Eight years ago, I lost the only family I had left in this world. My mother lay alone on a cold slab.

When Jack arrived at the morgue and saw me, his eyes immediately reddened.

He knelt on the ground, holding me as I sobbed uncontrollably.

“You still have me. You’re not alone!” he said.

The harsh fluorescent lights cast a cold glow on him, but his expression was so earnest.

There were tears in his eyes, and his words felt sincere.

Even in the coldness of the morgue, I could feel the faint warmth of comfort.

At that time, both of us were dirt poor. We worked endless part-time jobs just to scrape together enough money to buy a small plot for my mother’s grave.

The house my mother left me was tiny. When she was alive, I shared a bed with her. It never felt cramped.

But after she passed away and I saved up money by taking in a tenant – Jack – we had to split the bed into two single ones, with a curtain drawn between them for some privacy.

We lived frugally for an entire year before we could afford to buy a small piece of land for my mother in this vast city.

On the day of her burial, I knelt by her grave, crying and apologizing for leaving her in that cold place for a whole year.

When we got back, Jack and I quickly adapted to the fast-paced life we’d been forced into.

We continued to scrimp and save, but at the end of the year, when we did the math, all we could do was smile bitterly at the little we’d saved.

A single glance exchanged between us told me we both had the same thought: we wanted to start our own business.

That night, we sat on the grass, drinking until we couldn’t tell east from west. Jack pointed to the distant high-rise buildings.

“One day, I’ll make sure you live in a place like that!”

Under the stars, Jack turned to me, his eyes shining with determination. “Maya, I like you, but I need some time to sort out other matters. Wait for me. That day will come.”

His eyes sparkled like the stars above us.

I liked him. From the day my mother passed, the warmth Jack gave me made me like him.

It was the fourth year since we had met when I sold the small house my mother left me.

I used that money to start a business with Jack. On the day we moved out, I stood in that tiny house for what felt like an eternity.

I silently made a promise to myself that the first thing I would do once I had money was buy back this house, which was filled with memories.

The early days of starting a business were brutal – so much so that we’d share a single plate of spaghetti while staring at blueprints, dreaming about the future.

The taste of the spaghetti, mixed with our tears, was all we could afford.

When things got a little better and we finally had a bit of extra money, Jack would secretly check out the travel guides I’d made for nearby towns and plan short trips for us.

He would also take me for bike rides by the beach after dinner, helping me unwind.

That’s the kind of man Jack was. If anyone ever bullied me, he’d throw punches without hesitation, no matter the consequences.

I loved Jack. I loved everything about him.

I loved the sense of security he gave me, the way he always tilted the umbrella towards me, making sure I stayed dry while he braved the rain.

So when he finally confessed his feelings to me, I didn’t hesitate to say yes, collapsing into his arms in tears.

That was the fifth year we’d known each other – the first year we were together.

Everyone around us believed we’d stay in love for the rest of our lives.

Until today, I had believed that too. I was sure we’d be together forever, even if the world crumbled around us.

I never imagined Jack would leave me for another woman.

I remember the anger in his eyes before he walked out, telling me that Lucy was different from me.

She had no one here, but how was I any different?

I only had Jack, and yet he abandoned me too.

The day my mother died, he promised me he would never leave me alone, never leave me behind.

But now, my only source of support was gone.

He had left me for someone else.

Today, he shattered every promise he’d ever made.

I changed out of my wedding dress and bid farewell to my friends.

Sitting alone in a small pavilion in the forest, I gazed out at the still waters of the man-made lake. I opened the wooden box that held the fireflies.

As soon as they were freed, they lit up their emerald tails and soared into the open sky, free at last.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, and when they reached my lips, they tasted salty.

Jack had prepared these fireflies, saying, “When the wedding is over, we’ll release them together. It’ll be so romantic.”

Yes, it truly would have been romantic. But now, I was the only one left to witness it.

We met here, on this very mountain, because of the fireflies. And ironically, it seems our story ends here too.

In the third year of our relationship, our company went public, and everything seemed to be going in the right direction.

As we expanded and opened a branch in another city, we began to spend less time together.

But no matter how late it got, we always made sure to call each other and say goodnight.

We’d remind each other to eat on time during meals.

I thought we were still in a close phase of our relationship – after all, eight years together had forged a bond that felt deeper than just love. It felt like family.

But then Lucy Carter entered our lives, and everything seemed to change.

At first, after we took Lucy to the hospital, Jack only felt guilty.

After all, it was his distracted driving that had caused the accident.

But after Lucy was discharged, she started calling me often. I actually liked her quite a bit back then.

She was like a sweet little sister, always playfully envious of my relationship with Jack.

It felt like I had a small admirer.

But then, at some point, things changed.

She stopped calling me and began calling Jack instead.

At first, Jack would tell me every time Lucy contacted him, keeping me in the loop.

But over time, he stopped mentioning it at all.

I brushed it off, thinking it was probably because I wasn’t in the same city.

Even if Lucy did need me, I couldn’t be there for her right away.

But one day, when I returned to Sacramento for a promotional event, I was shocked by what I found.

The moment I stepped into the office, I realized Lucy hadn’t just “found a job” like she had mentioned over the phone.

She was working in my company.

Not only that, but she was using my office – under the title of Jack’s assistant.

When she saw me walk in, she was momentarily surprised but quickly regained her composure, greeting me warmly.

I wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. All I wanted was to ask Jack what was going on.

Why on earth did an assistant need the office of a general manager?

Just then, Jack walked in. His expression shifted slightly when he saw me.

I asked him what was happening, and he casually brushed it off.

“Lucy buys a lot of snacks, and her desk was too small to hold everything. Since you’re not using the office right now, I let her use it for the time being.”

Lucy playfully stuck her tongue out at Jack, then clung to my arm, pouting, “You’re not mad at me, right, Maya?”

At that moment, I should have realized that something was wrong between us.

Jack had always been strict about not allowing food in the office – not even for me.

He’d always say, “The office is for business; it shouldn’t smell like food.”

Yet now, I was sitting on his office couch, staring at an unfinished bag of chips.

I tried to reassure myself, thinking maybe Jack was just being lenient because Lucy was younger, and he still felt guilty about the accident.

But the doubts kept piling up.

It wasn’t until after we attended the company’s promotional event and Jack placed his car keys on the table that my heart sank.

I noticed something on his keychain – a small, fluffy bunny charm.

I did my best to act casual and asked, “Did you change your keychain? What happened to the one I gave you?”