Chapter 1

I ran into the girl David was keeping on the side, purely by coincidence, while I was at the hospital for a health check-up. David was softly reassuring her, "As long as you have a son, all of my assets will be his," he promised. The girl giggled bashfully in his arms. "But what about your wife? Aren't you and your wife supposed to be inseparable, a perfect match?" she asked.

David's expression remained unchanged, his tone as nonchalant as ever. "Even the finest delicacies, if eaten every day, become tiresome," he said casually. "Besides, Mrs. Scott is getting old. How could she compare to someone as young and beautiful as you?"

It was true, Mrs. Scott was getting old.

I smiled bitterly as I turned to leave, feeling the finality of it all. That moment marked the end of more than a decade of ties between David and me. It severed everything between us once and for all.

I held the health report in my hand. The doctor had just told me I was in perfect health, having a child wouldn't be a problem. He even congratulated me as I left the consultation room. But before I could even let the smile fade from my face, I saw them, not far away. David, holding the girl tenderly, just outside another room.

David's face was full of warmth as he smiled down at the girl's flat belly. "You're a hero. What kind of reward would you like?" he asked.

The girl's face lit up with a sweet, yet painfully sharp smile. "I want my child to be recognized. I want him to be legitimate."

Time froze. I gripped the health report so tightly that it crumpled in my hand. It felt as if a needle had pierced my heart. David, still smiling, casually replied, "Except for that."

The girl, sensing the shift in the moment, clung to him playfully. "As long as I have this child, I'll be happy."

"But..." Her voice faltered, eyes reddening. "My child will only be a bastard."

"So what?" David said, indifferent. "As long as it's a boy, all my assets will be his."

I watched as the girl's eyes lit up, her smile shy but full of hope, as she leaned into David's arms.

"What about your wife? Aren't you and your wife supposed to be inseparable?" she asked, almost innocently.

David answered without hesitation, his voice as cold as ever. "Even the finest delicacies get boring after a while. Besides, Mrs. Scott is getting old. How can she compare to you, young, beautiful, and irresistible?"

They walked off, locked in an embrace, oblivious to my presence as I stood frozen behind a corner. I watched them disappear from view, my eyes burning with tears, each breath a sharp sting of pain. I couldn't understand. The man who once swore to love me forever, when did he suddenly change?

I stood there, watching their retreating figures, feeling the bitter irony wash over me. My heart ached so much I lost the strength to stand. I leaned against the wall and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

In the dim corner, the darkness seemed to consume me, and my mind drifted back to that memory.

I was seventeen. A boy, David, pulled me out of class, leading me under the moonlight to the willow tree by the pond. The moon was cold and clear, casting a silvery glow that made the night air feel sweet, almost fragrant.

He pointed to the crooked, uneven letters carved into the bark of the tree. "Rose," he said, his face usually so cold, now tinged with the rare shyness of youth. "Would you... would you be with me? Let's spend our lives together, until the very end, in a love that defies even death itself."

I stared at him, lost in his eyes, only to shift my gaze to the words carved into the tree.

David and Rose, together for life. David will always love Rose. If they betray this, let heaven strike them down.

The summer of seventeen. Even the cicadas' song felt like a romantic symphony. I could hear the pounding of my own heart, a loud echo that filled the stillness of that summer night.