His Diary and My Choice

"Miss, aren't you leaving?" the butler reminded me gently from behind.

Taking a deep breath, I forced a polite smile and approached Leonard Burton slowly.

I was dreading every step I took as scenes from my past life flashed before my eyes.

He had pushed me out of harm's way just before the accident happened. His diary had been full of his yearning for Yelena Lynch, the name he had murmured in his dream subconsciously.

"Leonard," I called out softly.

He turned around and seemed to be in a trance. The next instant, he flashed a polite yet distant smile.

"It's been a while," he said.

I noticed the seashell bracelet on his right wrist at this moment. It shimmered under the sunlight.

It had been a gift from Yelena. I hadn't noticed it in my past life, but my eyes hurt just from looking at it now.

"You…" I opened my mouth but was at a loss for words.

"The doctor said I haven't regained my memory completely." He massaged his temples. "I'm still confused about many things."

I stared at his slightly weary expression and suddenly thought of the words he had written in his diary in my previous life.

"Whenever I saw Lena picking seashells at the beach, I always thought that was the most beautiful sight in the world."

As it turned out, someone else had caught Leonard's attention, though he used to be in love with me.

…

The next morning, Leonard's mother, Charlotte Newman, gathered everyone in the family to discuss the wedding.

I sat beside Leonard and watched him absent-mindedly flip through the wedding proposal while circling his finger on the paper.

"Leonard, what do you think about this venue?" Charlotte asked.

He looked up and seemed baffled for a second. "It… It's pretty good."

I realized then that he had occasionally been looking out the window, where there was a garden with fully bloomed roses growing.

In the past, I would've thought he was simply enjoying the scenery. But now, I knew that he was thinking about the hillside covered with wild flowers in the fishing village.

"I think the rose garden is pretty good," I said softly. "Let's hold our wedding there."

He immediately turned around and looked at me. A hint of surprise flitted across his gaze.

I flashed him a gentle smile in response, but I was bleeding inside.

I had booked a flight ticket to travel abroad on the day of the wedding. In my past life, I had dreamed of traveling the world, but I couldn't do it because of various reasons.

Leonard eventually found time to go with me but had been in a car accident and sacrificed his life to save me.

This wedding would be my last gift to him.