The preparation for the wedding was in full swing.

Since the preparation required a lot of manpower and resources, they hired many people.

Yelena happened to be one of them. Leonard was shocked to see her.

I stood in the hallway on the second floor and witnessed the scene in the lobby.

Yelena wore a simple white dress with her hair cascading down her shoulders. She was busy filling in the employment form.

Leonard paused for a bit when he walked past her.

"This is the new assistant wedding planner, Ms. Yelena Lynch," the human resource manager introduced.

Yelena raised her head and looked Leonard in the eyes.

I saw Leonard's fingers tremble slightly. He usually did that out of habit when he was emotional.

"Welcome." Leonard's voice was slightly husky. He swiftly left after that.

I secretly trailed behind him and saw him enter the utility room.

After a while, Yelena entered the room too.

I stood at the door and heard the muffled sounds of sobbing coming from inside.

"Why… Why do you have to do this to me?" It was Yelena's voice.

"Lena, I…" Leonard sounded miserable. "I'm sorry."

I pushed open the door and saw Leonard holding Yelena tightly in his arms.

Their lips were crimson and swollen. Anyone could tell that they had just kissed passionately.

This scene stabbed into my heart like a knife to butter.

I thought I was numb to it all, but the pain was still excruciating.

The next day, Yelena "accidentally" lost the lucky charm that I treasured most.

It was a pendant I loved. When I had fallen sick, Leonard had climbed more than 3,000 steps to get it from the church atop a mountain.

I remembered him departing at 4:00 am that day.

At the time, I had laid in bed with a high fever. While I was floating in and out of consciousness, I heard him sneaking out quietly.

I had only heard the knocking on the door at midnight after sleeping for a day.

He had returned—drenched in sweat. The fabric around his knees had even been ripped to shreds.

He knelt next to my bed and took out a wooden box, saying, "Liv, I've brought you a lucky charm."

I opened my eyes weakly and saw the smile on his pale face.

His hands had been scraped, and his knees were covered in blood.

"I heard that we could make any wish come true in this church if we're sincere enough." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I crawled up the steps on my hands and knees. My wish will come true if I show more sincerity, right?"

I couldn't help tearing up when I saw his tired yet gentle gaze.

He gently wiped my tears away. "Don't cry. You'll be fine. I've made a wish to God. I'll offer my health in exchange for yours."

I held the lucky charm tightly and felt the warmth deep within.

At that moment, I had truly believed that the lucky charm would keep me safe.

After that, I had recovered fully.

However, Leonard had started falling sick frequently after the incident. He had always brushed it off with a smile, saying, "It seems like God heard my wish."

I now closed my eyes and seemed to see the young man kneeling on the steps of the mountain.

He had ascended the steps sincerely. He didn't give up even when his knees and palms were injured.

He had truly loved me back then.

Now, Yelena had lost the lucky charm that held that beautiful memory.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Smith!" Yelena apologized in a panic, her eyes red. "I… I'll look for it right now!"

I sneered inwardly as I watched her lousy act.

She had obviously done this on purpose. I had noticed her jealous gaze on the lucky charm on the day she came for the work interview.

Leonard stood to the side with a frown. "How could you be so careless?" He sounded like he was reprimanding her, but I knew he didn't care about the lost lucky charm.

"Forget it. Just let it be," I said softly.

Leonard was stunned as though he hadn't expected this calm reaction from me.

He opened his mouth and wanted to say something. But in the end, he only said, "I'll get you another one someday."

I looked at him without a hint of emotion in my gaze. Instead, I was overwhelmed with fatigue and relief.

At this moment, I had to admit that the guy who would crawl up 3,000 steps, stay up all night when I was sick, and search around the city for a hairclip I liked, was gone forever.

"It's okay." I turned around and left. "Some things are just meant to be gone."

Yelena's sobbing came from behind me. Leonard wanted to say something to me, but he ran after her in the end.

I stood in front of the window and watched the two run out of the villa.

The sun was so bright, but I was trapped in the dark.

Leonard eventually regained his memory as time passed. The treatment seemed to be working.

The day before the wedding, he suddenly stopped what he was doing and fixed his eyes on me for a long time.

"Liv," he called out softly, sounding slightly hesitant. "Recently… I seem to recall something."

His voice suddenly became serious. "Do you still have the music box I gifted you? The one with our photo inside."

I looked up and saw the anticipation in his eyes.

My heart ached at the sight. The music box had turned into ashes when I burned all our memories.

I forced a smile and said softly, "I accidentally lost it."

His gaze dimmed instantly. Soon, he regained his composure. "It's okay. I'll buy you another one."

I didn't reply and looked at him in silence.

His gaze wasn't as apathetic as before. Instead, it was filled with gentleness and guilt.

However, I knew his gentleness wasn't meant only for me. Someone had begun to hold a place in his heart a long time ago.

Leonard walked to the window, looked at the empty land in the backyard, and frowned slightly. "Where's the weeping willow tree? I remember planting one back there."

I walked up to him and explained calmly, "The workers accidentally cut it down during the renovation."

He subconsciously tapped on the window frame, his eyes darting around. Then, he seemed to regain his composure. "Let's plant another one. It's the right season to plant a tree now."

I nodded and didn't turn him down.

He held my hand and strode to the yard with me in tow. He then found the necessary tools and started digging a hole.

"Liv, do you remember? I planted a weeping willow tree here when we were 16 years old."

As he dug the hole, he continued, "Back then, we said we would hold our wedding under the tree. I even promised to enjoy the sight of the fully grown tree with you every year."

I stared at him in a daze. For a second, I seemed to see the young man from the past.

It was true that he had loved me then, but it was also a fact that he had fallen for someone else now.

He placed a weeping willow sapling into the hole and looked up at me, his gaze painfully gentle.

"We can make the tree grow again. It's the same as our love, right?" he asked.

I opened my mouth but had no idea what to say.

Just then, his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen and frowned before declining the call.

A few seconds later, the phone rang again.

He declined the call once more. Only this time, he looked slightly irritated.

"Answer it. Maybe it's something urgent," I said softly.

He hesitated for a moment and eventually answered the call.

Yelena's sobbing came from the other end of the line. I couldn't hear her clearly, but I could see Leonard's expression change instantly.

He hurriedly ended the call and turned around to say to me, "Liv, something urgent has come up. I need to go. Don't worry. I'll definitely have the tree planted tomorrow."

I replied with a nod and watched him leave anxiously. Then, his silhouette faded into the dusk.

I knew he was going to Yelena.

I stood at the same spot and stared at the weeping willow sapling that had yet to be planted. I felt eerily calm at this moment.

Leonard and I had no future together.

The wedding would be held the following day, but I had already booked a flight ticket out of the country.

This time, I wouldn't look back.