Leticia ascended to the rooftop in the middle of the night. It was the start of winter, so the winds at night were extremely chilly.

She stood on the edge of the rooftop as she stared down at the lights dotting beneath her feet. The traffic flow and the decorative trees looked so tiny as well.

That was when Leticia recalled the system's final message—only when one embraced death would they be reborn.

If she were to jump down from this spot, would she return to her original world? Or would she completely disappear?

Leticia didn't know the answer to that. All she knew was that she would never see Tristan again regardless of where she ended up at.

Soon, she dug out her phone and called the phone number which she was extremely familiar with.

The call went through very quickly. Tristan's voice was gentle as usual.

"What's wrong, Letty?"

Leticia gazed at the horizon, her voice coming out soft and airy. "Where are you right now?"

Tristan responded in a low tone that was brimming with love and care for Leticia, "I'm in the company right now. Are you feeling better? Did you eat regularly today?"

Leticia merely curled her lips into the faintest of a smile. Still, her expression mostly remained impassive.

"I feel like eating the custard cake sold in Suburban Journ all of a sudden."

It didn't matter how late the night was in the past. As long as Leticia told Tristan she craved something, Tristan would rush over to buy that particular food item even if he was already asleep beforehand.

There was once when Leticia made her request in the middle of a snowing night. Tristan still braved the snowy weather by driving for three hours just to buy the food item back for her.

Back then, Leticia's heart throbbed in pain for Tristan. As she warmed his hands up with her own, she silently vowed that he'd be the only man she'd marry in this lifetime.

At that moment, Tristan paused on the other end of the line. He soon answered, "Letty, there's a lot of work for me to deal with in the company today, so I'll have to spend the night here. How about I head over to Suburban Journ and buy the custard cake for you first thing tomorrow?"

This was Leticia's first time being stubborn. "But I want to eat it now."

Tristan hesitated for a moment. In the end, he still turned Leticia down.

"Be good, now. Seriously, I can't leave because of work. I'll bring back as much custard cake as you want tomorrow, okay?"

The moment Tristan's voice fell, a faint chuckle came from the other end of the line. It might be faint, but Leticia could still make it out as Chelsea's voice.

Alarmed, Tristan began coughing immediately to hide the chuckle. But Leticia ended up crying bitter tears silently through her smile on her end of the line.

In the end, she still gave her heart to the wrong person for seven long years.

Leticia swiped the tears off her cheek. Her gaze became determined and ruthless at that moment.

"No need for that. I don't want to eat custard cake ever again."

Once she was done saying her piece, she hung up on Tristan right away. Then, her gaze flitted to the specks of light illuminating the windows of the building across from her.

This wasn't Leticia's world. In the past, she once fantasized about having a home of her own in this world. Perhaps one of those lights belonged to her and Tristan.

But now, Tristan destroyed everything with his own hands.

"Tristan Colton, from now on, you and I will never see each other again, be it in life or death." This was Leticia's final thought.

She spread her arms slowly.

A loud thud echoed from the building the next second.

…

The next day, Tristan felt his heart throb in pain all of a sudden. For some reason, he had an ominous feeling.

He pushed Chelsea away, who was littered with love bites and hickeys. After getting dressed, he rushed out of the room hurriedly.

Chelsea quickly caught up to him with his wheelchair, though she made sure to hide her jealousy well.

"Look at you! You've completely forgotten to keep up your act when you're anxious! Honestly, I'm so envious of Leticia!

"To think that you're willing to go so far as to fake a disability just to get her to marry you! When will you care this much about me, Tristan?"

Tristan's lips were pressed into a thin line. If Chelsea were to get jealous or act coquettish in front of him at any other time, he'd be quick to appease her.

But the recollection of Leticia's odd phone call from the night before made him uneasy. Naturally, he wasn't in the mood to care for Chelsea.

Tristan accepted the wheelchair coolly before getting into his car. Then, he sped toward the pastry shop in Suburban Journ and bought some custard cake. After that, he rushed home.

As he opened the door, he couldn't resist calling out to Leticia.

"Letty? I bought your favorite custard cake!"

But Leticia didn't respond to him despite him having called out to her a few times in a row.

The moment Tristan opened the door to the master bedroom, he was shocked by what he saw.

Papers littered the bedroom floor. When Tristan picked up one of the papers, he was stunned to see the chat history between him and Chelsea. There were also explicit photos of them being intimate in bed.

At that moment, Tristan felt as though thunder had zapped him on the spot.

Who scattered those papers on the floor? Was it Leticia?

She'd found out about his affair!

Tristan felt his heart wrench in pain, as though someone had cut him deep in his heart. He dug out his phone from his pocket in a fit of anxiety. By the time he located Leticia's phone number, his entire body was trembling violently.

But once Tristan called Leticia's number, he found out that her phone was already switched off.

This time, Tristan completely lost his mind to anxiety. He couldn't imagine how Leticia had reacted when she found out about the affair as well as the consequences he'd have to face.

He kept calling Leticia's number over and over again. From the way he kept repeating the action, it was evident that he had gone mad.

At that moment, another number called Tristan.

Out of pure anxiety, he answered the phone call instantly. He didn't even get to see the phone number clearly. Almost immediately, he began begging the caller.

"Letty, please don't leave me! I can explain everything!"

The caller fell silent for a moment before replying, "Please accept our condolences, Mr. Colton. Mrs. Colton jumped off a building last night. We've just verified her death. Please come to the morgue and claim her body."

It was early spring, but the weather was still pretty cold.

Stephanie Rowell opened the door while speaking into her phone, her soft voice fading into the drizzle. "Mom, Dad, I'll be home by the end of the month for blind dates and to get married."

She pulled her collar up, hearing her parents, Hubert Rowell and Rita Bassett, breathe a long sigh of relief from the other end.

"Steph, our health isn't what it used to be, so we hope you'll settle down soon. It's a relief that you've figured things out. I'll have Laura set up a few dates for you when you get home."

Hearing that Hubert and Rita had already made plans, Stephanie's eyes showed a flicker of emotion, and she had a sudden realization.

They talked for a little while longer before hanging up.

Stephanie glanced at the place she'd been staying before heading to the bedroom to clean up her stuff.

She had a drawer full of love letters, photo albums with candid shots tucked away in the cabinet, and diaries she'd kept for years on the bookshelf—all keeping the secret of her crush on Liam Lowry.

Stephanie threw everything into a box, carried it downstairs, and set it on fire without a second thought. While the flames danced in shades of orange and yellow, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

She looked up instinctively and saw Liam approaching in his flight uniform, looking as striking as ever. He clearly had just returned from a flight.

Liam didn't expect to find her there. Smiling, he asked, "What are you burning?"

He leaned down to pick up a pink envelope that wasn't fully burned and raised an eyebrow. "Love letters? You actually wrote love letters? To who?"

Stephanie stared at him, about to say something, when he tossed the letter back into the fire with a grin. After that, he ruffled her hair.

"I was just messing with you. You're such a softie, huh? I don't mind your past and won't dig into it. Hurry back inside once you're finished here. It's cold out."

With that, Liam turned and headed for the elevator.

Once he was out of sight, Stephanie looked away and let out a wry smile. She wondered if he truly didn't mind or just didn't care at all.

The envelope had his name on it. He would've seen it if he'd bothered to take a closer look, but he just threw it into the fire.

She'd been secretly into Liam for ten years, but he didn't have the slightest idea.

Stephanie was sent to a high school in the city at 15 because of her impressive grades.

She was just another average girl back then, with no sense of style and always looking a little sloppy. People barely noticed her.

Liam was her classmate. His privileged background and striking looks gave him a certain glow, putting him just out of her reach.

It was the first day of school when they first met.

Stephanie got on the bus, only to realize she'd lost her transit card. The students in line behind her were losing patience and kept grumbling.

They told her to walk if she couldn't pay, saying they wouldn't have minded if she were a stunner, but she was so plain that it was hard to even look at her.

Her face went red with embarrassment, and she was about to get off the bus when someone up front paid her fare.

Stephanie thanked him. When she looked up, her face turned even redder when she saw that unbelievably handsome guy.

She stammered, "H-Hey, I'm Stephanie Rowell. What class are you in? I'll pay you back for the fare."

His voice was nice but kind of distant. "No, it's all good."

Later, she found out his name was Liam—the heartthrob of Southcrest High School, known for hopping from one girlfriend to the next every few days.

After that day, Stephanie found herself always looking for him. She knew his desk was piled high with love letters but still stayed up late writing down her growing feelings for him.

Aware that Liam was into beautiful, outstanding girls, she dove into her studies, slimmed down, learned how to do her makeup and shed her shy, self-conscious side.

She did everything she could to be worthy of him.

Eventually, they both ended up at the same college, and Liam noticed Stephanie for the first time after her transformation.

He made his move in their sophomore year. Without recognizing her as his high school classmate, he smiled and asked if she'd like to be his girlfriend. She fought back her tears and nodded.

Stephanie was Liam's 78th girlfriend and turned out to be his last. Instead of ending things after just a few days like he usually did, he actually dated her for six years.

Everyone was convinced he was in love for real—that the guy who never settled down had finally found someone.

Stephanie thought she had finally won over the one she'd been longing for after all these years. Her heart swelled with happiness during all those nights when she lay beside him, watching him sleep peacefully.

It wasn't until three days ago, when Liam got drunk, that she went to pick him up and accidentally overheard his conversation with his friends.

His buddy draped an arm around him. "Liam, you've been with her for six years. Why haven't you ended it yet?"

Liam's voice was raspy, and it was obvious he was drunk. "I can't just yet. She might think I'm not committed enough."

"Maeve really had you under her spell. You acted like a playboy after she rejected you, hopping from one girlfriend to the next every few days just to get over her.

"Later, she said you weren't committed enough and told you to prove yourself with a stable relationship before she'd consider dating you.

"And you just went with a girlfriend and dated her for six years. Dude, you're hopeless."

The room was alive with laughter and conversation, and no one noticed Stephanie outside, feeling like she'd just been dunked in freezing water.

She'd heard of Maeve Stewart, who went to the neighboring high school. However, she'd never thought Liam had feelings for her or that she was just a pawn in his game to win Maeve over.

All those feelings that Stephanie had built up for him over the last ten years shattered in a heartbeat. She'd fallen for him, but he never felt the same. He'd stolen her heart but never once glanced her way.

She finally figured everything out and knew it was time to let go. So she agreed to the blind dates.

Today marked ten years of Stephanie loving Liam and the first day she chose to let go.

Stephanie didn't go home immediately after burning everything. She sat on a bench outside for what seemed like hours.

When she finally made it home, Liam was already asleep, but his phone on the bedside table was buzzing away.

She went to turn it off but accidentally opened his WhatsApp instead, and his chat history with Maeve popped up on the screen.

"Li, talk about a coincidence! I never expected to be on your flight back home, or that someone as chill as you would end up being a captain."

It took Liam a while to reply. "You seriously don't know why I became a captain?"

Maeve sent a cheeky emoji. "Is it because of me? Just because I mentioned liking guys in captain uniforms?"

"Yes."

That one word from Liam was enough to tear Stephanie's world apart. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away.

She exited the chat and saw the noticeable pinned icon next to Maeve's name. Beneath it was her chat with Liam. The icon there was different, though—it was the "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Stephanie realized that the way Liam treated someone he loved was worlds apart from how he treated someone he didn't. But that didn't matter anymore since she had already decided to move on.

Liam was getting closer to the one he loved, while Stephanie was ready to start a new chapter in her life. They ended up with what they wanted, which was the best for them.

…

The next morning, Stephanie was jolted awake by her alarm and noticed Liam was already gone. He hadn't mentioned where he was headed, but she had a feeling he went to see Maeve.

After all, Maeve had casually mentioned wanting breakfast from that spot near her high school last night, and he had already gone ahead and made a reservation.

Stephanie didn't think much of it. She had her things to take care of.

After breakfast, she put on some makeup, grabbed her bag, and headed to the office to quit her job. At noon, she got together with a few of her college roommates for a goodbye lunch.

Everyone at the table knew about her decade-long secret crush. They sighed when they heard she was planning to break up and head back home for blind dates, thinking she'd wasted the best ten years of her life.

"Steph, are you seriously just going to slip away like this? Don't you think it's unfair? Aren't you going to tell Liam about everything you've done for him all these years before you go?"

"Yeah, you love him so much. Are you not going to give it one last try? If you tell him, maybe he'll ask you to stay. It's been ten years—anyone with a heart would be moved."

"Liam's definitely a jerk, but you're the one who's been with him for six years. That woman went abroad long ago, right? Maybe he's just holding onto some old obsession with her?"

Stephanie could tell they all felt sorry for her, but she had made up her mind and wasn't about to waste any more time.

She shook her head. "He doesn't feel the same way about me, so it'd be pointless to tell him. It's better for me to just walk away with some dignity."

Seeing how determined she was, they let it go with a sigh, hoping she'd end up with someone better. After chatting for over an hour, they finally went their separate ways.

After downing the last glass of wine, Stephanie headed home, feeling wide awake. The nice weather gave her the perfect excuse to clean out everything she'd bought over the years.

She had carefully handpicked everything—the matching outfits and mugs, the plush toys from claw machines that filled the cabinets, the razors in the bathroom, and the cosmetics covering the vanity.

Now, they were all heading to the trash.

The bedroom, kitchen, and living room, once so warm and inviting, were now empty and lifeless. But Stephanie knew that Maeve's things would quickly take over these empty spaces after she left.

Liam didn't come home or even texted for the next three or four days. Stephanie wasn't bothered about where he had gone. She slowly packed her things.

It was her birthday on Friday, so she went out to get a cake and bought herself a nice bouquet of flowers. She'd just put the flowers in the vase when Liam called.

"Steph, I'm outside your office. Your colleagues mentioned you quit. What happened?"

Stephanie looked surprised when she heard that. Liam had never bothered to pick her up from work after all this time together.

She wasn't sure why he was acting so off, but since she couldn't tell him why she quit, she made up an excuse. "I've been exhausted lately, so I thought I'd take a short break at home."

Liam didn't dig any deeper. He asked where she was and said he'd come get her and take her somewhere.

Half an hour later, they met outside where they were staying.

Stephanie got in the car and didn't ask where they were going or why he hadn't come home lately. She sat quietly, watching the scenery outside the window the whole drive.