When the darkness lifted, I realized I was holding a bouquet of flowers.

The blazing summer sunlight filtered through the sycamore branches, scattering golden flecks across the ground.

And then it came back to me—this was the summer I graduated from the police academy.

The senior I'd secretly loved showed up at my graduation ceremony.

A hand reached out toward me. The person was dressed in a police uniform, and he was wearing a gentle smile.

"I heard you helped one of the instructors solve a few major cases. Mind if I get to know you?"

…

It was midnight. Elaine was already asleep, and the clock in the corner ticked softly.

After talking to the doctor, Ryan leaned back wearily on the couch. For some reason, his right eyelid wouldn't stop twitching.

Elaine had been badly shaken, and the baby had almost been lost.

Ryan had cleared his entire schedule and stayed by her side for three straight days.

Now that the house was finally quiet, an uneasy pang tightened in his chest.

Tasha's face suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Ryan closed his eyes, trying to make sense of the confusion inside him.

He thought he loved Elaine, but as he looked at the woman lying in bed, his heart remained still and cold.

He thought Tasha was insignificant, yet tonight, the ache for her tore through his chest.

He unlocked his phone and opened their chat. The conversation had stopped two weeks ago.

Tasha had sent him a smiling emoji and a simple "Thank you." Back then, she was heading out for a steak dinner. After putting it off for days, Ryan had suddenly felt like having company and chose her.

He remembered how beautiful she'd looked that day. She'd been wearing light makeup. Even when he refused the wine she recommended or turned down the dishes he didn't like, she stayed cheerful.

She had always been obedient and sensible. She had always played the lesser role in their relationship.

Without even noticing, Tasha had been with him for seven years—longer than Elaine had ever been.

Ryan knew Tasha was the kind of woman a man could settle down with. He'd grown used to her presence in his life.

As he stared at their silent chat that hadn't moved for three days, his expression darkened. He wondered if he had gone too far the other night, if he had scared her off.

Looking down, Ryan started typing a message. "Did you learn your lesson?"

She shouldn't have used Elaine to test his feelings. She needed to understand that pushing too hard would only break her. He hoped she'd come to realize that someday.

Before he could hit send, his phone buzzed. Joe, his assistant, was calling.

"Mr. Jamison, the officer who served as a hostage in place of Ms. Woods didn't make it," Joe said hesitantly.

Ryan's mind was weighed down with several matters, and his tone was tinged with impatience. "Find her family. Give them two hundred thousand dollars and be done with it. Saving people is what police are supposed to do. Handle the PR, and don't let any dirt land on Elaine."

Joe opened his mouth, then hesitated.

Ryan asked, "Anything else?"

"Ms. Cullen—"

"Speaking of Tasha…"

He turned on the television and said offhandedly, "Get Tasha a gift. Send it to her while she's on leave. A necklace or a watch—your choice."

Considering how pitifully she had cried a few days ago, he realized that maybe it wasn't so bad for once. After all, he was going to marry her, wasn't he?

The TV flickered to life. Tasha's photo appeared on the screen.

His gaze remained fixed on the screen as the words ran beside her photo. "Officer Cullen Fatally Stabbed, Dies in the Line of Duty."

For a few seconds, he didn't fully process what the words meant.

Joe's trembling voice came through. "Mr. Jamison, I was going to say that Ms. Cullen died in the line of duty. Didn't you know?"

After a brief pause, Joe added, "She's the officer who made the ultimate sacrifice."