Meanwhile, across the ocean, in another city.
Brian and Daisy were walking side by side past the glittering windows of a luxury shopping mall.
She held his arm, looking both obedient and proud.
“Darling, which dress should I wear to the party tonight? Do you think this blue one is too flashy?”
“You look beautiful in anything,” he said with a gentle smile,
though his fingers in his pocket kept tracing the edges of his phone.
On the screen was a single name: 【Aurora】.
He stared at it for a long time.
Lit a cigarette. Then another.
Ash piled at the tip of his shoes, yet he never pressed “call.”
Instead, he typed a message:
【Aurora, tomorrow is Grandfather’s eightieth birthday. I suggest you don’t make a scene at the party—don’t embarrass Daisy or the children.】
He hesitated for a few seconds before hitting send.
The message went through, but there was no reply.
He stared at the screen for a long time,
until Daisy looped her arm through his again and asked softly, “Brian? What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” he said flatly, crushing out his cigarette. “Let’s go.”
The next day.
Arnold Hudson’s eightieth birthday banquet was held with great splendor.
Under golden chandeliers, the hall glittered with guests and flashing lights.
Brian entered the room holding Daisy’s hand.
He was immaculate in his suit, his smile perfectly measured.
She wore a golden gown, her gently rounded belly visible—every inch the destined hostess.
They stood together like a pair born to match.
Until Arnold appeared.
Only then did Brian release her hand and step forward to help the old man.
“Brian, why didn’t Aurora come with you?”
The old man’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Brian’s fingers stiffened, his gaze dropping slightly.
“She’s been working on your birthday gift and got exhausted. I told her to rest. She’ll come later.”
Arnold looked at him, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Good. I’d like to see what she’s prepared.”
Two hours later, the celebration neared its end. It was time for the gifts.
Soft murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Brian’s phone buzzed several times in his pocket.
He pulled it out—still no message from Aurora.
He moved to a quiet corner and called her.
“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”
He called again. And again.
The mechanical voice repeated endlessly,
as if reminding him that she was truly gone.
Just then, the doors of the banquet hall opened.
A courier walked in, holding several packages with a nervous look.
“Excuse me, is there an Arnold Hudson here?
These deliveries are for you. The sender’s name is… Aurora Wilson.”
The entire hall fell silent in shock.
Arnold slowly stood and took the first package.
When he opened it, inside was an embroidered silk tapestry.
Threads of gold and silver intertwined to form a magnificent “Blessing of a Hundred Deities.”
Each stitch was meticulous.
It was Aurora’s most renowned craft and the piece she had once promised to make by hand as a blessing for the family elder.
“This girl…” Arnold’s eyes reddened. “She put her heart into this.”
He opened the second package.
Inside was a box of old jewelry the heirloom pieces once worn by his late wife when she married into the Hudson family.
The room grew utterly still.
Everyone understood: a woman returning the family heirlooms
meant she was severing ties completely.
Brian’s face grew darker by the second.
He stepped forward, his fingers trembling as he tore open the third package.
