When she came out, Aubrey was a small box of ashes.
She was buried in the Martyrs‘ Cemetery.
On the day of her burial, a light drizzle fell from the sky.
Amidst a sea of white chrysanthemums,
She lay there, resting eternally.
After everyone had left,
I asked my secretary to buy a bouquet of roses.
I sat in the rain, holding the roses, unable to find peace.
From childhood until now,
Six years of marriage,
I never truly felt she was important.
But now, she could no longer speak, no longer laugh, would never appear before me again.
My heart ached uncontrollably.
She was such a vibrant person, yet she fell so suddenly.
In my eyes, although she was a woman, she was omnipotent.
Nothing ever seemed to stump her.
Even when faced with difficulties, she’d dive in and find a solution.
So, how could I have imagined she would leave so soon?
It turns out some people, when they are by your side, you take them for granted, you look down on them.
But one day, when you can never see them again, you realize you can’t recover.
Especially when you never treated them well while they were there.
Since we got together, I never personally gave her a single bouquet of flowers.
She never complained about it either.
She’d say she didn’t like such things, “Where do all these holidays come from, anyway?”
“Growing old together, that’s the most romantic thing.”
But the old me, deep down, believed that with her personality, she simply wasn’t worthy of such romance.
11:01 AM
<
Romance was meant for those delicate, dependent women.
She was so tough, what would she need romance for?
I was so incredibly wrong.
Of course, she needed romance.
She just didn’t get it from me, and rather than say it, she rationalized it for herself.
If she was truly so nonchalant, so unbreakable, then why did she cling to me so fiercely? Beneath her strong exterior, her heart was actually full of tender feelings.
It was just because of her upbringing that she was tougher, and she didn’t like to show her vulnerability.
The rain beat down on the roses, and night fell.
My secretary came back up.
“Mr. Hayes, it’s getting dark. Let’s go back.”
I stood up and placed the roses at her headstone.
15
I worked non–stop for a week.
Finally, I collapsed from exhaustion.
Burning with a high fever in my office.
When I woke up again,
Celeste was sitting on the couch in my private lounge.
I massaged my throbbing forehead.
An immense emptiness gnawed at my heart.
Celeste, visibly pregnant, smiled at me.
“You’re awake.”
your office.”
I dragged my heavy body up.
“What are you doing here?”
I called you for a week straight, and you never pick
I looked at her, so cautiously.
My head throbbed even more.
- up.
all i was worried about you, so I came to
I pressed the intercom, telling my secretary to
some
- in.
11:01 AM
く
“This is my private space. Didn’t I say no one is allowed in here?”
My secretary lowered his head.
“I apologize, Mr. Hayes. Ms. Celeste was waiting outside your office, and when I went to the planning department for a moment, she let herself in.”
I grew impatient.
“Fine. Get out.”
