Since that kiss, Oliver had been avoiding me, refusing to see me.

He hated me.

I was determined to stay out of his sight.

Thus, when the time comes, I chose a university far from Nightfall City, putting as much distance between us as possible.

He and Luna stayed behind to continue their studies.

For four years, I avoided coming home, dodging any chance of awkward encounters with him.

During the holidays, I took on various odd jobs, sending the money I earned to my grandmother and buying small gifts to send to my adoptive mother.

I thought I had forgotten him—forgotten his voice, forgotten his face.

So, I set my burdens aside and enjoyed a carefree college life.

In my sophomore year, I started dating Hudson Eagleton, who had been pursuing me. He was nothing like Oliver. Hudson was sharp and charming, a real hit with the girls. With him, I never had to wonder if he loved me because he constantly proclaimed it.

I told my adoptive mother about my relationship and she was thrilled, constantly saying she wanted to meet my boyfriend.

After two years of dating Hudson and nearing graduation, I decided to bring him back to the Mortimer manor.

I hadn’t anticipated that Oliver would be there as well.

He appeared more composed than I remembered, dressed in a crisp white shirt and silver-framed glasses.

I did my best to dodge his gaze, nervously greeting him with a stilted "brother."

He simply nodded in response, his silence as heavy as ever.

At the dinner table, my adoptive mother chatted with Hudson about many things.

When she asked about our future plans, he smiled warmly.

"Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll take good care of Emmy. After graduation, I’ll marry her."

My adoptive mother was overjoyed, her face beaming as she held and stroked my hand, tears welling up in her eyes.

“That’s wonderful, Emmy. Your parents can finally rest easy,” she said.

Everyone at the table shared in the happiness. The only one who remained silent and brooding was Oliver, nursing his drink in solitude.

What could possibly be bothering him?

I’d heard from high school friends that he and Luna had been together for years and were very much in love.

He shouldn’t be this downcast.

With Hudson invited to stay the night, I retreated to my room to unwind.

The night deepened and a sense of quiet settled over the house.

A soft knock echoed from outside the door.

Oliver, reeking of alcohol, stood in the doorway.

Wearing just a spaghetti strap nightgown, I asked him softly, “Brother, is something wrong?”

Without answering, he quickly stepped inside, pressing the door shut behind him and trapping me in his cool, fragrant embrace.

“Emma, do you really like that man so much?”

“Enough to ignore me for four whole years?”

I was taken aback. Wasn’t he the one who had avoided me?

Wasn’t he the one who had hated me?

But my heart raced like a drum, leaving me unable to find my voice.

Did I love Hudson? I wasn’t sure.

But being with him gave me a sense of security.

I never had to doubt whether he cared for me because he patiently told me over and over again.

I supposed that feeling secure was a kind of love.

I nodded gently and his eyes quickly dimmed as he asked me.

"Then, do you still have feelings for me?"

"Is there even a trace of emotion left for me?"

A wave of deep, dense sorrow surged through my heart.

Did I still like him? I suppose I did.

From the very first moment I saw him again, I knew I could never forget him.

But if I spoke up now, everything would change.

So I chose silence, just like on that reckless night four years ago.

Unable to wait for my answer, he wept as he gently cupped my face in his hands and kissed me with abandon.

"Emmy, love me. Continue loving me."

"Please."

Then, a long-suppressed desire surged through me, dragging me into a hellish abyss.

I was pregnant. My adoptive mother, in tears, lashed out at him with a fierce reprimand. Oliver, bruised and kneeling, promised he would take responsibility.

So he married me.

There was no engagement party, no wedding—just a marriage certificate.

I had betrayed Hudson and he had betrayed Luna. We were both wretched.

After the wedding, life settled into a dull routine. I ended things with Hudson and moved back to the Mortimer family home, living with my adoptive mother while I carried the baby.

Oliver hired a nanny to look after me and visited from time to time, but I had no clue what occupied him the rest of the time.

Until I saw in Luna’s social media posts that he was out shopping with her.

I thought this was the punishment I deserved for my greed, so I had no right to question him. I planned to give birth to the baby and then return Oliver to Luna.

They were the ones truly in love.

My health, never the best, made the pregnancy especially difficult. The baby’s position was unstable and I endured endless morning sickness and deep, unrelenting fatigue.

When I collapsed again at six months pregnant, it came with no warning.

This time, I awoke in a hospital.

Oliver was at my bedside, his face etched with a deep, haunting despair.

That was when I found out—the baby was gone.

My adoptive mother had a heart attack and also passed away.

I still can’t make sense of it.

Why did Hudson suddenly burst into my room while I was resting?

Why did he force himself on me, causing the miscarriage?

It was as if my adoptive mother was still there, calling me to get up as usual.

When I pushed open the door, I saw myself beneath Hudson, my legs surrounded by a pool of blood.

Her heart condition wasn’t good and this scene frightened her terribly; the onset of her symptoms was sudden and severe.

Oliver sat nearby, his eyes bloodshot.

“Emma, do you really like that man so much? Are you willing to sacrifice our child for him?”

I hurriedly tried to explain.

“No, I didn’t.”

But how was Hudson able to waltz into the house so easily?

How did he manage to dodge my adoptive mother and find the exact room where I was resting?

Why did he have those text messages I sent him about our date?

Every piece of evidence pointed straight to me—it was me who had betrayed them.

In the face of such damning proof, all my explanations felt utterly hollow and helpless.

He furiously tossed a divorce agreement at me, his fists clenched tight.

“I was outrageously wrong, costing my mother her life.”

“Emma, I’ll grant you your freedom. Just don’t ever show your face to me again.”

Jack drove me to a cemetery in the eastern suburbs.

It wasn’t as tranquil as the one I had initially wanted, but there were no other options at the moment.

To make matters worse, the weather was unforgiving.

Halfway through the drive, the sky opened up and rain began to pour.

I watched as Jack’s face grew ghostly pale, his hands shaking on the wheel.

It hit me—his father had died in a car accident during a downpour.

Jack must have a profound fear of storms; I could really empathize with that.

I suggested we pull over and find a nearby café to ride out the storm and kill some time.

Unfortunately, we bumped into Oliver and Luna once more. I glanced around and saw we were in a bridal shop.

“Congratulations!”

I genuinely congratulated Luna. Her face lit up with a wide, delighted smile.

“Thank you, Emma. Are you and your boyfriend here to look at wedding dresses, too?”

She emphasized the “too,” her clear eyes sweeping over Jack standing next to me.

Before I could respond, Oliver approached.

His gaze darkened as he looked at Jack’s hand resting on my waist, his tone sharp.

“I thought you were going to marry that guy. Didn’t expect you’d have moved on to someone else so quickly.”

I didn’t want to engage in the conversation.

Jack’s hand, still firmly resting on my waist, only tightened.

I looked up, waiting to hear what he would say.

“Yeah, we’ll invite Mr. Mortimer to celebrate at our wedding another time.”

I sighed at his childish need to spar and gave his sleeve a gentle tug.

“Alright, Jack.”

Oliver lowered his head, adjusting his glasses, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“Sorry, but I’ve reserved this place exclusively for my wife’s fitting today. We can’t accommodate you. Please leave.”

Jack, seething, pointed a finger at Oliver.

“You!”

I placed a hand on Jack’s arm to calm him.

“Sorry, Mr. Mortimer. We just needed to get out of the rain.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“What you want to do is none of my business, but I don’t want to see you in this store.”

“Not even for a minute.”

At that moment, a shop assistant stepped forward to intervene.

“I’m really sorry, but the store is closed to the public today. Please leave.”

As Jack prepared to argue further, I looked straight into Oliver’s eyes.

“Oliver, do you really dislike me this much?”

He responded with steely resolve.

“Yes.”

“If my mother hadn’t brought you back then, none of this tragedy would have happened.”

I forced a bitter smile.

“Even if what happened back then had nothing to do with me, even if I truly was—”

Oliver abruptly cut me off.

“Enough!”

His expression was strange, his hands hanging limply at his sides and he remained silent for a long moment.

“Emma, no matter what your reasons were for the past, the fact remains that my mother died because of you. I truly don’t want to see you again.”

“Not for even a minute.”

It hit me—I knew how much he hated me, knew he didn’t even want to look at me. Why would he want to hear my side of the story?

I nodded, my heart heavy.

“Okay, I understand.”

Anyway, he wouldn’t have to deal with this annoying presence much longer.

I reached out and nudged Jack’s side.

“Jack, let’s go.”

He looked at me with concern, his hand brushing my forehead. I was running a slight fever.

“But we don’t have an umbrella. You’ll get soaked.”

I managed a weak smile.

“It’s fine. It’s just a little rain. I’ll be okay.”

Rain in this season comes and goes unpredictably, never lasting too long.

“Let’s just sit in the car and wait for the rain to stop. We should have enough time.”

However, waiting in the car might not sit well with Jack.

But for now, it’s the only option we have.

Oliver stayed in the bridal shop for a long time, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward the old-fashioned car parked across the street.

Even when the shop manager reminded him several times to check the fit of the wedding dress he had ordered three years ago, he was lost in thought.

The rain intensified, showing no sign of letting up.

The car outside appeared especially forlorn amidst the storm.

He recalled the hand Jack had rested on Emma’s waist earlier and an inexplicable frustration stirred within him.

He grabbed his suit jacket and prepared to leave.

“This style is absolutely stunning. Oliver, thank you for arranging so many for me.”

Luna admired the wedding dress Oliver had custom-ordered, her fingers eagerly tracing the glimmering rhinestones.

Yet, the subtle hints of a wedding in her words made him frown in irritation.

“You’re misunderstanding. This isn’t for you.”

Oliver impatiently snatched the umbrella from the shop assistant, oblivious to the fleeting flash of malice that crossed Luna’s eyes.

He walked slowly toward the parking lot, deliberately passing by the old-fashioned car and instinctively glanced toward the passenger window.

What he saw was a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Jack was frantically holding his hand to Emma’s mouth as she lay with her eyes shut tight, blood pouring out of her mouth uncontrollably.

Oliver's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand and pain surged through his entire being.

He immediately dropped the umbrella and dashed through the rain toward them.

“Why are you just standing there? Drive to the hospital now!”

Jack froze at his shout, but his hands shook uncontrollably on the wheel.

The relentless downpour outside felt like a wall of suffocating pressure closing in on him.

“I... I can’t. I really... I can’t do it…”

Oliver rushed to the driver’s side, flung open the door and yanked Jack out of the car.

“Get away!”

Jack was left in the pouring rain, watching helplessly as Oliver drove away with her.

When he opened his eyes again, he was met with blinding white.

I woke up in the hospital and a familiar figure sat beside me. I instinctively called out.

“Jack, water…”

A pair of clean hands quickly brought the glass to my lips and a calm voice said,

“Take it slow.”

I jolted awake, my mind clearing suddenly.

“Why are you here?”

Oliver’s smile was tinged with bitterness.

“Not your little boyfriend. Are you let down?”

I didn’t respond and he kept talking, his voice rough.

“What’s going on with you? Why were you bleeding from the mouth out of nowhere?”

It dawned on me then that he must have been the one who brought me to the hospital.

“It’s a stomach ulcer. Sorry for wasting your time.”

His voice grew cold as he clenched his fists.

“Emma, do you think I’m that easy to fool?”

“Does a stomach ulcer really cause this much bleeding?”

I turned away, closing my eyes to avoid him, while he picked up his phone and began dialing.

“I’ll call your grandmother and have her come take care of you.”

I struggled to sit up, trying to push his hand away.

“No!”

He pressed my flailing hands down with a look of frustration and muttered,

“Be good.”

Then, as if suddenly realizing how soft he sounded, he hardened his expression.

“You have no ties to the Mortimer Family anymore. I’m only calling your relative out of basic humanity, so don’t be ungrateful!”

It felt like a knife had plunged into my heart, leaving me frozen in shock.

“My grandmother, she…”

“She’s no longer here.”

I let my head fall in defeat and he hesitated with the phone in his hand, his voice dry and his expression stiff.

“When did it happen?”

My eyes burned with unshed tears, the pain too much to hold back.

"Three years ago, the day after my miscarriage."

He stood there, mouth slightly open, unable to speak for a long while.

I gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“Doesn’t Mr. Mortimer remember? You rushed to divorce me and had me sent away, just like today when you called my grandmother to pick me up.”

“But she was over seventy, in poor health. Can you imagine how panicked she must have been when she heard about my miscarriage and divorce?”

I closed my eyes, trying to suppress the rising tide of anger.

“She rushed to see me, but unfortunately, she missed a step and fell, never getting up again.”

Oliver took a long time to force out the words, his phone slipping from his hand.

“How could this…”

“I didn’t mean to…”

Sometimes I wonder—if I hadn’t left with Amelia back then, if I hadn’t selfishly fallen for him, would all of this have been avoided?

He would have had a loving mother, a partner and lived a life of happiness and ease.

And I would have stayed by my grandmother's side, watched the sunsets on our little island and savored the old lady’s home-cooked meals.

Two burning tears finally broke free, streaming down my cheeks.

I fought to stifle my sobs, my eyes locking with his in a desperate plea.

“So, Oliver, please, just go. Let’s not see each other again.”

“Would that be alright?”