Months had passed since you left with Jeremiah, leaving me to dwell in this mansion, haunted by whispers and memories. I silenced the rumors myself, telling anyone who asked that it was I who let you go, I who broke our marriage, casting you away. I protected your name at all costs, even if it meant drowning in my own silence.

How strange it was, this ache that lingered. Even after you vanished from my life, I could not imagine another woman beside me. I walked to the garden, gazing at your favorite bench—empty now. I missed you more than words could bear.

Suddenly, a pigeon swooped down, landing on my arm. Its tiny legs bore a scroll, delicately tied. I took the letter and read its brief, damning message… my world collapsed.

“Prepare the guards! To Emerald Cove, at once!” The command escaped my lips like a curse as I stormed inside the mansion. You were in peril.

That night, planes circled the skies above the cove, their bombs lighting the darkness like distant fireflies. Jeremiah had hidden you in a secret underground shelter, while he marched off to fight. The earth trembled with explosions, each one shaking your soul as you pounded against the door in desperation.

Minutes crawled by. Finally, the door yielded, but the sound of battle had faded. You raced toward the cove, shouting Jeremiah’s name as you ran. Bodies littered the sand, and the sea had turned crimson, waves lapping up the blood of the fallen.

And then, you saw him—Jeremiah, motionless, his body ravaged by wounds. The man you loved, gone forever. You collapsed over his broken form, sobbing until the world around you blurred. And then, you saw a pistol, resting beside him. Without thought, you took it in trembling hands and raised it to your temple.

“If you’re gone, then so am I—” you began, but a firm hand knocked the pistol away. “No… you won’t.” The voice was steady, firm. I stood behind you, the moonlight catching the anguish on my face. I had come for you. Only for you.