Elias froze, momentarily speechless, before a knowing smile spread across his face. "So you’re jealous?" he asked, his tone light yet teasing.

He gently ruffled Mira's hair, the warmth in his touch contrasting with the seriousness in his voice. "I just see Vera as a sister. Don’t you think she’s pitiful? Her life’s ticking away, her father doesn’t care for her, and my job is to help people. I do what I can to save as many as I can."

Is it really that simple?

Before Mira could voice her doubts, a cleaning lady came rushing out, mop in hand, shouting urgently, "Someone’s fainted!"

Elias' face immediately shifted, his expression turning grim as he rushed back into the restaurant. Moments later, he emerged, carrying an unconscious Vera in his arms.

"I’m taking her to the hospital!" His voice was firm, his gaze never meeting Mira's as he carefully placed Vera in the backseat of the car and sped off.

Mira stood frozen, her thoughts swirling in a haze.

Buzz—

A faint, electrical hum buzzed in her ears, drowning out the world around her. Her head felt like it was being pierced by a thousand sharp needles, the pain overwhelming. The room seemed to tilt, and as the world spun, Mira crumpled to the ground, clutching her head in agony.

When she regained consciousness, the sterile scent of disinfectant filled her senses. She was lying in a hospital bed.

"You’re awake," a doctor’s voice whispered, soft with concern. "Do you understand? You have a tumor in your brain. If you don’t have surgery soon, the fainting episodes will worsen."

Silence lingered in the room as she processed the gravity of the doctor's words.

Mira nodded numbly.

As the doctor left, her phone buzzed with a new call—Elias' name flashing on the screen.

"Mira, I’m sorry," Elias' voice sounded guilty, full of regret. "I left you alone today. I’ll make it up to you, I promise, twice as much next year."

Next year?

Mira’s lips curved into a bitter smile. Do they even have a next year?

"The situation was urgent. I understand," she replied, her voice distant.

Elias let out a relieved breath. "Vera’s fine now. I’ll be home soon, I’m picking up dinner."

"It’s fine." Mira’s words were cold, distant.

After hanging up, Mira took off her hospital gown and prepared to pay the bill. As she made her way toward the exit, a familiar female voice echoed from around the corner of the hallway.

"Elias, we haven't done the rehearsal kiss for today yet."

It was Vera’s voice, light and playful.

Elias' figure was cast in shadow on the floor tiles, his hand reaching out to gently touch Vera’s head. "Alright, stop fooling around," he said, his tone firm but affectionate.

"Did you kiss Mira when you got married?" Vera's voice had a teasing edge.

"...I did."

"Then, of course, our wedding should be like this," Vera said, standing on tiptoe, her voice soft but insistent.

The shadows, tall and short, moved closer together.

"Elias, can you kiss me? How can a girl kiss someone on her own initiative?" Vera’s voice was sweet and delicate, laden with unspoken longing.

Elias didn’t move. The atmosphere thickened, heavy with silence.

After a long pause, Vera whispered, her voice barely audible, “If you don’t want to, forget it. I can find someone else...”

The rest of her words faded into nothing.

The sound of lips meeting, of breath mingling, echoed through the quiet corridor.

Two minutes passed, thick with tension.

Elias' voice broke the silence, low and hoarse. "Don’t find someone else."

Mira, standing on the steps just beyond the wall, covered her mouth with her hand. She swallowed the sobs rising in her throat, her heart breaking with each passing second. Quietly, she turned and walked away.

In the bedroom, the faint light from outside spilled across the room, casting soft shadows on Mira’s red, swollen eyes. She stared blankly at the photo frame on the bedside table, her heart aching so painfully it felt as though it could shatter.

The photo was from the day of her high school graduation. It captured her and Elias in school uniforms, his arm around her shoulders. The moment the shutter clicked, she could still remember his soft whisper in her ear: "Mira, happy graduation. We’ll be together forever."

Elias' smile in the picture was as handsome as ever, and every time she looked at it, she couldn’t help but think back to the fire when she was fifteen. He had rushed in without hesitation, pulling her from the flames, saving her without a second thought.

The burn scars on his brow were still visible.

Wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes, Mira quickly composed a message and sent it off to a civil lawyer.

[Hello, my husband and I have no children or property disputes. Please help me draft a divorce agreement.]

Just as she pressed send, Elias walked through the door, hurriedly holding food in his hands.

“Mira, the neighbor said she saw you in the hospital yesterday. What’s wrong?” He asked, concern filling his voice.

Mira looked at his worried expression and replied calmly, “My digestion hasn’t been great recently. The doctor said it’s nothing to worry about.”

Elias visibly relaxed. “The prawns today are really fresh. I’ll make seafood porridge for you.”

“Okay.” She forced a smile, unable to meet his eyes.

As she watched him move around the kitchen, the image of two hours earlier flashed in her mind—him holding another woman, kissing her so effortlessly, so wantonly. The thought made her stomach twist.

Later that night, as they prepared for bed, Elias noticed Mira lying with her back to him. An unfamiliar emptiness filled his chest. He gently rolled her over, pulling her into his arms, his voice soft but searching. “Mira, are you worried?”

“About Vera?” He continued, his voice growing tender. “She’s just a little girl, and she doesn’t have anyone else to look after her. I take care of her, like I would my own sister…”

Mira’s words came slowly, each one measured. “You can’t just stand by when someone’s life is in danger. But I trust you.”

Elias breathed a sigh of relief, a small smile tugging at his lips. He hugged her even tighter.

Days passed with Mira often alone, as Elias remained caught up in his work. A gas explosion had occurred in an old residential building in the south of the city, and the fire brigade was conducting urgent safety inspections in all nearby buildings. Despite his hectic schedule, Elias video-called her every day.

It was a busy evening, and traffic was at a standstill during the rush hour. Mira had just finished work when she saw a new message from Elias: “I finally get a half-day off tomorrow.”

She decided to take a taxi to the mall to buy a large suitcase. However, as she stepped into the store, she froze.

There, in the mirror, stood Vera in a pure white wedding dress, shyly admiring herself. The shopping guide was tying up her long hair, and as she glanced at the man sitting on the sofa nearby.

Even though the man had his back to Mira, she recognized him instantly. It was unmistakable.

Vera, after hearing something Elias said, turned around. Her face lit up with a sweet smile as she fell into his arms, looking every bit the happy bride about to marry the man.

The scene felt all too familiar. Mira, too, had felt that same joy and excitement when she had married Elias. She remembered how he cried when he saw her in her wedding dress for the first time.

After knowing each other for ten years and dating for three, he had once told her she was his everything. But then, somewhere along the way, he had been drawn to the innocence of fresh little white flowers like Vera.

"Big sister, why are you crying?"

A little girl, her pigtails bouncing, handed Mira a piece of tissue.

Mira realized her face was wet with tears and sniffed, forcing a smile. “Thank you.” She quickly wiped her face, turned, and left the store, feeling as though she were running from the reality of it all.

Back home, she received the documents from the lawyer. [Ms. Granger, this divorce agreement will take legal effect once both of you sign it.]

Mira printed the agreement, slipped it into an envelope along with her wedding ring, and sent a message to Frederick: Senior, I’ve decided to undergo treatment at Philekren Hospital. Could you please help me schedule the surgery? I’ll be flying to the UK in about ten days.

The next morning, Elias returned home. He looked exhausted.

“I’m so tired these days,” he muttered, taking off his coat before walking over to her. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms. “Mira, I miss you so much.”

"I miss you too." Mira looked up, her gaze inadvertently landing on the faint kiss mark on his neck. Her breath caught, and she quickly looked away, her heart tightening.

It was one of those rare moments where they both had time to relax, so they decided to watch the latest movie and take a leisurely stroll through the mall.

"Mira, you're going to the UK for that business trip on the 6th, right?" Elias asked casually as they wandered. "I’ll try to get the day off and take you to the airport."

"No, no, you don’t have to. Go ahead and do your thing," Mira replied, but her voice wavered slightly. She noticed him stop and follow something with his gaze.

His eyes were fixed on a jewelry store, where a variety of wedding rings sparkled in the display.

"Mira, why don’t you pick a ring to celebrate our third anniversary?" Elias said, already walking toward the store.

Mira hesitated but followed him inside. The shopping guide showed them several rings, and Elias took a few pictures with his phone before they chose a pair.

Afterward, they walked out of the mall together. Elias drove, his expression focused, but as he was about to start the car, he glanced at his phone and suddenly said, "Mira, there’s something urgent with the team. How about I call you a taxi home?"

Mira felt a pang in her chest but forced a smile. "It’s okay. It’ll only take ten minutes to walk back. Go ahead."

"Alright, take care." Elias parked the car and gently draped a scarf over her shoulders. "Let me know when you get home."

"Yeah."

She stepped out of the car, the cold wind hitting her like a shock, chilling her to the bone. Trying to shake off the unsettling feeling, she headed to a nearby coffee shop to warm up.

A few minutes later, she looked up to see Elias' car pulling back into the parking lot. He entered the mall again.

When he came out this time, he was holding a gift bag in his hand.

The gift bag Elias had been holding was printed with the logo of the wedding ring brand they had just visited. Mira took a sip of coffee, her throat tightening as the bitter taste lingered.

When she got home, she quickly handled some work matters, trying to keep busy to push her thoughts aside. But then, she saw Vera had posted something new on Twitter.

[I do.]

The image showed a pair of hands, one large and one small, their ring fingers adorned with dazzling diamond rings.

Mira’s phone buzzed. It was Elias' message: [The team has issued an urgent task, and we have to go to the neighboring city for support. We won’t be home these days.]

[Okay.]

She sent the reply before covering herself with the quilt. The muffled sobs filled the quiet room, her tears soaking into the fabric.

Three days later, it was already past nine o’clock when Mira finished working late. The snow was falling heavily outside as she aimlessly walked down the street. In front of her, a crowd had gathered beneath the overpass.

“Will you freeze to death if you jump down in this weather?”

“Two handsome guys are competing for the heart of a beautiful girl…”

“It seems that the girl’s ex-boyfriend found out she was getting married, and now he’s competing with her fiancé. Whoever swims back first will win her heart.”

Mira lifted her gaze through the crowd and spotted Elias standing on the overpass, his figure unmistakable, with a tall young man beside him.

Before she could process it, both men jumped into the water at the same time.

Vera's voice rang out from above, frantic: "Stop it, stop it! Come up quickly!"

But the two men, already in the river, ignored her, their arms flailing as they slapped the cold water, sending waves rippling through the frigid river.

"Is it really worth it, jumping into that water in this cold?" someone muttered from the crowd.

"Just for a woman? Is it worth risking your life?"

"I can’t even imagine how cold it must be. I wouldn’t dare to jump in..."

"That girl is lucky. Two men are willing to risk their lives for her!"

Mira stood at the edge of the crowd, her heart feeling heavier with each word, snowflakes landing on her scarf before quickly melting into nothingness.