My Heart's Headed for the Lonely Shore

The typhoon hurled Mariah through the window, leaving her with multiple fractures. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she overheard her husband Joseph speaking with his friend, a military doctor. Every word came through with cruel clarity: “Compound fracture in the right leg, a puncture wound to the shoulder, and all ten fingernails torn clean off… Joseph, your wife’s injuries are severe. You were right there in the dormitory—why didn’t you go to her?” “I had to retrieve Piper’s photograph first. It’s the only picture I have with her. I couldn’t let it be lost.” The doctor sighed. “You really do care for Piper that much. Think back—when the Mariah family’s two sisters had only one provincial job assignment between them, if Mariah had kept her city broadcasting position, Piper would have been sent to a provincial theater troupe. You married Mariah just to secure Piper’s placement in the provincial capital, then you maneuvered your wife out to this remote island. Does Piper even know what you’ve sacrificed for her?” “She doesn’t need to know. I only want to protect her, quietly.” The truth struck without warning. All her confusion and helplessness suddenly made sense. Mariah’s eyelashes fluttered. Bile burned her throat. The two men in the ward noticed nothing. Today was Joseph’s birthday. She had taken half a day off, hurrying back to their dorm to bake for him. Joseph was a soldier. After their marriage, Mariah had given up her position as a provincial broadcaster to follow him to this island in the South Sea. A full year of marriage, yet a distance always lingered between them. Beyond their occasional physical encounters, she and Joseph remained practically strangers. Mariah had felt wronged, but everyone—her parents, Joseph’s comrades—insisted he was simply reserved by nature, a cold man. She had believed them. She had resolved to melt that ice with her own warmth. So even after the weather station warned of the approaching typhoon, she had braved the rain to return. All because Joseph loved her homemade pound cake. But the typhoon intensified without warning. The wind snatched her through the window, and she caught on a tree branch ten feet above the ground. “Help! Is anyone there?” Her fingers clawed into the bark until her nails bled. That was when she saw Joseph running toward the dorm through the lashing storm. “Joseph! I’m here! Help me!” Joseph stopped and looked in her direction. A flicker of hope ignited in Mariah’s eyes. “Joseph…” But he only gave her a cold glance before rushing into the dorm building without a second thought. Mariah watched her husband vanish inside, then saw him appear in their room, frantically searching for something. She cried out again. “Joseph! Help me!” Joseph frowned impatiently and snapped toward the window, “Shut up! Stop making noise—hanging there a little longer won’t kill you!” Mariah stared, unable to believe what she had heard. Inside, Joseph ignored her distress. He kicked aside fallen furniture and pulled a photograph from a bedroom drawer. Tenderly, he tucked it into his chest pocket as if it were a priceless treasure. A soft *crack*. One of her fingernails snapped. The pain shot straight to her heart, nearly blinding her. Her grip failed, and she fell from the ten-foot branch. A sickening *crunch*. Something pierced her shoulder. The air smelled of blood. Mariah lay sprawled in the mud like a broken doll. By the time rescue arrived, Mariah kept her eyes closed, feigning unconsciousness. But her mind was painfully clear. She knew it wasn’t Joseph who had saved her—it was the search and rescue team. Now, lying in the hospital bed, she pressed her lips together tightly, her whole body trembling. So, in your heart… I am worth less than a single photograph of Piper… The two men in the ward still noticed nothing. “Joseph, Mariah treats you well. Are you starting to feel something for her?” The doctor’s question made Mariah hold her breath. A fragile hope stirred. But Joseph’s next words plunged her into an icy abyss. “…Don’t talk nonsense. What I feel for her is merely obligation.” “I married her, so I’ll take responsibility. But my heart will always belong to Piper.” The sentence was pronounced. Mariah could no longer lie to herself. It had all been a lie. He had never loved her. Mariah remembered what the commander had said a few days earlier: the South Sea No. 37 Lighthouse needed a new keeper. She clenched her fists. Perhaps it was time to leave. To go somewhere Joseph would never find her.