These were not ordinary stones. Each one had been collected from outside a courthouse in a different city—twenty-six cities in total.
Shane had once promised Leanna that when she turned twenty-six, they would marry and travel to each of those cities together on their honeymoon.
Years had passed since then. By now, he had likely already married Averie Willis and completely erased her from his life.
Perhaps, that was how it was meant to be. They shouldn't cross paths again. She had already started over and built a life of her own.
At that point, Leanna's phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts.
The call was from her supervisor, Matthew Wallace. Leanna dropped the jar into the trash and picked up. "Hello, Mr. Wallace."
She worked at an animation technology company in Avlolis, and her probation period was almost over. This was a crucial time for her career.
"Leanna, you're leading the Ethereal Recall project," Matthew said. "One of our investors, Ms. Willis, will be coming in tomorrow. I need everything to be flawless."
"Understood," Leanna replied, giving it little further thought.
Her uncle was taking care of Rhonda's medical expenses. Her parents were struggling financially, and her own living costs were supported by whatever income she could manage.
She had once had some savings. Now, with her own medical treatment added to the list, the financial pressure was growing heavier by the day.
The presentation was scheduled for the next morning, yet she had only been informed that evening. There was no alternative. She would have to prepare the slides overnight.
It looked like another late night was unavoidable.
Shane had told her to try to be asleep by eleven.
Leanna laughed dryly, bitterly. Why was he still on her mind?
The following morning, as the client would arrive soon for the project review, the conference room was already filled, everyone seated and waiting in strained silence.
Her colleague, Maddie Walsh, nervously grabbed Leanna's arm. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Yes," Leanna replied calmly.
Lowering her voice, Maddie whispered, "You know Ms. Willis is known for being ruthless, right? She's extremely demanding. People say she only ever shows kindness to the person she truly favors."
Leanna didn't think of it the same way. To her, it was admirable that someone so young had reached such a powerful position. "That just means she's serious about her work," she said.
Maddie shook her head. "You'll understand soon enough."
At that moment, Matthew walked in with two others. One of them was a tall young woman with sharp, appraising eyes.
Matthew stepped aside and gestured toward her. "Ms. Willis, these are the team members responsible for the Ethereal Recall project."
The woman's red lips curled into a faint smile. "Hello, everyone. I'm Averie Willis, CEO of L&W Group."
Leanna went completely still.
Ten years earlier, standing outside that private room, she had overheard people saying that Shane and Averie would get engaged during college and marry after graduation.
So this was the woman she had always assumed was Shane's wife.
Pulling herself back to the present, Leanna immediately lowered her face, unable to bring herself to meet Averie's eyes.
Matthew lifted his hand, signaling everyone to sit.
Averie's eyes moved calmly across the room. "Which one of you is Miss Leanna Brooks?"
Leanna remained engrossed in her thoughts.
Maddie, seated beside her, nudged her arm lightly. "Ms. Willis is talking to you."
Leanna jolted back to reality and stood up. A faint tremor crept into her voice as she spoke. "Hello. I'm Leanna."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she looked away.
Ten years ago, she had never met Averie and had no idea what she looked like.
Even if Averie had seen her back then, Leanna was certain she wouldn't recognize her now.
She was no longer Melinda; she was Leanna.
Leanna tried to anchor herself with that thought, but beneath the table, her palms were already damp with sweat.
Averie stared at her. "There are several parts of this project where the intention isn't very clear to me. If you can explain what those elements are meant to accomplish, I'll consider keeping your design."
At those words, every member of the project team turned to Leanna, their expectations silently resting on her shoulders.
Leanna nodded slightly, forcing everything else out of her mind as she slipped into a focused, professional mode.
She knew the project thoroughly and responded to each of Averie's questions with clear, well-structured explanations.
No decision was announced right away, but the atmosphere felt optimistic. In high spirits, Matthew led the team to a restaurant for lunch.
Leanna, however, couldn't fully relax.
If the project was approved, it meant she would inevitably have more interactions with Averie.
But resigning wasn't an option. She had worked too hard to reach the end of her probation period, and starting over elsewhere would mean enduring the same exhausting process all over again.
She needed the income.
Leanna let out a sigh.
After work, she met Evan as they had agreed and went with him to a nearby community health center.
Evan's car stopped in front of the building. "Go ahead and go in first, Leanna. I'll look for a parking spot."
"Okay. Text me when you're done," Leanna said as she opened the door and stepped out.
There were many people at the health center, mostly elderly patients. Leanna spent some time looking around.
A deep voice came from behind her. "Can I help you with something?"
Leanna's body went rigid at the sound. When she turned around, it felt as though time slowed to a crawl.
Shane stood there, wearing a white lab coat, six brand-new pens clipped neatly to his chest pocket, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her.
