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."

"Jess is only moving in with us because my mom is afraid she'll be overwhelmed by memories at home and keep thinking about my brother. I can't refuse.

"We've made it through ten years together. Don't you understand my feelings by now? I'm stuck in the middle—can't you try to be a little more understanding of me?

"Let's not waste time. I'll take you to the hospital first. I still have things to take care of afterward."

Back then, for the sake of marrying me, he had been willing to sever ties with his family. Even when they pressured him, when he couldn't find work, when he could no longer play the piano, he still married me without hesitation.

He had done something so difficult back then. And yet now, when his mother asked him to take care of his late brother's widow for a lifetime, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

The moment Jess was in danger, he threw himself into saving her without a second thought. He even let my child become part of her life—while abandoning me, who needed him just as much.

Was it really that hard to admit that his heart had changed?

Perhaps it was hard. After all, falling in love with his deceased brother's wife wouldn't sound very good if word got out.

He took me to the hospital and helped me register, but he didn't say a single word to me the whole time. When he left, he only repeated, "Get some good rest," and walked away without looking back.

He left just like that, without even turning his head. All that remained for me was his cold, retreating figure.

Sudden, searing pain swept through my body, and with it, a large piece of my memory seemed to slip away. Even the ache in my heart dissipated just like that.

I barely managed to make it home from the hospital. Exhausted, I lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

Not long after, panicked shouting erupted outside.

I forced myself to sit up, trying to see what had happened, only to find flames rising from the rose bushes in the garden. The housekeeper was leading the gardeners in a frantic effort to put out the fire.

Sam and Jess stood to one side, at a complete loss.

When Jess saw me, she ran over with tears brimming in her eyes.

"Natalie, I'm so sorry. Jonathan asked me to get familiar with the surroundings. I was playing in the garden and accidentally set the rose bushes on fire."

She stood there, tears about to spill over.

"I'm sorry, Natalie. You can punish me however you want."

Hearing this, Sam hurried over as well. Seeing Jess crying, he quickly came to my side to plead for her.

"Mom, don't blame Aunt Jess. I was the one who kept pestering her to do magic tricks for me. That's how the bushes got set on fire by accident."

I wasn't fully awake yet. I stared blankly at the rose bushes that were still burning.

Those roses had been planted by Jonathan himself in the year Sam was born. He had said they symbolized his love for me. No matter how the garden was renovated in the future, this patch of roses was never to be touched.

And now, even they had turned to ashes.

Dizziness washed over me. My pale lips moved slightly.

"Sam, these roses were planted by your father the year you were born. They were meant to celebrate your arrival and to represent your father's love for your mother. Do you think something like that can be destroyed so casually?"

Guilt flashed across Sam's face. He lowered his head, crying silently, unable to say a word.

Seeing this, Jess suddenly dropped to her knees and said weakly, "Natalie, if you're angry, then I'll kneel and beg for your forgiveness. I'll keep doing it until you're satisfied."

Sam panicked and grabbed her hand, trying to pull her up. Through his sobs, he cried out, "Mom, please don't bully Aunt Jess like this…"

Just then, Jonathan happened to return.

When he saw Jess kneeling on the ground, his expression changed abruptly. He told the housekeeper to take Jess and Sam away.