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“And your friends are always so good to you. You can’t just cling to me all the time. You should hang out with them more often.”

“And you have to take good care of Kiki and Coco.”

“Most importantly, you absolutely have to take care of yourself. Don’t be sad.”

Ian Sterling shoved noodles into his mouth, one bite after another. Tears streamed down his face, dropping into the bowl as his entire body trembled from sobbing.

The weight on his shoulders grew lighter and lighter. Ian Sterling’s hands trembled so much he could no longer hold his chopsticks, yet he stubbornly kept picking up the scalding noodles and forcing them into his mouth.

“Baby, don’t cry. Just being with you, living so happily, was more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

“I’m just sorry I wasn’t good enough to you when we were together. If there’s a next life, I promise I’ll treat you so well.”

“Don’t cry. Forget me.”

As the weight on his shoulder vanished completely, the chopsticks fell from Ian Sterling’s hands. He hung his head, silent for a long, long time—

“I can’t do it, Lynn, I can’t.”

He collapsed onto the table, his grief erupting in shattered, agonizing sobs.

“It hurts too much, Lynn. I can’t forget you.”

“Every minute, every second you’re not by my side, my heart feels like it’s being torn apart. I don’t know what to do.”

“What do I do? What am I supposed to do? Can anyone tell me?”

Helpless and tormented, he slid wretchedly from his chair and collapsed onto the floor. A rending pain in his chest stole his breath.

He knelt on the floor, back bowed, clutching the fabric over his heart as he broke down, wailing uncontrollably.

An unknown amount of time passed. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky slowly began to lighten. Ian Sterling remained kneeling on the floor, gazing silently outside.

A strange calm settled over his heart. He closed his eyes, then used a chair to push himself to his feet. He staggered upstairs and, expressionless, entered the walk-in closet to change into a sharp, tailored suit.

He pushed open the bedroom door. Lynn Winslow lay silently on the bed, dressed in a pristine white wedding gown, its skirt fanned out across the mattress.

The room was as cold as a tomb, and a faint, unusual odor hung in the air. Ian Sterling, however, seemed oblivious as he walked step by step toward the bed.

“Lynn, don’t be angry. It’s all my fault.”

“How could I have left you here all alone? That was my mistake.”

He knelt on one knee beside the bed, lifting Lynn Winslow’s ice-cold hand and pressing it to his cheek. He rambled, his words disconnected. “I know you must be angry,” he whispered, “but you’ll forgive me, won’t you? You must know how much pain I’m in. That’s why you came back to see me.”

“I can’t agree to what you said. When I see you again, don’t be angry with me, alright?”

“If you don’t answer, I’ll take that as a yes.”

Ian Sterling placed a trembling hand over Lynn Winslow’s body, asking in a hushed voice, “Did it hurt? Was it very painful?”

A metallic tang of blood rushed into his throat. Ian Sterling forced it down, but the crimson still stained his pale lips.

“Lynn, it hurt so much, didn’t it? I can feel it… It hurts so much I can’t stand it. You must have been in so much agony.”

“If it weren’t for me, you never would have been hurt like this. It’s my fault. Everyone always said I was so fortunate, but it turns out I’m the unlucky one. I’m a jinx. And because of me, you had to suffer all these things you never should have.”

“Wait for me… wait for me. I’ll be there soon. Don’t leave me behind.”

“Don’t leave me behind. I’m begging you.”

A suffocating pain seized his heart. Ian Sterling quietly endured it, thinking that even this was nothing compared to the agony he’d felt the moment he realized he had truly lost Lynn Winslow for good.

He struggled to his feet and staggered to the other side of the bed. Slowly, he climbed onto the mattress and took Lynn Winslow into his arms.

He pressed his body against hers, little by little. Tears streamed endlessly down his cheeks, yet a smile touched his lips as he gazed at Lynn Winslow’s face.

“Don’t worry. As for Kiki and Coco, I’ll have my parents take good care of them.”

“And for Mr. Winslow and Mr. Powell, my parents will definitely look after them with all their hearts. My brother and sister will also honor them as their own grandfathers. You can believe me on that.”

He choked back a sob and shut his eyes in pain. When he opened them again, he asked tentatively, “Am I annoying you by talking so much? Is that why you’re ignoring me? I’ll stop, then.”

“When I find you… don’t forget me…”

He slowly closed his eyes, murmuring, “I love you. I love you so much.”

*

The fiancée of Mr. Sterling passed away unexpectedly on the day of their engagement. Three days later, Mr. Sterling committed suicide at his private residence.

Aerie Garden was draped in white funeral cloths. Everyone in the Sterling family had red, swollen eyes. After seeing off the guests who had come to pay their respects, Nina Norton kept fainting and coming to, only to faint again.

“Where are Kiki and Coco?” she asked weakly.

Spencer Sterling turned to look at his son and daughter, who stood with downcast, vacant eyes. Elias Sterling, the first to react, slowly rose and went out to search.

After a long time, Elias Sterling still hadn’t returned. Nina Norton grew anxious and begged Spencer Sterling to help her go outside to look for them.

“I just saw them a moment ago. Now I don’t know where they’ve gone,” the butler said, also growing frantic. They were the only keepsakes Finn and Lynn Winslow had left the Sterling family.

Nina Norton squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she pushed Spencer Sterling away and staggered toward the room where Lynn Winslow and Ian Sterling had lived.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar. With a trembling hand, Nina Norton pushed it open. She saw two small, furry bundles curled up on the bed. Nina Norton breathed a sigh of relief and moved closer, calling their names.

The moment her hand touched their small, furry bodies, Nina Norton finally realized something was wrong. Her voice trembled as she called out, “Kiki? Coco?”

“Wake up. Both of you, wake up. I promised your daddy I’d take good care of you. Wake up.”

“Wake up…”

Spencer Sterling stood in the doorway, his hand braced against the frame, weeping in silent agony.

The deaths of their youngest son and daughter-in-law finally broke the power couple who had once dominated the business world. Their hair seemed to turn white overnight; when they were seen again, it was completely silver.

Together, they went to see Jared Sterling. Upon seeing their condition, Jared Sterling gave a helpless smile.

“Uncle, Auntie, what I said before wasn’t a lie. They’ve already gone back. It wasn’t poison—or to be more precise, not entirely.”

The corners of Spencer Sterling’s eyes, already etched with lines, lifted slightly. “What do you mean?” he asked in a cold voice.

Jared Sterling sighed, finally deciding to tell the truth.

“When I was destroying the machine, Zane Lancaster showed up.”

“The system destruction was only halfway complete. That’s why Lynn Winslow died, but Finn didn’t.”

“Finn’s death was a suicide; you can’t blame me for that. He could have lived out the rest of this life and then gone back, but he couldn’t bear Lynn Winslow’s death, so he chose to kill himself.” After speaking, Jared Sterling suddenly chuckled to himself. ‘Well, that was pointless to say.’

Nina Norton tightened her grip on Spencer Sterling’s hand and asked, enunciating each word, “You mean… they both went back?”

“Yes,” Jared Sterling shrugged, unconcerned. “If Finn hadn’t killed himself, it might have happened a bit later. The only thing I’m not sure about now is what time period they’ve returned to.”