After that, Rosalie received a string of biting messages from Isla.

[Rosalie, know your place. In my brother’s heart, you’re not worth even a single strand of my hair.]

[See all this jewelry? My brother bought every piece at an auction; it even made the front page in the capital!]

[You’ve been married to him for three years. Has he ever treated you like this?]

[He cooks for me personally, preparing anything I crave…]

[Don’t even think about driving a wedge between us.]

[Cross me, and my brother will make sure you burn in hell…]

Over the years, Isla had thrown barbs at her, both openly and behind her back, but Rosalie had always brushed them aside.

Today, however, her emotions surged like a storm.

Today marked the anniversary of her love for Easton.

She stood on Hollingsworth Mountain, waiting for Chase to arrive and pose for her painting.

He had promised he would come, but now he was late, still off buying jewelry for Isla at a New Year Eve’s celebration.

Memories of her sweet past with Easton flooded Rosalie’s heart like a rising tide. Yesterday had been filled with love, but today, the man was gone, and so was their love.

All that remained was her and their ailing child left to face the world alone.

How could she not be overwhelmed by the bittersweet scenery and haunting memories?

Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, endless and unrelenting.

She called Chase many times, but each call went unanswered.

Finally, she turned off her phone, surrendering to silence.

Without a model, she began to paint from memory, capturing the moment Easton had confessed his love to her atop Hollingsworth Mountain.

She painted their tender exchanges: giving flowers, embracing, sealing their love in a silent promise.

By the time the final stroke fell, the sun had swallowed its last golden ray.

Rosalie collapsed on the grass, tears still falling, and drifted into sleep, sinking deep into the echoes of her memories.

When Chase arrived at Hollingsworth Mountain, he found her there, cradling “his portrait,” a gentle smile on her sleeping face.

Moonlight bathed her features, stirring something deep within Chase’s chest.

He looked at the painting himself, passionately kissing her, and his heart thundered.

He hadn’t shown up, yet Rosalie had painted this imagined scene of love.

Did she love him this much?

Chase reached out and gently lifted her from the grass.

That’s when his eyes caught a small notebook that had slipped from her bag.

Curiosity nudged him to pick it up and flip it open. Inside, a collection of love letters she had written “to him” lay revealed.

“My dearest Hollis, I will love you for ten thousand years.”

“My dearest Hollis, my love for you will never die…”

His heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

Some letters dated back ten years.

He couldn’t believe that she had loved him all that time.

A warm smile spread across his lips as an indescribable sweetness bloomed in his chest.

At that moment, her eyes fluttered open, locking on the notebook in his hands. Her expression shifted instantly. “You…”

But Chase grasped her hand gently and met her gaze with deep emotion. “Rosalie, I never imagined your love ran this deep. There’s a meteor shower soon. They say if you wish for love beneath it, unexpected blessings will come since we’re here together. Let’s indulge your love; make a wish with me.”

Brilliant meteors soon streaked across the night sky.

Beneath the ancient maple tree, their fingers intertwined as their eyes gently closed, each lost in a silent wish.

Rosalie didn’t correct his quiet misunderstanding.

Instead, she gazed at the man before her, mistaking him for the one who had captured her heart and slipped away.

With a devoted, blissful smile, she whispered a wish for love to bloom again in the next life.

After Hollingsworth Mountain, Chase began to pay more attention to Rosalie.

Though his time still leaned heavily toward Isla, his favoritism clear as day, he found himself caring more about Rosalie’s daily life, sending flowers, and trying to lift her spirits whenever he was away.

But Rosalie barely noticed. She was consumed with packing and preparing for her departure abroad.

During this whirlwind, she stumbled upon an ad for a racing competition.

The grand prize? A handcrafted maple leaf hairpin, an exquisite final masterpiece by the elusive designer known only as E.

Though E’s identity remained a mystery to most, Rosalie knew the truth. That E was none other than the late Easton.

That very hairpin had been his promised engagement gift to her.

But fate had other plans. The wedding never came, and instead, she had been shattered by his death.

Never in her wildest dreams did she expect the piece he designed for her to resurface publicly.

She had to have it.

Trembling with a storm of emotions, Rosalie knew she couldn’t race herself, so she hired Ryder, an international driver, to compete on her behalf.

To her surprise, at the race, she crossed paths with Chase and Isla.

A wave of unease settled in her chest. Chase was dressed in a racing suit too, was he competing as well?

During the pre-race warm-up, Isla fed Chase water in front of everyone, and he smiled gently as he wiped her sweat away.

The handsome man and beautiful woman drew plenty of eyes. Anyone watching would easily mistake them for a couple.

Isla caught snippets of the crowd whispering, “Ryder in such a small race? Can’t believe it.”

“That means he’s sure to take the trophy.”

“Who's that girl beside Ryder? She’s stunning...”

Isla glanced toward Ryder and saw Rosalie talking with him.

Rosalie’s phone screen still showed the maple leaf hairpin, which was the first prize.

Understanding dawned on Isla, and a sly smile curved her lips as she leaned close to Chase.

“Brother, I want that prize. The maple leaf hairpin. Will you win it for me?”

“Of course,” Chase said with a soft smile. “If I don’t win, I’ll buy it for you no matter what.”

Isla nodded, pleased.

Still uneasy, she picked up her phone and sent a quick message.

The race roared to life, and Ryder surged ahead, taking the lead with fierce determination.

With every lap, Rosalie’s heart hammered harder, the finish line drawing nearer.

She was so close, almost within reach of Easton’s precious hairpin.

But just as Ryder neared victory, a reckless car, far behind and breaking the rules, barreled onto the track and crashed into him.

Both racers were disqualified, and their results were wiped clean.

The second-place driver, Chase, claimed the championship instead.

As Chase handed the maple leaf hairpin to Isla, Rosalie hurried forward. “Chase, I want that hairpin. Will you give it to me?”

Chase hesitated.

Isla gripped his arm and whined, “Brother, you promised you’d give me anything I wanted. I love this hairpin, too.”

Chase moved to place it on Isla’s head.

Rosalie clenched her fists, her voice trembling. “Chase, I’ve never asked you for anything. This hairpin means everything to me. Can you please give it to me?”

Chase met Rosalie’s gaze, struck by the deep sorrow in her eyes.

Without thinking, he began to reach toward her.

But Isla whispered softly, “Brother...”

And just like that, Chase pinned the hairpin on Isla’s head. “Isla, whatever you want, no one can take it from you.”

Isla’s proud smile pierced Rosalie’s heart, and her face drained of color.

Isla slipped the hairpin from her head and toyed with it lazily. “Now that I have it, it doesn’t seem so special anymore.”

As she said this, she pretended to lose her grip, and the hairpin slipped from her fingers.

It fell straight into the nearby fire pit used for shows.

Flames hungrily swallowed it in an instant.

By the time Rosalie rushed over, the hairpin was nothing but a blackened, hollow shell.

“No… no…”

Tears streamed down Rosalie’s cheeks. Her heart shattered just like the burnt remains.

This had been her rare chance to hold onto something Easton left behind.

She never asked for much.

Even if everything connected to Chase was gone, she could bear it.

But why was it so hard to hold on to this one small hairpin?

She sank to the ground, hands covered in ash, feeling as if the world had ended.

Chase’s chest tightened with a sudden wave of guilt and pain.

He reached out to help her up. “It’s just a hairpin. If you want, I can find you something even nicer.”

Rosalie pushed him away coldly. “You could give me a thousand pretty things, but I only wanted that one.”

From that moment on, Rosalie stayed distant and cold toward Chase.

Whenever he tried to speak, she acted like he wasn’t there and avoided him completely.

Even though Isla no longer stayed in the master bedroom, Rosalie went to the guest room alone.

When Chase got into a minor car accident, a friend called Rosalie answered without care, “He’s not my problem. If anything happens, go to Isla.”

The friend was shocked. “Wasn’t Rosalie always crazy about Chase? I remember if he so much as sneezed, she’d stay up all night taking care of him. Now you’re in the hospital after a crash, and she doesn’t even care if you live or die? What happened? Did the fan turn against you?”

Chase’s face turned pale. He tore the IV from his arm, then stumbled out of the hospital, ignoring his friend calling after him.

Dragging his injured body, he threw a handful of hairpins in front of Rosalie. “Rosalie, it was just a hairpin, right? These are all much more expensive and prettier than that maple leaf one. Take them; stop making such a fuss!”

Rosalie didn’t even glance at him. She turned and walked away.

Then Chase noticed a photo lying on the table, a little boy, maybe four or five, clearly sick but smiling brightly from his hospital bed.

What shocked Chase most was how much the boy looked like a mix of him and Rosalie.

But the timeline didn’t add up. This couldn’t be their child.

He stared in disbelief. “Who is this?”

Rosalie’s face changed instantly. Panic flickered in her eyes. She couldn’t let Chase find out about James. With her leaving tomorrow, she couldn’t risk any mistakes now.

She forced herself to stay calm and smoothly snatched the photo from his hand. “Just some random kid. A friend said he looked like me and sent me the picture. I thought it was interesting, so I kept it.”

“He doesn’t just look like you,” Chase chuckled softly. “If you and I had a child, I’m sure he’d look exactly like that…”

Something still felt off. He reached out again. “Rosalie, I didn’t get a good look before. Let me see the photo again. He looks way too much like—”

Rosalie tightened her grip on the photo, searching for a way to change the subject.

Suddenly, Chase’s phone rang. On the other end, Isla cried out in pain, “Brother, I got hit by a car! Please come quickly…”

In an instant, Chase’s eyes filled with panic. He rushed out the door without a second thought.

“Isla, I’m coming right now…”

And just like that, the photo vanished from his mind.