Chapter 2

I sat in the restaurant behind him, crouching low to observe. He finally stood up, and a white figure approached him, getting closer and closer. I opened my phone camera, aiming it in front of me, ready to capture some concrete evidence.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the doorway, blocking my view. It was a critical moment—I was just about to catch that Little Vixen red-handed.

Annoyed, I looked up at the inconsiderate person obstructing my view.

When I clearly saw the face of the person in front of me, it was as if lightning had struck me.

How could it be him!

It's impossible to describe my feelings at that moment. It was like watching Sage cheering loudly as Primrose uprooted a willow tree—utterly surreal.

Here I was, trying to catch my cheating husband, only to run into my first love who had died six years ago.

I was completely bewildered. It felt like at some point, I had entered an alternate universe. Either this world had gone crazy, or I had.

While I was in a state of confusion, my resurrected first love had already left. Damien and the white figure were now walking towards the elevator.

There was no time to think. Phone in hand, I sprinted like it was a 100-meter dash. Just as the elevator doors were closing, I managed to snap a photo—so blurry it was impossible to make out anything.After returning home, I enlarged the photos I'd taken on my computer, carefully reflecting on today's events. I couldn't say whether there was any progress; the photos were too blurry to make out clearly. I could vaguely see that the woman was carrying a Coach tote bag.

But these bags are everywhere on the street, so it's hardly a clue. Frustrated, I slammed my laptop shut.

Compared to the suspicions of Damien's infidelity, seeing Garrison today left me even more unsettled.

Six years ago, it was he who pushed me out of the way of an oncoming car. Gray hat, orange checkered shirt – before I lost consciousness, he lay motionless in a pool of blood.

Garrison and I were college classmates; he was a senior in the Astronomy department.

At first, it was my best friend Serena who insisted there was a total hottie in the Astronomy department, dragging me into the Astronomy club.

Later on, that hottie – Garrison – confessed his feelings to me.

During our four years of college, we dated like any campus couple. We fed the stray cats on campus and trekked through mountains and streams to watch meteor showers.

That time was simple yet heartwarming. Thinking back on it now, my chest aches with a tearing pain.

During our senior year internships, when I worked late, he would come to pick me up at my company building every day, and then we'd go for a bowl of spicy hot pot.On the day of the accident, we had plans to attend a lecture at the planetarium. Garrison was waiting for me across the street. As I was crossing the zebra crossing, a car came speeding towards me. There wasn't any time to think, my brain seemed to freeze, and I instinctively closed my eyes, too scared to look.

But what followed wasn't the intense impact I expected. Instead, I felt a push and heard a shout beside my ear: "Melody!"

Garrison had shoved me hard out of the way. The car, seeming to realize what was happening, started to brake suddenly. In the last second before I lost consciousness, I saw Garrison lying in front of me, with panicked bystanders around and the sound of approaching sirens getting louder.

When I woke up in the hospital, Serena was by my side. Seeing me awake, she quickly picked up a glass of water to help me drink.

I had no interest in drinking and pushed away the glass she offered. Weakly, I asked, "Where's Garrison? How is he?"

Serena's expression changed. I watched as her eyes gradually reddened, and I unconsciously clenched my fists.

With a painful, sorrowful look, she slowly said, "Garrison... he's gone. His injuries were too severe."