In the third year, someone claimed they’d seen me working as an escort in a private club overseas.
In the fourth and fifth years, every time there was news—any whisper—about my whereabouts, Fletcher would rush to the location and investigate it himself.
This time was no different.
He truly believed the rumor might finally be real.
But instead of finding me, he was met with a stranger.
When he got back, he flew into a rage.
“How could you give me such a false report?!” he roared, hurling a glass to the floor.
His assistant went pale, trembling.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Reynold. I should’ve looked into it more carefully,” he stammered. “She was using the same phone as Miss Ashley and her face looked somewhat similar to hers, so I thought she was—”
“The woman in the wedding photo in your office…” The words slipped out barely above a whisper.
Fletcher’s expression eased slightly. In that moment, he realized it wasn’t entirely the assistant’s fault.
The man had only been hired in recent years. He had never met me before, so mistaking someone else for me was understandable.
Fletcher took a deep breath, slumped into his chair and sank into thought.
“Ashley, what kind of game are you playing? Are you toying with me on purpose—keeping me chasing, just so you can feel satisfied?” He slammed a fist into the wall.
It took a long time before he managed to pull himself together.
“Just wait,” he growled, “I will find you—dead or alive. And when I do, I’ll make sure you see… me leaving you, the same way you left me!”
By the time Fletcher got home, it was already past midnight.
The lights were still on. June sat on the couch, eyes red from crying, waiting for him.
As soon as she heard the door, she threw herself into his arms.
“Fletcher, where have you been?” her voice choked with hurt.
A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes. He took her hand and said, “June, I told you not to wait up for me. You should have gone to bed.”
“You went looking for Ashley again, didn’t you?” she demanded.
“Fletcher, it’s not that I don’t want you to remember her, but have you forgotten? She walked out on you at your lowest point and took every cent you had left to save your life. She doesn’t deserve forgiveness!”
Her eyes were wet with tears threatening to spill.
“Have you forgotten what you said to me five years ago when you woke up? You told me you’d forget that woman—and marry me.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
Fletcher’s brows furrowed slightly.
“I know when I had nothing, you emptied your savings for my treatment… you even gave me your bone marrow. I promise I will marry you. It’s just…” he faltered, voice low, “I still don’t understand why Ashley was so ruthless. Why she just… left without a word.”
Watching the pain and confusion knot his face, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
But I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t tell him the truth.
Because I was already dead.
All I could do was cling to my resentment, using the faint thread of awareness I had left to watch it all unfold.
That night, I saw Fletcher take out the necklace he’d had made for me five years ago and fasten it gently around June’s neck.
Then he pulled her close—and kissed her.
“June, I know you’ve loved me with all your heart these past five years. Don’t worry—our wedding will still take place next month, just as planned.”
Reassured, June’s expression softened.
“Then I want you to promise me—don’t go looking for Ashley anymore. Once we’re married, I’ll give you a child and we’ll live a happy life as a family of three…”
With that sweet dream in her mind, June drifted off to sleep in Fletcher’s arms.
But as soon as she fell asleep, Fletcher’s eyes flickered with thought.
He gently moved her off him, got up and went downstairs.
Dialing his assistant’s number, he said, “You said the hotel housekeeper was using Ashley’s phone?”
The next day, Fletcher received the complete information on the hotel housekeeper.
