5

Derek accompanied me to the veterinary clinic where we had the cat examined, only to discover it had numerous health issues.

Broken bones, scratches across its abdomen, and countless minor ailments.

But it was well-behaved, staying quiet and still during the examination, just lying there peacefully.

Derek looked at me, seeming like he wanted to say something but held back.

He remained silent the entire time, even on our way home.

The cat was left at the clinic for treatment. I named it "Echo."

The atmosphere between us turned stiff the moment we arrived home.

Derek wouldn't speak, and I maintained my silence as well.

Only when we both entered our bedroom did things change. The warm orange glow of the bedside lamp instantly made the room feel cozy.

I sat on the bed, watching Derek come in wearing his sleeping clothes.

The warm light fell on him, softening his typically sharp features.

He rarely showed emotions. On the rare occasions when I'd seen him smile, it was just a slight upturn of his lips, like a moonflower blooming—there one moment, gone the next.

I wasn't sure how deep Derek's feelings for me ran. Over the years, I'd believed he'd grown to care for me at least somewhat.

But those thoughts seemed laughable now that Sarah had returned.

"Derek," I suddenly called to him.

He looked up at me, his expression both innocent and detached.

"Do you still stand by what you said?" I asked.

"What did I say?"

"You said—"

"I am your mate."

"You would be good to me for the rest of our lives."

I smiled at him.

Derek suddenly lowered his eyes, his voice flat: "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"No reason. It just came to mind."

A vague pain crept through my body, the discomfort in my abdomen intensifying at night. The nerves in my head throbbed like tightly twisted rope.

"I will," he finally answered.

The moment he responded, the room's light suddenly went out.

His warm breath brushed against my cheek, followed by a gentle kiss.

"Goodnight, Willow."

As his breathing gradually steadied behind me, I carefully freed myself from his embrace and turned to face him.

By the moonlight, I traced his features inch by inch, from his brow to his chin.

Derek wouldn't cheat.

But Sarah would always be on his mind.

Suddenly, I wondered how Derek would feel when he looked back on these moments after I was gone.

What would he feel then?

The day I left the hospital, I thought about many things, which all tangled together in my mind like a messy ball of yarn.

The first thought that emerged was: what would Derek do after I died?

He would have to remarry eventually.

I thought then that Sarah had dissolved her mate bond, and with his mate dead, the two of them could be together.

That would be fine.

But absolutely not now.

So, I changed my mind.

I first met Sarah on my tenth birthday.

My mother rarely had a day off from her double shifts at the hospital, but she had promised me something special for turning ten.

That morning, she surprised me with tickets to Moonlight Park, the amusement park I'd been begging to visit for months.

But when we approached the carousel, I spotted a girl about my age already mounted on a white horse. She wore a frilly blue dress and a sparkling tiara.

"Daddy! Look at me! I'm a princess!" she called out, striking different poses on her horse.

"You sure are, Sarah-bear!" the man called back. "Smile bigger for the camera!"

I caught a clear glimpse of the man's face. My heart stuttered in my chest.

My mother noticed my reaction and followed my gaze before calmly looking back at me.

"Do you want to go say hello?" she asked quietly. "He is your father, after all."

The carousel came to a complete stop. The girl—Sarah—dismounted gracefully from her horse and ran toward my father with outstretched arms.

He caught her in a tight embrace, lifting her high above his head.

I shook my head.

My memories of my father were foggy because he had never been close to me. The few times I tried to seek his affection, he had coldly scolded me.

This fractured image of a father had confused me for a long time.

Later, I understood—he simply didn't love me.

All those things that seemed impossibly out of reach for me were just everyday givens for Sarah.