Chapter 3

I felt a cold gaze settle on my back. Meeting Jasper's smoldering eyes, I feigned innocence and casually said, "It's just a ring. What's the big deal?"

How could I not know? The Prestons had built their fortune in the emerald and gemstone trade generations ago. It was a long-standing family tradition that the heir of the Preston family must carve a wedding ring from the family's own emerald and present it to his bride with his own hands.

Jasper had slipped that emerald ring onto my finger during our first wedding ceremony on the island. Unfortunately, a typhoon had struck that day, stranding all our guests. My first wedding was called off before it had truly begun.

Even the ring's size wasn't right. The band was too small, and I couldn't slide it on.

God knows where I had found the strength back then, but I had endured the pain and forced it onto my finger. Now that I had finally taken it off, I could see a deep, red indentation left on my knuckle.

In hindsight, perhaps that was the heavens' way of warning me. The man before me wasn't my Mr. Right.

I took Wendy's hand in mine. Her hand was incredibly soft, with no trace of the years she'd spent working in a chemistry lab. Mine, on the other hand, had long since developed thin calluses from years of gripping pens and preparing stomach-friendly meals for Jasper. No wonder he had held my hand less and less often over the years.

My gaze landed on the delicate silver braclet around her wrist, and I froze for a moment. I had seen it at an auction not long ago, and I had mentioned how much I liked it.

In the past, whenever I took a liking to a piece of jewelry, Jasper would tease me and tell me it didn't suit me. However, once we returned home, it would always appear in my bedroom, and he would personally put it on me.

Yet, that day, he had only glanced at it indifferently and said, "It doesn't suit you." And that had been truly the end of it.

To think I'd see it again, worn so casually on Wendy's wrist. As it turned out, the bracelet was never the problem. It was just that I was no longer the right person for him.

I slid the ring onto her finger. To my surprise, it was a perfect fit.

My heart felt as though it had been violently ripped in two. I belatedly realized that the person he had in mind when he was making me this ring was her.

Wendy was equally stunned. A sweet smile crept onto her face, yet she still said, "This is your and Jas' wedding ring, Stella. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to wear it."

I held her hand firmly. "Emeralds choose their owners. It has a stronger connection with you. Besides, I won't be tying the knot with Mr. Preston anymore. So, this is hardly a wedding ring."

Wendy studied me again. "Do you really not remember a single thing, Stella?"

I hummed softly. When I spun on my heel, I caught a glimpse of a line of letters engraved on the inner band of her bracelet.

"P&U." It stood for their last names—Preston and Upton. My breath hitched for a second.

Jasper was someone who loved going the extra mile for the people and things he cared about.

When we were in school, he would go out of his way to buy the same brand of gel pens I used. When we went on dates, he would meticulously choose restaurants whose names began with our initials. When I was volunteering to help local farmers, he had even pressed his foot down on the scale to add extra weight, just so the elderly man I was helping could finish selling everything sooner and go home early.

Somewhere along the way, the man who had gone out of his way to plan countless surprises for me and hold me so close to his heart had disappeared without a trace. And now, what little effort he still bothered to spend on me was entirely directed at making sure our wedding never happened.

I was so tired. It was simply too hard to be with him anymore.

"I'd like to get some rest now," I declared.

"Let's talk outside, Jas. We should let Stella rest."

Jasper took one look at me before following Wendy out.

…

I wasn't sure if I was still weak from the car accident or if I was just heartbroken, but my chest felt incredibly stifled. I went out to get some fresh air in the corridor, only to overhear Jasper's and Dr. Keaton's conversation.

"You're the one who orchestrated that car accident. Even though everything was within your control, Stella had no idea. She shielded you with her own body at that critical moment. Are you genuinely not moved at all?"

Jasper remained silent for what felt like an eternity. "...I didn't think she would actually jump in front of me."

"Stella has been nothing but good to you, Jasper. Wendy is carrying your child. If you are truly tired of Stella, why don't you just let her go? Why do you keep stringing her along?"

I felt as though I'd been struck by lightning. All these years, he had never once failed to use protection when we were together. Even though I had told him innumerable times how much I loved children, he always claimed that he wasn't ready to be a father yet.

Wendy, however, had conceived his child so effortlessly.

Jasper chuckled. "She's not the only one who was humiliated after those eight failed weddings; I was ridiculed just as much. I stayed by her side through all of it, so we're square.

"Stella has always wanted to become the lady of the Preston family. Wendy, on the other hand, loves me for who I am. I'll give Stella the title and Wendy my love. It's only fair."

"Aren't you afraid Stella will catch wind of the baby?"

"I won't let that happen."

Before I knew it, my face was soaked with tears. I couldn't listen to another word he said. I was completely done with him.

…

After returning to my ward, a fever began to consume me. In my dreams, a cool, gentle hand softly caressed my forehead.

I opened my eyes, only to find myself staring straight into Jasper's. "Stella, you didn't really lose your memory, did you?"

In a heartbeat, cold sweat slicked my palms.