After what felt like an eternity, Huo Sihan pulled away from Yun An'an without a backward glance and left the bed. Yun An'an lay amidst the tangled sheets, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. It was a long moment before she finally wrapped the sheet around herself and walked into the bathroom. Staring at the brutal, red marks that marred her skin, a blush crept up Yun An'an’s cheeks. Then, unexpectedly, a laugh escaped her lips. The laughter dissolved into tears. Now, she had truly lost any right to love the boy from her childhood. When she emerged from the bathroom half an hour later, she found Huo Sihan sitting on the edge of the bed, a cigarette dangling from his lips. A sarcastic smile touched her own, and she was about to turn away when her entire body went rigid. He was shirtless, his back to her, and there, etched into the skin just above his hip, was a crude, crescent-moon-shaped scar. It was unmistakable. The crescent moon she had personally tattooed over a burn on the boy’s side all those years ago… what was it doing on Huo Sihan? Yun An'an’s eyes flew wide. The ache in her chest vanished, swept away by a tidal wave of ecstatic joy, the thrill of finding what was lost. A warm blush bloomed across her cheeks. Could it be? Was Huo Sihan the boy she had been waiting for all this time? Just then, a phone buzzed on the nightstand. Yun An'an had only a moment to glance at it before Huo Sihan snatched it up. She didn't know who was on the other end, but Huo Sihan’s usually cold, impatient expression was suddenly transformed. An unadulterated joy washed over his features, and a tenderness so profound it seemed to spill from his eyes left Yun An'an momentarily dazed. “…Stay right where you are. I’m coming to get you. Okay?” The moment he ended the call, Huo Sihan was on his feet, dressing with swift efficiency. Without another glance in Yun An'an’s direction, he grabbed his jacket and strode out of the room. The brilliant joy in Yun An'an’s eyes dimmed. He just doesn’t recognize me, she told herself, pressing her lips together. That’s why he’s being so cold. But after a moment's hesitation, she decided to follow him. Yun An'an’s heart hammered against her ribs, the anticipation almost unbearable. She just had to see the look on his face when he finally realized she was the girl he had promised to marry all those years ago. She had waited fifteen years for him. She couldn't wait a second longer. A screech of tires cut through the night as she slammed on the brakes. The color drained from Yun An'an’s face. Not far ahead, a man and woman were locked in a passionate embrace, and a pain like a thousand needles bloomed in her chest. A light rain began to fall, but they seemed oblivious, lost in a kiss so deep it shut out the rest of the world. Her vision blurred with tears. On impulse, she let the car creep closer. She was just about to lower the window when Huo Sihan’s voice—so gentle, so cruel—drifted to her ears. “Xinyue, you’re the only one I’ve ever loved. As for Yun An'an… she’s been keeping the title of Mrs. Huo warm for you long enough. It’s time for it to return to its rightful owner.” “I’m going to divorce her. I’ll never fail you again.” Every word was a dagger to the heart. Yun An'an swayed in her seat. Through the rain-streaked windshield, she watched him gently soothe the woman in his arms. The truth, heard with her own ears, hit her with such force that her vision began to black out at the edges. *No. She had to have heard wrong. It couldn't be.* - Huo Sihan didn’t come home. It wasn’t until the sky began to lighten that Yun An'an, weighed down by a heavy heart, finally drifted into a troubled sleep, only to be jolted awake by the incessant buzzing of her phone. The caller ID read “Huo Sihan.” Any trace of sleep vanished instantly as she swiped to answer. Before she could even get a word out, a soft, feminine voice drifted through the line. It belonged to Yun Xinyue. “Sister, I have something important to discuss with you. I’m at First Hospital, room 512.” “Why are you calling me from Huo Sihan’s phone?” Yun An'an asked, her brow furrowing as a sense of dread coiled in her stomach. A light, tinkling laugh came from the other end, as if Yun An'an had just told a joke. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Sister. You know how delicate my health is. Sihan was so worried, he stayed with me all night. He… only just fell asleep.”