LOGIN"Amanda, look at that flower…" He talked endlessly as we walked, spinning tales of our old love and happiness. He painted me as innocent, the kind of woman who handed him her heart without a second thought. But now, his words only left me weary. I found myself thinking, 'If my love for him was strong enough to make me abandon everything, just how deep was the pain he caused? How complete must his betrayal have felt?' Halfway up the trail, chaos erupted all at once. Noah lost his footing and slipped down the slope. A low branch caught his clothes, keeping him from falling farther, but before I could reach him, Evan cried out too. He had strayed off to pick a flower, unaware that a venomous snake was already watching him, poised to strike. Instinct took over before I could think. I snatched the dagger from Theodore's belt and plunged it into the snake, pinning it to the earth before it could lash out. The snake thrashed wildly for a few heartbeats, then fell still. As
Theodore said gently, "Amanda, I spent the whole night preparing this for you. Give it a try and see if you like it." I had no appetite at all. I sat there in silence, words locked behind my lips. Then, he gave a soft whistle. A blue parakeet fluttered in, circling me once before perching delicately on my shoulder. He smiled. "Look how adorable it is. It resembles Bluebell perfectly. We can start over and raise another bird, okay?" I met his gaze. His smile was soft, his eyes shining with what looked like real tenderness. I shot back, "So, replacing something really is that easy for you?" His face went still, the smile fading. "Bluebell died, and you just found another bird to take her place, like all those memories we had with her meant nothing." I reached up, fingertips brushing the bird's downy feathers. "But this isn't Bluebell. No matter how similar it looks, it's not her." Then, I raised my eyes to his. "That's what you said back then, too." Just as calm
I didn't move; I only looked at him cautiously. "Where is my son?" He didn't show the slightest irritation when he noticed I hadn't touched the food. Instead, he gently scooped some stew, cooled it with a breath, and held it out to me. He said, "Noah Calloway is your real son." I shook my head. "I don't recall any Noah or the Calloways. You and your son have the wrong individual. Where's Evan? I'm taking him and leaving." He searched my face, as if hoping to catch even the faintest crack in my composure, but my calm held steady, natural, leaving him nothing to grasp onto. Gradually, his eyes reddened with unshed tears. For a moment, I was at a loss, unsure how to respond to his unraveling. He stared at me, then let out a broken laugh, something jagged and hollow. "How can you really… not remember any of it?" His voice shook. "It's me, Amanda. Theodore, Theodore Calloway. I sacrificed everything to marry you. You supported me through it all, managing those around me,
The last part came out so full of jealousy that I almost laughed. I reached over and ruffled Evan's hair. However, the other boy didn't seem to care that Evan was blocking him. He only looked at me with panic in his eyes. "Mommy!" he cried. "It's me! I'm Noah! I'm your son!" Confusion creased my brow, and unease prickled beneath my skin. Afraid he might lash out in his agitation, I quickly pulled Evan behind me."You've got the wrong person, sweetheart," I replied. "I don't know you. And I already have a son." The boy looked as if he was about to cry, his face crumpling with raw emotion. His words spilled out in a frantic, breathless torrent. "I know, Mommy. You're upset because I helped Ms. Sinclair, right? I was just a child then! She used candy and toys to encourage me to say mean things about you. She told me that if I did, they would all be mine!" He was crying so hard by then that the rest of his words broke apart between sobs. "But after she moved in, you left…
My soul gradually left my body, and along with it, the intense pain started to fade. It wasn't long before Theodore arrived. He burst into the room dressed in a wedding suit, stumbling as he entered, then sank to his knees and cradled my bloodless body. He held me so tightly that it seemed he could will warmth back into me. Slowly, he pressed his forehead against mine. At last, he accepted that there was no breath left in me. A tear fell onto my face. Then another. His eyes grew raw and red as tears spilled freely, seeping into my clothes and marking them with his grief. "Amanda…" His voice broke. "So, it was true. You really never lied to me." A second later, Noah came running in from outside. The moment he saw the blood on me, he froze in shock. Then he burst into uncontrollable sobs. "Mommy! Mommy!" He stumbled toward me, crying so hard he could barely speak. "Please, Mommy... look at me. Please..." The world before me began to spin. Everything twisted, blu
I felt dizzy. My lips trembled, bloodless, as I forced the words out. "When we first took Bluebell in, Noah had only just been born. "Back then, when Bluebell was sick, you visited every veterinarian you could find to save her. I thought… to the Theodore I knew, she was never just a parrot." He fell silent. A heavy silence pooled between us, weighing on my chest like a stone. After a long moment, he responded, "I'm sorry. I'll find you one that looks exactly the same, alright? We can start over." I forced a smile, though it barely held. "No need, Mr. Calloway. Bluebell was Bluebell. There'll never be another one." Cradling her small body, I walked out to the back garden. In spring, the garden bloomed in a riot of color. Bluebell had loved tumbling through the flowerbeds, returning to me dusted with petals and carrying the scent of blossoms, before leaping straight into my arms. I kneeled and dug a small hole with my own hands. Then, I gently placed her in the earth,







