Part 2Loving You Was Dying, Leaving You Is Living

Aaron and I had known each other for seventeen years.

Seventeen years. The red brick apartment complex remained, but the people were unrecognizable.

I still remember that year in high school, I forgot my house keys.

It was Aaron, who had just moved in that day, who accompanied me to the factory office to get them.

The walk, which usually took forever, flew by in a few conversations thanks to Aaron's company.

We went to school together, came home together, spent winter breaks and summer holidays together.

The day after our final exams, we held hands.

We occupied the most youthful times of each other's lives.

Later, Aaron, whose parents had died young, wanted to ease his grandfather's burden.

During the summer break of his sophomore year, as he was braiding my long hair, he said he was dropping out of college to work.

The thought of being separated from him made me run home, heartbroken.

For the first time, I begged my father. I told him, I wanted to be with Aaron.

Dad finished his tea from the thermos.

He stared at me for a long time before asking.

"You really can't live without him?"

Wiping my tears, I nodded emphatically.

From the first time Aaron accompanied me to the factory office to get the keys.

From when he stroked my long hair and said I was beautiful.

I was certain that in this life, no matter what happened,

I couldn't be separated from him.

Dad sighed deeply, and he and Mom discussed it for a long time.

That afternoon, Dad went to the bank, came back with a bag of cash, and knocked on the neighbor's door.

Dad handed the money to Aaron and said, "Getting into college isn't easy. Don't worry about the money."

"Just focus on your studies. When you graduate and succeed, you'll be able to take better care of your grandfather."

Aaron stared at the money in his arms for a long time, until tears streamed from his eyes, and he finally knelt down.

He raised three fingers, swearing that he would work hard and repay this kindness by being a loyal servant in the future.

Dad pressed down his swearing hand, helping him up.

"I don't need you to be a loyal servant."

"If you and Fiona are truly in love, then treat her well in the future."

Aaron nodded through his tears, promising to treat me well for all eternity.

From that day on, we officially became a couple.

He was diligent, passing his bar exam in his junior year and interning at the largest law firm in the country in his senior year.

After graduation, he won his first difficult case, becoming famous overnight.

Suddenly, he was a rising star in the legal world.

He also kept his promise.

Throughout our relationship, he cherished me, treating me like royalty.

The day before our wedding, he looked at me, making a woven bracelet, and asked.

"Could you put a strand of your hair in it?"

"I want to have you with me wherever I go."

He ran his fingers through my long hair, his eyes shining as he said.

"Fiona, I can't live without you."

I smiled, my heart as sweet as honey.

Everyone envied me for having a loving husband.

No matter how busy he was, he would take a train from the provincial capital every week to see me.

To spend more time with me, he would always buy the earliest ticket for the next day.

Even if it meant getting up at four in the morning.

Once, I had acute gastroenteritis.

I was too weak to get out of bed, and my parents took me to the hospital.

When I opened my eyes in the middle of the night, I saw Aaron, who had a court case the next day, sitting by my bedside.

The moonlight spilled over him; for a moment, I thought it was a dream.

Until Aaron's crystalline tear fell, landing on the back of my hand.

"Darling, I'm not going to the provincial capital. I'll stay by your side, alright?"

I didn't know how he had managed to come back so late at night without any transportation.

I reached out to him, filled with tenderness, and he hugged me tightly.

In that moment, I believed wholeheartedly.

We would be happy like this forever.

So, I quit my job and moved to the city where he worked.

But what I didn't expect was this.

My surprise would turn into heartbreak.

I saw him and Olivia, naked, lying on a bed.