Chapter 3

Julian was Cassandra's partner from their early days as soldiers.

Everyone in the rescue team knew they were once the most formidable duo.

In missions demanding perfect synergy, an observer and an operative had to be so in sync, almost telepathic, to succeed.

So after their discharge, Cassandra and Julian joined the emergency response team together, their coordination as seamless as if they were one person.

I once secretly looked through Cassandra's old photo albums.

In the photos, Julian, in his uniform, was dashing and self-assured, with a confident spark in his eyes—a kind of sharp handsomeness I, an ordinary man, could never hope to achieve.

And Cassandra, standing beside him, looked up at him with such tender adoration.

Later, the team members told me Cassandra had been in love with Julian for years.

From training camp to active duty, from mock drills to real missions, everyone assumed they'd end up together.

But Julian, in the end, rejected her.

"We're not right for each other. You deserve better," he'd said.

He'd said this just as he was about to deploy, and Cassandra was still checking his gear for him.

They remained the best partners, acting as if nothing had happened.

But only in the dead of night would Cassandra push herself with extra training, until she was utterly exhausted.

Later, Julian voluntarily transferred to a remote regional rescue division.

On the day he left, Cassandra stood outside the airport, watching his silhouette disappear beyond security.

Her fingers unconsciously stroked the ring she'd never gotten to give him.

The team said it was the most utterly heartbroken they'd ever seen Cassandra.

I met Cassandra about six months after Julian left.

She was like a still, dark pool then, her very smiles felt cold.

But I didn't care. Young and headstrong, I believed time would wash away all past hurts.

"She never had eyes for anyone else. You think she's gentle? That's just her professional demeanor. Forget you, even male models, handsome guys who brought her flowers, she'd smile and accept them, then turn around and just toss them."

That's what the veteran members of the team used to tell me.

They hated seeing me constantly showing up at the rescue headquarters, trying to be kind by warning me not to humiliate myself.

But I didn't believe them.

I told myself to let the past be the past. Even if I was just stepping into someone else's story, I was okay with that.

Even the on-duty rescue nurse couldn't take it anymore. "Leo," she'd said, "how can you still not get it? Cassandra visits Julian every year, right on schedule. They might be miles apart, but their bond is deeper than anything you've built with her, every single day you're by her side."

I truly didn't understand.

Didn't understand why Cassandra accepted my pursuit. Didn't understand why she married me.

Looking back now, maybe from the day I used my second chance to save her friend, she'd already started planning.