Chapter 3

The flame brushed past Daniella's hair. Her face turned pale as she swatted it away.

"Allen Hensley," she roared. "Take a look at where you are before you throw a tantrum! This is the monastery, not a market!"

Hiding behind her, Jackson had a smug look on his face.

"Dani, this is all my fault," he said, forcing a helpless smile. "If only I hadn't come back to the country. Don't worry, Allen. I'll resign tomorrow and go abroad. I'll never show up in front of you again."

The more aggrieved he sounded, the more disappointed Daniella's gaze toward me was.

"Why would you leave? You haven't done anything wrong. The one in the wrong here is him, for making a mountain out of a molehill and pushing things too far!

"Allen, I'm giving you one last chance. Apologize to Jack!"

The wax from the melting candle dripped onto the back of my hand, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart.

"Why should I apologize? I'm the victim here. Also, did I ever say anything about forcing him to leave the country? I was clearly only wishing the two of you a long and happy life together!"

Jackson immediately bit his lower lip, looking utterly aggrieved.

"Allen, I'll leave right now. You don't have to be so passive-aggressive."

Daniella grabbed his wrist before roaring at me, "Don't force me to break up with you, Allen Hensley!"

Hearing that made me take a step forward.

"You don't get to be the one who breaks it off. I dumped you a long time ago, got it?"

Staring at the burning candle, she nervously shielded Jackson behind her.

"Put the candle down first, Allen. If anything happens to Jack, I'll never forgive you—"

I had heard enough.

"How would I ever dare to touch him? After all, he has you backing him. I'm just a nobody who can't afford to get on his wrong side."

She instantly realized I was referring to Jackson's social media posts, and she relaxed slightly.

"If you're jealous, you can just say it, Allen. There's no need to make such an ugly scene. I know I've been neglecting you lately. Just wait until I—"

It was always like this. Daniella knew perfectly well that what angered me wasn't just her practically non-existent boundaries with Jackson, but also her dismissive attitude.

"Shut up!" I cut her off, utterly irritated.

"I don't care even if you two get married and have kids! But if either of you dares to touch my mother's perpetual candle, I'll fight you to the death!"

For the very first time, Daniella saw a flash of pure, unadulterated disgust in my eyes. She flinched, then slightly softened her demeanor.

"Al, how's your mom doing?"

My eyes reddened as I replied, "Good."

She was already waiting for me on the other side.

Not catching the break in my voice, Daniella breathed a sigh of relief.

"See, I told you everything would be fine. Just tell her to hang on for a few more days. Once I'm done with my other patients, I'll come back and perform her surgery.

"There. You should be satisfied now, right?"

When I didn't respond, she took a step forward. I immediately stepped back, brandishing the candle at her again.

"Can you get lost now?"

Her expression darkened. Then, as if to deliberately provoke me, she intertwined her fingers with Jackson's.

"Let's see how long you can keep being so stubborn, Allen."

Under the speculative stares of the monastery visitors, I felt all my strength drain from me. I smiled bitterly as I placed the candle back in the burner and apologized to the monks.

Then, I went to check on Mom's perpetual candle.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but among all the lit candles, Mom's flame shone the brightest, as though she were comforting me.

All of a sudden, my tears came streaming down. I crouched there and wept for a long time.

…

I brought Mom's ashes back to our hometown. After Dad passed, she had taken me and moved away from there.

Looking at the dusty, neglected house, I decided to give it a proper cleanup.

The next day, when I returned home after buying some supplies, I found the front gate broken open.

The little stool and table Dad had handmade for me were smashed to pieces, and Mom's clothes—which I had left out to dry—lay on the ground, covered in dirt.

Jackson stood in the yard, barking orders.

Blood rushed to my head, and I charged forward in a rage.

"Stop! What are you doing? Breaking and entering is illegal! I'll sue you!"

Jackson pulled out an official demolition permit.

"Go ahead. Dani said this area is slated for redevelopment, so we can smash whatever we want."