Luke's face was ghostly pale as he sprinted toward us. He grabbed Riley just before she tumbled down the staircase. I kept an iron grip on my emotions as I watched the two of them. The worry that Luke harbored for Riley was so palpable that I could nearly see it manifest in a tangible form.

Riley's eyes were filled with tears as she stared at me. "Summer, I admit it was my fault. I shouldn't have kept Mr. Logan by my side, and I've already apologized to you. But no matter how angry you are at me, you still shouldn't push me down the stairs!"

Luke picked Riley up after hearing her words. His gaze burned with fury when he glared at me. "Why did you try to hurt her, Summer? You know that she was injured recently. She would lose her life if she fell down the stairs! Since when did you turn into such a horrible person?"

With Riley cradled securely in his arms, Luke shoved past me and hurriedly left the scene. My stomach collided with the railing and the excruciating pain that came after made me break out in a cold sweat all over my body.

I felt like I was once again on the brink of death. I let out a bloodcurdling scream but Luke didn't spare me even a single glance.

Although Riley's miscarriage did not make Luke angry at me in this life, he still did not choose me. Blood trickled down slowly from between my legs. When the nurses noticed my condition, they rushed me into the operating room.

With a frown, the doctor said, "It doesn't look good. It'll be extremely difficult to save the baby."

I handed my abortion appointment to him and told him hoarsely, "Don't worry about it, doctor."

In my past life, I sacrificed everything that I had for Jesse's sake. But instead of being grateful, Jesse had stabbed me in the back for someone else. Since he didn't want me to be his mother, he could be born as someone else's son in this life.

My heart was too battered to hold any love for him anymore. The anesthesia felt chilly as it was injected into my veins, matching the glacial cold I felt in my heart.

When I woke up, my body felt hollow, like a letterbox that had a missing door. The wind blew in and rattled the empty space as it pleased. I knew at that moment that my last connection to Jesse had been severed.

My phone chimed. When I looked at the screen, I noticed it was a notification from a number I didn't know. In the message was a picture of two intertwined hands. Luke's and Riley's matching tattoos on their collarbones were also in full view.

After what had transpired, Riley no longer wanted to keep her relationship with Luke in the dark. As for me, I no longer wanted to fight with her for anything. I didn't reply and blocked her number.

Three days later, I returned home. The Logan residence that I had lived in for close to a decade looked no different from when I left it. The walls were covered in photographs that detailed Luke's and my history.

I was younger than him by two years. When I was five years old, Luke and I were actors in our preschool's reenactment of a fairytale. We got married on stage for that performance.

When I was 12 years old, I had my period for the first time. Luke thought I had been gravely injured and had hugged me tightly as he cried his head off.

When I was 15 years old, my parents passed away. Luke had patted my shoulder and whispered, "Don't worry. I'm here."

When I was 21 years old, Luke graduated from an overseas university and returned home. He had gotten drunk and kissed me for the first time.

My heart was trapped in the abyss known as Luke Logan. It was being torn apart over and over again in a vicious cycle.

…

I took down all the photographs just as Luke arrived. His back was to the light as he approached me, making it difficult to discern his emotions as his face was cast in shadow.

"Why did you take down the photos?"

I wanted to leave as quickly as possible, so I simply said, "I'm thinking of renovating the place."

Silence was his response. He sat down and helped with organizing the photographs.

After a moment passed, he said, "I know you care about me. I understand that you only did something so reckless because you were angry that day. Riley is alright, and she has agreed to forgive you. She won't bring up this matter anymore. But she does have a request."

I raised my head to look at him, waiting patiently for him to speak.

After a pause, he said, "The wedding clothes that Mom prepared for us looked amazing in our wedding photos. Riley has never worn a wedding dress. She wants to try wearing one."

"The dress was tailored to my body," I retorted coldly.

"The two of you are around the same size," he countered quickly.

I laughed darkly. "How do you know her measurements?"

Luke's face hardened. His embarrassment quickly morphed into frustration. "Summer, I'm talking to you nicely right now. Stop behaving like you're some sort of princess. You're the one who hurt her first.

"She was only willing to forgive you after I convinced her. Don't make things worse. She'll return the dress to you for the wedding."

"Fine."

I brought out the magnificent wedding dress. Rose had hastily designed the dress after she found out Luke and I were together. She had already been diagnosed with cancer by then. Only after the dress was completed was she willing to close her eyes and fall into an eternal slumber.

In my past life, I looked after the Logan family for Rose's sake. I was going to live for myself in this life.

Luke's face was filled with glee after he got his hands on the wedding dress, and he left quickly after obtaining it. An hour later, I received a message from Riley, who had switched to another number.

"The wedding dress is mine, and so is Luke."

Riley looked like a flower in full bloom with the wedding dress on. There was nothing but adoration on Luke's face as he held her hand. At that moment, I noticed that the hem of the wedding dress had been stained by an unidentifiable liquid. Disgust churned in my stomach.

"You can have both of them," I replied.

I cut myself out of the photographs before throwing the cut out images of me into a brazier and setting them on fire. I also found someone to sell off all the presents that Luke had ever gifted me.

After my expedition qualifications application was approved, I dropped by the research institute to process the necessary paperwork.

Eric reminded me once more, "Although we will do our best to ensure the safety of all members of the expedition team, the weather conditions in Glacia are unforgiving. There will always be risk involved no matter what precautions we take. Remember, safety always comes first."

Considering the uncertainty that surrounded the expedition, I stopped by the Heathers' residence after leaving the research institute.

When Mom passed away, she left an important item for me. She was afraid that it would stir up melancholy feelings of nostalgia within me, so she had me leave the item in the Heathers' residence.

The Heathers' residence seemed to be stuck in the past, looking exactly how it did when my parents were still alive. It gave me the illusion that they were still by my side. My nose stung and a wave of despair crashed over me. After drying my tears, I found the safe that was the reason for my visit.

However, when I opened the safe, I was frozen in place. There was nothing in it. I searched every nook and cranny of the house but there wasn't even a shadow of the item. Just as I was about to spiral into a pit of depression, the nurses' voices from the hospital rang out in my thoughts.

"You're right. Not only that, but I also saw Mr. Logan put on an emerald-studded bracelet for Mrs. Logan just now."

The person who took the bracelet must be Luke! I dialed his number over and over again, but just like in my past life, my calls were ignored.

I wasn't going to wait around this time and decided to rush over to Logan Corporation. Surprise flashed over the receptionist's face when she spotted me, and she stopped me from entering the office.

I batted away her hand that was grabbing my arm. "I'm a stockholder of Logan Corporation. Are you still going to deny me entry?"

A troubled expression appeared on the receptionist's face. She looked like she had something to say. I used her moment of hesitation to grab the baseball bat and rush inside. Luke's office was empty when I entered, but there was a crack in the door that led to the inner room.

Riley's coy voice came floating through the crack. "Luke, are you really going to marry Summer? Didn't you say you love me the most? Your mom has already passed away. You don't need to care about her."

Kissing sounds were coming from the inner room. Luke's voice was tinged with desire when he said, "Give me some time, Riley. Your body's weak after your miscarriage, and the doctor said it would be difficult for you to get pregnant again.

"Summer is pregnant with my child now, and that child could possibly be the only heir I have. I can't just leave her alone.

"Once Summer has raised the child to an age where they can attend school, I'll divorce her. I'll belong to you, and so will the child. Can you wait for me for a few more years?"

White-hot fury burned through my body like wildfire. I was angered to the point of dizziness and nearly lost my balance. I never would have thought that Luke had everything planned from the start.

The door to the inner room suddenly opened. Luke froze in his steps when his gaze fell upon me. He looked visibly panicked. "Summer, what are you doing here?"

Riley followed close behind him. She was hiding behind Luke like a coward as she made a show of adjusting her collar. Since the situation had escalated to this point, I wasn't in the mood to talk to them more than I needed to. I raised the baseball bat and brandished it at Luke.

"Where is my mom's bracelet? Hand it over!"

Luke assumed I hadn't heard what he said earlier and internally sighed in relief. But after he registered what I was saying, his brows knitted together. "Why do you want the bracelet all of a sudden?"

"Hand it over," I repeated. My voice rose in pitch.

Luke's voice was full of authority as he said, "Summer, this is the office. It's not a place for you to act in such an uncivilized manner."

Riley poked her head out from behind Luke and shook her wrist at me. "Are you talking about this? It's just a bracelet. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?

"I didn't know you were such a stingy person, Summer. I just thought that the color looked nice, so I wanted to borrow it for a little while. Don't be angry."

I glared at her and repeated again, "Hand it over."

Riley pouted as she unwillingly took off the bracelet. But as she was handing it over, she let the bracelet slip through her fingers. The emerald-studded bracelet collided with the floor, and the inlaid gems shattered into a million pieces.

It was as if the entire world had gone silent. Tears ran down my face as I kneeled down to salvage what was left of the emeralds. When I got back to my feet, I slapped Riley across the face with all the strength I could muster before hurrying out of the office.

Luke wanted to chase after me, but he was stopped in his tracks when he heard how pathetically Riley was begging him to stay. The next day, I threw away every single thing that had any relation to me in the Logan residence.

I boarded the ship that would bring me to South Point. I had left my abortion report and a farewell letter behind for Luke to find. I hoped that he would enjoy the surprise I left for him.