When Seraphine had found out about it, her heart had ached for me as she hugged me. "You didn't have to go so far, Leo."I had caressed her head, taking in the scent of the rose essential oil in her hair. I knew that brand. It was expensive, and it smelled wonderful. She was very fond of it, and I liked it, too.I hadn't wanted to make her worry, so I had continued working part-time jobs without her knowledge.However, Seraphine had still found me out in the end. She had said that I was working too hard to earn money alone, so she wanted to keep me company.Since then, Seraphine had stopped going out with her roommates. She had stopped buying new clothes and cosmetics, and she had saved up all the allowance she had left.She had called it our "love fund" and said that the money would be used for our wedding. I had put everything I had—all my scholarship money and part-time job salary—into the fund.I had told her not to force herself, and that she could use the money to buy thing
As Seraphine drew the curtains, the whole room was shrouded in darkness.I sat next to her on the couch.Seraphine probably felt cold, for she kept curling up.Suddenly, she frowned a little. Without any warning, she took off the ring on her right hand and flung it away.She seemed to cherish this ring in public, but at that moment, she tossed it away as if it were trash.The ring rolled into an unknown corner of the room.Seraphine seemed to have thought of something. Getting up, she retrieved a small wooden box from her bedroom. It was locked.I watched as she struggled to open the lock because she couldn't find the key. She was almost breaking down in anxiety, and she choked back a sob as she said, "I can't find it… Where is it…"She even tried to pry it open with her fingers and teeth.As a result, her lips were torn, and she almost broke her nails, but she appeared oblivious to the pain. I had a vague idea about the contents of the box, but I hoped that I was wrong.In
Seraphine arrived at the graveyard to the north of the city. On her way there, she even stopped at the florist and bought a bouquet of white roses there.She still remembered that I loved roses. However, she didn't know that I had grown to like roses because of her.The graveyard was huge, so Seraphine took quite some time to locate my grave.However, when she took just a single glance at the gravestone, the exquisitely wrapped bouquet fell out of her hands.Seraphine's usually proud and upright posture instantly crumbled. The calm and indifference she was working so hard to maintain had vanished in an instant. She sobbed so hard that she couldn't make a sound.I had died at the young age of 20, in the year I loved Seraphine the most, and also the day before Seraphine went abroad.Seraphine kneeled in front of my grave, seemingly in disbelief. Reaching out, she gently traced the words on the gravestone. Tears surged and splashed on the ground."How… How could this be…" she murmu
In the end, my voice still couldn't reach Rose."I'm really tired, Leo." Rose stood up, looking as if she was going to jump.In my panic, I felt like I had finally broken free of the chains that had been binding me all along.An eerily strong gust of wind blew into Rose's face, causing her to stumble back to a safe spot.Before my soul disappeared, I heard her voice cracking with joy as she asked, "It's you, isn't it, Leo?"…Seraphine's Point of ViewRose came to me and told me that Leo had never left us. It was an absurd theory, but I surprisingly believed it. I didn't dare to believe otherwise. Perhaps both she and I needed a reason to keep living.That night, Rose and I talked a lot.For the first time ever, I calmed down and listened to her explanations. The more she spoke, the more pain I felt. Still, I stubbornly told her to give me the whole truth.Then, Rose accidentally let something slip."What surgery fees?" I was stunned.Rose looked away, reluctant to say an
Seraphine Hale had just walked out of the airport when journalists swarmed her. They had been waiting for her for a long while."Ms. Hale, you've lived abroad for years, and your career has been quite stable. Did you suddenly choose to come back because of your first boyfriend?" a journalist asked.A faint mocking smile appeared on Seraphine's face as if she had heard something funny. "You mean that trash? Even if he dies tomorrow, that is none of my business," she replied.Despite the cruel words coming out of her mouth, no one was surprised. After all, everyone knew that a decade ago, Seraphine had a boyfriend—he had also been her first love. They had been dating with the intention to get married.However, something unexpected had happened at their engagement party. As the guests watched, Seraphine's boyfriend had abandoned her and walked away with another woman instead.That incident had always been a shameful memory Seraphine avoided thinking about. It was the most painful and
That engagement ring was old-fashioned, and it wasn't worth much. Seraphine had probably discarded it a long time ago."Shall I coordinate your outfit for your class reunion the day after tomorrow, Seraphine?" Seraphine's assistant shifted the topic back to business.A class reunion?I vaguely recalled that after our final exams in high school, our class had made a ten-year promise. I wondered if Seraphine had returned just for this reunion."It's just a normal gathering. There's no need to put so much effort into dressing up." Seraphine angled her head to look out the window. She had an indifferent look on her face.The streets were bustling with cars, and skyscrapers filled the horizon.Views of the flourishing streets of Grendale flew by, but Seraphine showed no hint of nostalgia. Instead, the look on her face grew ever colder.In the end, she decisively looked away. Frowning, she closed her eyes and rested.I knew why Seraphine would behave like that. After all, our past co
Seraphine had been living abroad all this while. Perhaps because I had hurt her too deeply, she had cut off all ties with everyone in the country.It was reasonable that she didn't know I had died a long time ago.However, our other former classmates had attended my funeral before.Everyone looked at each other and exchanged glances. They seemed to be debating whether they should tell Seraphine the truth or not.In the end, Ivan spoke up. "Seraphine, there might have been a misunderstanding back then.""What misunderstandings can there possibly be?" Seraphine took a deep breath as she retorted, "Are you speaking up for that wretch, Ivan?"Ivan tried to calm her down. "I mean, Leo was—""He abandoned me at our engagement party!" Seraphine cut him off. "Thanks to him, I have to put up with ridicule and scorn even to this day!"Seraphine was obviously enraged by the mention of the incident back then, her breathing grew fast and unsteady.Grabbing a glass from the table, she proce
Rose was trembling and close to tears. "You're finally back. Did you know that Leo—""Enough, Rose." Seraphine coldly cut her off. "After such a long time of not seeing you, I can't believe you'd end up selling junk like this."Seraphine didn't even bother to hide the malice in her words. She picked up a random plastic hair clip in Rose's stall. Then, as if disgusted by its filth, she tossed it away.In contrast to the cheap items at the stall, Seraphine looked even more gorgeous and noble than usual.It was a world of difference, and it reflected the contrast between Seraphine and Rose as well. Seraphine was radiant and beautiful, and she could proudly hold her head high. On the other hand, Rose was plain-looking, and the hardships of life had humbled her.My soul hovered between them, feeling extremely sorrowful."You did everything you could to seduce Leo back then. Had you ever thought that you'd end up like this someday?" Seraphine was clearly ridiculing Rose and gloating