In the tenth year of my marriage to a genius pianist, I came down with a strange illness.

A month ago, my husband missed my birthday party to care for his ailing sister-in-law. Night after night, I had waited for him to return home. But that night I forgot to wait at all and went to bed early.

Half a month ago, he attended an important performance with his sister-in-law. I had always been petty and prone to jealousy, yet this time I didn't get angry. I simply went home in silence.

Three days ago, I fell seriously ill with a burning fever. My husband rushed back from out of town in a panic—but only to tend to his sister-in-law, whose hand had been scalded.

When we ran into each other at the hospital, I was strangely calm. I, who used to be fiercely jealous, felt nothing at all. I forgot the promise we had made to grow old together. I even forgot how he once fretted over me for days when I'd scraped a bit of skin.

It wasn't until he said he wanted to bring his sister-in-law home and take care of her for the rest of his life that I—my memories riddled with holes—summoned the system at last.

"I want to go home."

"I have something to deal with in another world. I'll come back the day after tomorrow to take you home."

The system's familiar mechanical voice sounded again.

My vision blurred, my face drained of color. I forced a faint, bitter smile and answered softly, "I'll wait for you."

Ten years ago, I chose to stay. I believed I could walk hand in hand with Jonathan Elroy until old age. I believed I would never again have anything to do with the system. Who would have thought that ten years later, we would still lose to reality?

The door opened. Jonathan was back.

The moment he saw me, the cold lines of his face softened, a gentle smile spreading across his features. He strode over and pulled me into his arms.

"Natalie, why didn't you bring me food today? I'm starving."

There was a hint of coaxing in his voice. "You always used to."

As I watched him put on that mock-hurt expression, I lowered my eyes and said, "I forgot."

Jonathan was always busy with work and often forgot to eat. He ended up with stomach problems, and it was I who studied recipes day after day, slowly nursing him back to health. Even so, he was left with the old habit—skip a meal, and his stomach would ache.

I couldn't bear to see him suffer, so I made soup and delivered meals to him every day, rain or shine, for ten years straight. And yet today, I forgot.

Forgetting to bring him food was a small thing. There were many other things I had forgotten too.

Back then, the system had said that no one who chose to stay could grow old with their assigned target. I didn't believe it. So it made a bet with me: if Jonathan ever changed his heart, I would gradually lose all memories related to him, my body would grow weaker and weaker, and I would die in the end.

In truth, my memories had already begun to fade. I had just only realized it now.

Jonathan lowered his gaze, pressed his forehead against mine, and looked at me intently. "Did you really forget? Or are you doing this on purpose to let me go hungry because I went to the hospital to take care of my sister-in-law a couple of days ago and didn't have time for you?"

I shook my head. "I really forgot. Because the system—"

"That's enough." Jonathan sounded a little helpless. He sighed, straightened up, and said, "Natalie, we've been married for ten years. Haven't I treated you well? I know there's no such thing as a system in this world. Please stop using this excuse to threaten me, okay?"

At his words, I sat there stiffly, staring at him in a daze.

So he had never believed me. He had always thought I was lying.

If this were the old me, I might have tried desperately to explain. But now, it didn't matter anymore. The day after tomorrow, I would be leaving. Whether he believed me or not was no longer important.

Just then, Jonathan took out an exquisite box, placed it in my hands, and opened it. Inside was a ruby-studded brooch.

"Honey, don't be mad, okay? I'm sorry.

"This brooch is a custom limited edition. There are only two in the world. It'll definitely look good on you. Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary—how about we take Sam to the Peach Blossom Park in the suburbs?"

I caught a trace of pleading in Jonathan's eyes. He was backing down.

I glanced at the brooch. A pigeon-egg–sized ruby was set at its center, glowing with a soft, warm red. One look was enough to tell it was worth a fortune.

"Is this something only I have," I asked, "or did you give it to someone else too?"

Jonathan smiled gently.

"This is my apology gift. Of course you're the only one who has it."

He was lying.

I had seen Jess Macaron wearing one exactly the same.

There was still a dull ache in my chest, but it was no longer the gut-wrenching pain it had been at the beginning.

He tenderly pinned the brooch onto me. His eyes were filled with affection, just as they always had. And yet, all of a sudden, he felt so unfamiliar.

Ten years ago, Jonathan had been a prodigy who rose to fame at a young age—a genius pianist from a scholarly family. His parents had never thought much of me, an orphan with no background. And yet, for the sake of marrying me, he had decisively cut ties with his family.

Now, he was a world-renowned piano master, stern and reserved, someone people held in awe.

But the moment he came home, he would lean close to me, whispering in my ear, as intimate as ever.

Everyone said he loved me to the bone.

He still seemed to love me deeply. Yet no matter how hard I tried, I could no longer touch his heart.

Seeing that I said nothing, Jonathan affectionately pinched my cheek. "Don't want to go to Peach Blossom Park? Then we can go somewhere else."

I gazed into his eyes and caught the faintest ripple.

"Peach Blossom Park is fine."

The day after tomorrow, I would be leaving. That park was where we had fallen in love. I hoped it could also become the place that held our final, beautiful memory.

The next day, the three of us set out together.

I had just recovered from a severe cold and had little strength left, so I leaned back in my seat to rest.

Not long after the car started moving, Sam said excitedly, "Dad, the weather's so nice today. Can we invite Aunt Jess to come with us? She's not boring like Mom—she doesn't stay quiet, she runs around and plays. I get so bored with Mom."

Jonathan's expression darkened. He shot Sam a stern look.

"Sam, don't talk nonsense. Today is your mother's and my wedding anniversary."

After being scolded, Sam realized he had said the wrong thing. He pouted, shrank his neck, and glanced at me cautiously. "Mom, don't be mad."

He must see Jess often.

I didn't smooth things over the way I usually did. I simply stared out the window in silence.

Jonathan wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Sam is still just a kid. He doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart."

The moment he touched me, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder. My body trembled slightly as I gently moved his hand away and said in a low voice, "I understand."

When we arrived at Peach Blossom Park, we got out of the car.

The park was known for its natural scenery. Peach trees were everywhere, their dense foliage blotting out the sky.

Worried about my condition, Jonathan insisted on walking with an arm around my shoulders.

Suddenly, a few shrill cries of "Help!" rang out ahead of us. I followed the sound and saw, not far away in the lake, a woman struggling desperately in the water.

I recognized the voice at once—it was Jess, the wife of Jonathan's late younger brother.

Jonathan instinctively shoved me aside and rushed toward her in shock.

"Don't be afraid! I'm coming!"

Weak as I was, I had been relying almost entirely on his support. When he pushed me away, I fell hard to the ground.

Branches scraped across my leg, leaving a deep gash as blood poured out. My arms were scraped raw by the stones, blood smearing my skin.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on my forehead. The searing pain was so intense that I couldn't hold back a muffled groan.

I struggled to get up, just in time to see Jonathan pull Jess out of the water.

"Jonathan, I thought I was going to drown here today and never see you again…" Jess's face was deathly pale as she clung tightly to him, crying.

Before Jess could finish speaking, she suddenly fainted.

My husband's eyes turned red as he gathered her into his arms and got into the car without a moment's hesitation.

Sam scrambled in after him, panic written all over his face, tears welling in his eyes.

"Hurry, drive to the hospital! Aunt Jess must have inhaled water!"

The driver glanced at me. "But—"

He barely got the word out before Jonathan cut him off. "What are you waiting for? Delay any longer, and I'll dock your pay. Go to the hospital. Now!"

The driver swallowed whatever he had wanted to say, stopped looking at me, and slammed on the accelerator. The car sped off and disappeared in an instant.

And I remained silent the whole time.

My husband and child didn't notice me. They didn't see the blood dripping from my leg.

In the end, only the driver had remembered me.

I stood there in a daze, staring at the car as it vanished into the distance, the pain in my chest tightening as if someone had clenched it hard, growing more and more unbearable.

Lowering my head, I happened to notice two necklaces lying quietly on the ground not far away.

They belonged to Jonathan and Sam.

Two years ago, the two of them had made three necklaces by hand as my birthday gift. Inside each one was a family photo of the three of us. We each had one.

Back then, Jonathan had said with a smile that we should always wear them, so that our family of three would be together forever.

And now, those two necklaces lay lonely in this weed-choked wasteland.

I slowly crouched down, picked them up, and together with my own necklace, gently tossed them into the nearby lake.

With a soft plop, the necklaces sank slowly to the bottom, as if a part of the memories buried deep in my heart had vanished along with them.

I thought that perhaps, like those three necklaces, I too would soon disappear from this world without a sound.

Jonathan and I had met and fallen in love at Peach Blossom Park. I never imagined that it would also be here that our love would come to an end.

I lowered my head and looked at the wound on my leg, the blood still flowing steadily. I quickly tied my clothes tightly around it to stop the bleeding, then clenched my teeth and, enduring the pain, limped all the way from the outskirts back to the city.

That walk took several long hours.

At last, Jonathan drove up.

"Honey, I thought Jess had inhaled water back then. It was so urgent—I panicked…"

He wrapped his arms around me in a fluster, as if holding a treasure he had nearly lost. "Natalie, it's all my fault. Please forgive me, okay?"

Cold sweat covered Jonathan's forehead, dripping down to the tip of his nose, making him look utterly disheveled.

I didn't understand. Gently breaking free from his embrace, I asked, "When are we going to file for divorce?"

He stared at me, shock filling his eyes.

"Honey, what are you talking about? I've never thought about divorce. Didn't we agree to grow old together?"

In his panic, he grabbed my hand, only then noticing the injuries on my hand and leg. Surprise and distress crossed his face.

"You're hurt? I'll take you to the hospital."

As he spoke, he tried to pull me toward the car, but I lightly pressed my hand over his.

"If we don't divorce," I asked, "then what about Jess?"

Jonathan's brows knit even tighter. "Honey, Jess is going to live with us. My brother is gone, and she's all alone. She's pitiful. What's wrong with taking care of her for the rest of her life? Besides, this is also Mom's decision.

"She's our sister-in-law. Even if I take extra care of her, it will never surpass your place in my heart. You will always come first."

Just a sister-in-law?

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "But I don't like having another woman in our home—especially one who's going to live with us for the rest of our lives."

Jonathan's mouth curved downward slightly. "Natalie, the one I love is you. You will always be my wife."