In the previous life, Mara often came to visit the family, but Clara did not think much of it. Who would have thought that at the age of sixty, they were still thinking about such a romantic affair.

Clara said nothing, turned around and called out, "Carter."

A golden retriever with beautiful yellow hair rushing out of the house and barking wildly at the door.

Mara was so frightened that her face turned pale. She tightly grasped Jackie's sleeve and said aggrievedly, “Jack, Clara does not welcome me, right? I'm leaving now.”

Clara ignored them and continued to tend to her small garden, while Carter walked briskly beside her, gently wagging his tail.

Watching Mara leave, Jackie was a little puzzled, “You do this on purpose, don’t you? I met her while walking in the park and I invited her to my home.”

Clara did not say anything. 

Perhaps he sensed her displeasure. He sighed as if he had compromised, “Forget it. If you do not like it, I won't let her come to my house anymore.”

The next morning, Jackie went out for a walk as usual, but he did not return.

It was not until Clara served the last dish that he opened the courtyard door.

“You have not eaten yet? Do not wait for me, I'm not hungry.”

With just a glance, she saw the grease on the corners of his mouth that had not yet been wiped clean. It meant that he had eaten outside and it must have been with Mara. 

He would take a walk from home to South Park and have a meal and he would be home around this time.

This was because he knew that Clara did not like Mara, so he went out to meet her.

In the end, she ate her breakfast alone in silence.

However, Clara was grateful for the chance to wake up again. 

In the past, she only cared about her children and her husband, so that she never paid close attention to her own feelings. 

At that time, even a fried dough stick or a bowl of soy milk was made according to her preferences and seemed very precious. It was as if a pair of gentle hands calmed the waves in her heart bit by bit and she quietly enjoyed the peace of the moment.

Jackie was sitting on the sofa, staring at his phone. His fingers were moving flexibly and a smile was always on his lips. It was unclear who he was chatting with. 

It did not matter to her who he chatted with. It was not until the moment of life and death that she realized what was important. 

This time, she would make arrangements before the end of her life and never let her loved ones suffer or her enemies rejoice.

After dinner, Clara returned to her room, took out her computer that had not been used for a long time, logged into the official website of the Organ Donation Management Center and filled in the registration information for body donation.

After filling out the form, Clara went into the room and sorted out all the photos of her that had been there over the years, not leaving out a single one.

A brazier was set up in the yard and she sat beside it, throwing piles of photos into the fire.

She and Jackie were together for a lifetime and there were several thick bundles of photos, from their love in their youth, to their long-lasting love in middle age, to their family of three after they had children and to their dependence on each other in their old age. 

The number of photos was at least several hundred.

Memories replayed before her eyes like a movie scene. The photo of her in a white dress leaning on his shoulder was taken when they had just started dating. 

Her brows were relaxed, her eyes were clear and bright and her smile was gentle. He said that he liked Clara best in a white dress with a pigtail, which made her look pure and lively. For many years afterwards, Clara's favorite dress was always white.

It was not until a photo of a girl in a white dress was found in his yearbook that Clara questioned Jackie. Jackie hesitated and just said that it was just a neighbor's little girl.

Later, she fell ill. Jackie took Mara to her bedside. The familiar white dress and familiar outline were exactly the girl in the photo. Suddenly, she understood.

Mara came to her house countless times, but she did not notice until the moment they held hands and he announced that they were going to be together.

Clara sobbed but could not say anything and she never had the chance to say what she wanted to say later.

They officially announced that she had passed away.

The flames in the yard finally attracted Jackie's attention. He hurried over and tried to grab some unburned photos from the brazier, but his hand was severely burned. 

“What are you doing? These are all our memories.”

His eyes were full of regret.

“The photos have turned yellow. If I keep them, they will attract bugs. We'll take new ones later.”

Perhaps he felt that what Clara said made sense, so he stopped talking and just kept repeating, “What a pity, every photo has so many memories.”

The fire died out and the two returned to the living room. The only sound in the house was the sound of teacups hitting the table.

Jackie glanced at Clara silently as he said, “Clara, come with me to South Park tomorrow. It's really lively in the morning.”

“Go by yourself. I made breakfast and it's already seven or eight o'clock. You cannot always eat out.”

Jackie was slightly embarrassed after being seen through. Just as he was about to explain, the phone rang. It was Mara's voice on the other end.

“Jackie, my chest hurts a little, can you come over?”

The voice made him almost imagine how pitiful Mara was on the other side. 

He frowned, perhaps afraid that Clara would misunderstand him and hurriedly explained, “I'll be back soon. Her daughter is out of town and she cannot be left without someone to take care of her.”

It was unexpected that Jackie could still walk briskly at the age of nearly 70.

As he was not around, Clara simply packed some daily necessities and used her mobile phone to book a ticket for a free tour of Water Village. However, due to her old age, it was quite troublesome to join a group tour.

After dinner the next day, when she was about to leave, Jackie had not come back yet, but it did not matter. She had long stopped caring about him. 

She had lived half her life and died once before she realized that true love changes in the blink of an eye. 

That time since she had another chance, she must treat herself well in the remaining time.

When the plane landed, she received a message from Jackie, [Clara, where have you been? Why haven't you come back yet?]

In the evening, it buzzed again, [Are you running away from home because you are angry with me? Really? At your age?]

Clara directly set the message to not disturb. Since she came to the beautiful Water Village, she should enjoy this moment and stop thinking about trivial matters.

It was really nice there, with a suitable temperature, bluestone tiles and a light mist in the morning. 

It looked like an ink painting, with small bridges, flowing water, people's homes and an ancient road with a thin horse in the west wind.

She found a famous local dress shop and chose a dark green dress for herself. She also held an umbrella in her hand and wore high heels. 

Although she was already old, she still had a good figure. Plus, Clara was tall and fair, so she looked gentle and quiet as she walked in the town.

Clara took a very sentimental photo of herself. In the photo, her face was kind and peaceful. The fan in her hand was painted with elegant orchids. 

She posted it on her Instagram with the caption, [Even at the end of life, you must try your best to love yourself.]

When they were young, Jackie promised to take her around to travel after retirement. But after he really retired, he was obsessed with taking walks in South Park all day long. 

When she mentioned traveling around the country, he always smiled and said that he was too old and should not cause trouble.

So that time she wanted to fulfill her dream and enjoy it to the fullest.

On the second and third days, Jackie sent her messages every day. But she never responded.

On the fourth day, he posted a photo of a garden full of flowers. 

[Clara, the flowers in the garden are so bright and beautiful, just like you were when you were young. Come back, I need you and these flowers need you too.]

On the fifth day, he posted a photo of himself having dinner alone. The afterglow of the setting sun lazily sprinkled on the old wooden table, stretching his shadow very long. 

There was steaming porridge on the table, but the taste seemed to be mixed with an indescribable loneliness.

Jackie's face was also deeply scarred. When he was young, he was very handsome, standing out among the crowd like a crane among chickens. 

Clara fell in love with him at first sight and she knew that she would be stuck with him for the rest of her life. 

Was the revenge on him a little ruthless? He was just an octogenarian.

On the sixth day, the phone was unusually quiet.

Clara just found it funny. Was his persistence only for five days?

That was good too, quiet and comfortable.

Still having not received any message from Jackie at night, Clara laid on the big bed and casually turned on the camera at home, which was installed by the children so that they could see their parents anytime and anywhere.

The lights in the yard were on. Clara looked carefully and saw Mara sitting in her usual rocking chair and Jackie was also sitting beside her drinking hot tea. 

The two of them were accompanied by the moonlight and it seemed that they were an old couple living a peaceful life.

It would be a lie to say that she did not feel uncomfortable at this moment. Although she did not want to care, she had lived with him a lifetime after all.

Since marrying Jackie at a young age, he had been her unwavering faith. For her family, her husband and her children, she convinced herself it was love at first sight.

But after enduring the trials of time, that faith crumbled. In the end, it felt like life had played a cruel, merciless joke on her.

Tears could not help but fall, Clara turned off the phone, snuggled into the warm cup and soon felt sleepy.

The lights were turned off and the room was pitch dark.

The next day, she was on a boat trip with her tour group when she received a call from her daughter, who was choking with sobs.

“Mom, why are you not home? Is something wrong?”

Girls were always thoughtful. Maybe she saw something in the video. In order to comfort her daughter, Clara pretended to be relaxed.

“Nothing, I was just traveling and met a lot of new friends.”

Her daughter wanted to say something, but instead, Clara said, “By the way, come home again in a few days. I have something to give you.”

“Okay.”

The two made an appointment and hung up the phone.

On the boat, Clara turned on the video at home. No wonder her daughter called her, it seemed Mara had already entered the house.

In the quaint courtyard, Jackie sat in a rocking chair while Mara sang Opera in front of the flower bed, posing and dancing. 

Her every frown and smile was delicate and artificial. Jackie listened with joy and clapped his hands to keep the rhythm.

After turning off the video, Clara curled the corners of her mouth in self-mockery.

The one-month trip ended quickly. It was already evening when she pulled her suitcase back home. 

Mara and Jackie were eating dinner at the dining table in the living room, she had one bowl and he had one. Clara's sudden intrusion seemed like a third party who broke the atmosphere.

Jackie stood up quickly and explained, “Mara has been feeling unwell and her daughter has not come back yet, so I had to take her over. Please sit down first and I'll serve you some food.”

Ignoring him, Clara went straight into the bedroom. She was stunned when she entered the room. 

The bed was neatly stacked with women's pajamas that did not belong to her and the bottles and jars in front of the dressing table were obviously not her cosmetics. 

The things that belonged to her were scattered in a cardboard box and thrown at her feet.

She frowned, turned and left the bedroom, looking at Jackie.

Jackie paused, as if remembering something, “After Mara came here, I let her sleep in the master bedroom. You're not here anyway. Also, don’t worry, I've been staying in the second bedroom these days.”

‘So, he let another old lady sleep in my bed?’ Clara sneered in her heart.