so that she wouldn't see how much it hurt.

"It's fine," I said softly. "You might as well burn the stuff in my room, too."

I gathered up Anastasia's old belongings in my room and tossed them into the fire.

The flames roared, sending waves of heat over me, but I felt as if I were standing in freezing water.

For the next few days, the courtyard was alive with the clanging and scraping of demolition.

The garden of gardenias that Anastasia had planted with her own hands was dug up and replaced with roses, which were Philip's favorite.

The glass greenhouse where we once played piano and watched sunsets together was smashed and converted into a swimming pool for Philip.

Even the clematis trellis where we had first confessed our feelings was torn down and replaced with a garden pond that Philip loved.

On the day they planted the water lilies in the pond, Philip suddenly blocked me in the courtyard.

He lifted his chin high and deliberately showed off the ring on his ring finger.

"Anastasia found this design in the room," he said, shaking his finger. "She said she could tell it was meant for her future husband. She stayed up several nights making it herself and used it to propose to me."

He wiggled his hand. "Do you like it?"

It was the sun and the moon, the design I had loved the most.

I nodded sincerely. "It's beautiful. It suits you very well."

But Philip's face darkened instantly. "I don't like it.

"We both know who this design is meant for," he said, staring at me sharply. "You always say you don't care about Anastasia, but her past feelings for you are a ticking time bomb. I can't relax with you around."

"So what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Well…"

Before he could finish, Philip suddenly lunged sideways and plunged straight into the recently dug garden pond, which was full of murky water.

A strong force shoved me to the side. I stumbled and hit the ground hard.

Pain shot through my ankle, and my palms scraped against the gravel, the burning sting running up my arms.

I hadn't even stood up yet when Anastasia dove in after him like a madwoman.

By the time she dragged Philip to shore, both of them were soaked and covered in stinky mud, looking utterly miserable.

But Anastasia didn't care about herself. She frantically wiped the dirt off Philip's face, her voice tense with worry.

"Philip! Are you okay? Did you choke on water? Are your eyes hurting? Did you get hurt?"

It took him a moment to shake his head. He looked at Anastasia, tears streaming down his face. "I'm fine… Someone threw the ring you gave me in the water, and I fell in trying to get it back."

He held out his hand. The ring was gone.

"The Kains don't really welcome me," Philip said to Anastasia, his eyes reddening. "Can we just go back to our apartment? At least no one's bullying me there…"

His pitiful expression made her heart clench.

Her expression hardened. "Who threw your ring? Who bullied you?"

Philip pursed his lips and stayed silent. He just glanced at me, his gaze full of fear and grievance, making it obvious who he thought was responsible.

I clutched my swollen ankle, incredulous. "It wasn't me—"

But Anastasia shot me a cold, icy look that made me shiver.

"I had no reason to steal the ring…" I croaked, my voice hoarse.

"You know exactly what you did," Anastasia spat. She helped Philip to his feet and gave a signal to the bodyguards.

"Whoever threw that ring can get it back himself."