Snow began to fall.

It landed on my nose, chilling me to the bone.

The day I left three years ago, I'd asked Nathan, “Nathan, when I come back, will you really marry me?”

He ruffled my hair, his voice soft as water. “Of course, you’ll be so much more mature by then.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you. It’ll just be you and me.”

But now, I was mature.

And he was with someone else.

Why? Why deceive me?

My chest ached. Tears flowed freely.

In Africa, in Afghanistan, under fire, treating the wounded…

All I could think was, I have to survive. I have to survive to marry Nathan.

I’d applied to return home a year early. I was finally back, ready to surprise Nathan.

But he’d surprised me first.

“Heard Nathan bought a yacht. He’s having a wedding ceremony with Lily on it,”

Someone whispered nearby, and I quickly hid behind a tree.

“Wow, so jealous! But what about Sarah Miller? Wasn’t she crazy about Nathan?”

“You don’t know? Three years ago, Nathan tricked her into going abroad to work for Doctors Without Borders. Whether she’s even alive now is questionable.”

“Nathan just wanted to be with Lily, but was afraid Sarah would cause a scene, so he did that.”

“So, as soon as she left the country, he got together with Lily.”

Their conversation pierced my ears.

Nathan had planned this three years ago.

And I, a fool, had believed him.

Despite the hardship in those foreign lands, I hadn’t felt burdened because I was focused on returning to marry him.

The group walked away, offering their well-wishes to Nathan.

Suddenly, someone joked, "Nathan, Sarah Miller liked you for so many years. You really had the heart to let her work in such harsh conditions abroad?"

Nathan didn't even lift his eyelids, his gaze fixed on his son.

"She liked me, not the other way around."

"If it weren't for the fact that she's my father's adopted daughter and he really liked her, I would have broken things off with her long ago."

"As you know, she's seven years younger than me. There's no way I could like her."

"It's been her chasing me all these years."

I was sixteen, a high schooler, when the Rivers family adopted me.

Nathan was twenty-three, already a college graduate.

He came from a wealthy family, was handsome, and surrounded by girls.

I'd always get jealous. “Nathan, could you please not get so close to other girls?”

He'd laugh, ruffling my hair.

“Whatever Sarah says, I’ll do.”

Young Sarah thought that was love.

So I tried to get closer to him, learned about his interests, and tried to become the person he wanted.

At eighteen, I wore a sexy dress and heels for the first time.

At a party, a rich kid spoke to me briefly.

Nathan dragged me to the restroom and kissed me forcefully.

His dark eyes shone through his bangs. He pressed his forehead against mine. “You’re mine.”

He'd always given me hope, showing me in various ways that he liked me.

But now, he claims I was the one pursuing him.

Disheartened, I left, tears welling up at the doorway.

My hand trembled as I opened my phone and checked WeChat.

His latest message: Sarah, happy birthday.

I was in the middle of delivering a baby, covered in blood, having worked for twenty-four hours straight.

Yet, his message invigorated me.

“Sarah, what’s wrong?”

Nathan’s voice, as gentle as ever, came through the phone.

He must have found a quiet place, as it rang for a long time before he picked up.

I wanted to speak, but all I could picture was him holding the baby and standing with another woman.

“Sarah?”

He spoke again.

He always called me Sarah. I used to love it.

Now, it felt sickening.

“Nathan, I’m back.”