Chapter 1

The day I died, the man I loved most married the woman he adored.

I sat among the guests, smiling through my tears, applauding their union.

Twenty-five years of my youth taught me one bitter truth:

Turns out, even a lifetime of shared memories can be eclipsed by a dramatic, destined connection.

But thankfully, I was dying soon.

All that once was, would fade into the past.

Clara Reed and Alexander Sterling’s story was finally coming to an end.

At Alex Sterling’s wedding, I had a few too many drinks.

When he and Isabella Hayes came over to our table to make their rounds, I clumsily stood, raising my glass.

“Alex, congratulations.”

“May you grow old together and be blessed with a beautiful family.”

Alex frowned, his gaze fixed on me, but in the end, he said nothing, just tilted his head back and drained his glass.

Isabella smiled at me, a soft, knowing look in her eyes. “Thank you, Clara.”

She giggled gently, her hand caressing her slightly swollen belly. “When the baby’s born, we’d love for you to be the godmother.”

Alex’s eyes finally softened, a faint smile touching his lips as he looked at her stomach.

He said, “Clara, you absolutely have to come to the baby’s one-month celebration.”

I smiled back, raised my glass, and emptied it in one gulp.

Too bad, I wouldn’t live to see that day.

After toasting our table, Alex, hand-in-hand with Isabella, walked away.

I set my glass down, watching their retreating figures, lost in their seemingly perfect world. They were perfect, a true match made in heaven.

He was a handsome, talented man, and she was a beautiful woman.

And me? My looks were just passable, my personality dull and uninteresting.

No wonder Alex didn’t want me.

Someone as effortlessly distinguished and proud as him, truly, he was meant for someone as aloof and self-assured as Isabella.

The table was filled with Alex’s older relatives, people who’d watched Alex and me grow up since we were kids.

They looked at me with pity. “Clara, you and Alex simply weren’t meant to be. Just forget about everything from your childhood.”

I didn't reply, simply stood up, my head swimming.

My stomach churned, a familiar, sharp pain coiling within me.

Gritting my teeth against the agony, I headed for the restroom.

Behind me, someone sighed softly.

“How twisted fate can be. Back then, everyone thought Alex Sterling would marry Clara Reed.”

“Exactly! Their bond was so strong back then.”

…

Yes, everyone thought I would be Alex’s wife.

Who would have imagined that years later, I’d be sitting at a guest table, sipping celebratory wine, watching him marry another woman with my own eyes?

I never even dreamed of such a thing.

Outside, white snow fell softly, silently.

I looked back, watching his tall, imposing figure in the distance.

Suddenly, I remembered a snowy night many years ago.

“Clara Reed, I love you.”

“From this moment, through all the years to come, may we share a lifetime, never parting, until our final breath.”

“Clara Reed, will you marry me?”

I will.

I truly will.

But…

The boy who promised to marry me that night was lost somewhere in the years, never to return.