Pieces of memory keep showing up in her head. The latter overlaps the previous, but somehow, she can still see all of them clearly. Those precious memories brutally stab her heart every time they appear. She cries more and more. In the night, she looks like an injured animal groaning in pain and hopeless.

***

"Aiden, look who is coming," a man poked at Aiden with his elbow.

"It's his little angel, you don't know?" the other man laughed joyfully.

Ignoring those two, Aiden took a few steps forward.

"Hey, where are you going?" the poking man asked.

"To my 'little angel'."

Leaving the laughter behind, Aiden came straight to her.

"Erelle, good morning," he smiled.

"Good morning, Ai," she replied; her eyes shining like stars.

"Ai" was the name that she used to call him in an intimated way. Only she who could call him like that.

***

"Happy birthday, Ai!"

"How do you know today is my birthday?" Aiden surprisingly asked.

"One of your friends told me," she smiled, "Ask for it, Ai!"

She looked at him hopefully. Giggling at her childish act, he asked.

"Where is my present?"

"Here!"

She held out her hands. It was a drawing. Aiden took it, and carefullyhad a look.

It was a portrait of a man. With her talented skills, the man in the drawing looked lively. His lips raised up a little bit, gently smiling. His eyes were full with love, care, and gentleness, as he was looking at his most precious person. At the corner of the drawing, there was her signature, E.V.

If the man in the drawing was not Aiden, then who could he be?

"Thank you, Erelle!" Aiden embraced her tightly, rubbing his head in her neck, hearing the smell of roses from her golden hair.

***

As usual, she went into Erelle's room to take care of her when she did not have classes. However, Mr. Valentine had stopped her on her way, and then they both went to the living room.

"Please sit down," Mr. Valentine pointed at a chair in front of him.

She came and took the seat. Then, she looked at him confusingly.

"Did I do something wrong? If I did, I'm really sorry for that."

"No, no. You don't have to say sorry. Actually, I'm the one who need to say sorry," he looked at her. Apology filled his eyes.

A bad feeling suddenly surrounded in her.

"I know that you are dating with Mr. Harley, and I want Erelle to marry him."

"W--What?"

Letting out a sigh, he answered.

"Although Erelle's getting better, she's still weak. That's why I want to find a husband for her, who can take care of her and love her, so that she won't need to worry about anything. One of the candidates is Mr. Harley."

No! It can't be!

"Fortunately, he's in love with "Erelle", so for her, please continue dating with him as Erelle, till the moment comes. I know that I cannot ask you to do this; but please think about what I have done for you through several years. Please, except my wish."

Tears started falling down her face. Looking at those tears made him feel terrible about himself. However, just by thinking about his beloved daughter, the tiny pity in him disappeared, and was replaced by coldness and determination. Erelle had lived without the love of her mother, he would not let her lack of anything else.

"Also, Mr. Harley is the youngest Duke of England, one of the noblest men of this country. By looking at the reality, you are not worthy enough to stand beside him. By dating with him, or even marrying him, you can drag his pride and fame down. If you love him, you should think for him. In the end, you are only an orphan, a maid!"

Those last words hit her hard. She sat there, not able to say anything. Tears kept falling down nonstop.

Gradually, a piece of memory appeared in her head.

Her parents died in an accident, left her alone in this world. No relatives wanted to adopt her. Sitting alone on a street, begging for money and food, staying hungry for several days, that way of living, if she had a choice, she would never want to live like that again. If Mr. Valentine did not save her life, she wondered if she could still be in this world. Although he saved her because he wanted to use her, she could not deny that since he adopted her, he had never treated her badly. In exchange, she agreed to do what he wanted. She became Erelle, and appeared in front of everyone so that they wouldn't know about Erelle's health.

Aiden, her beloved man, she could not harm him in anyway. She would not let anyone, even her, drag him down. If leaving him was the best option, she would do it, even if her heart would break into pieces.

Wiping away the tears on her face, she looked at him with determination.

"I know what to do."

***

"Erelle, it has been more than three years since we dated each other, right?" Aiden stroked her hair.

Sitting in his arms, she looked up at him and answered.

"Yes."

"I'm planning to meet your father."

"Huh? Why?"

He stopped stroking her hair, and put his hand into his pocket. Then, he took a small red velvet box out, and placed it in front of her.

Smiling gently, with another hand, he carefully opened the box. It was a diamond ring. Under the sunlight, the diamond reflected its pureness and worthiest.

"Will you marry me?"

Although she could guess what he was going to do, but hearing him asking her still made her heart skip a beat. Tears started filling her eyes. She felt happy, because he wanted to marry her, but she also felt painful, because she was not "her".

A drop of tear went into her mouth. It was bitterly sweet.

"W--why are you crying?" Aiden asked her in panic, and hurriedly wiped out her tears, "Is it too early? You don't want to marry me? It's ok, don't worry. I won't force you. I can wait for the time--"

She put her fingers on his lips to stopped him from whatever he was going to say.

"They are my tears of happiness, Ai," she tried to smile as natural as she could.

***

That day, when Aiden came to talk about the wedding, she was not there, because she did not even know if she could hold herself back when she saw him proposing to another girl.

Thanking for her care and the medicine, Erelle had become stronger that she could start leaving her bed and sitting right there, in the living room, with her father and Aiden.

"Good morning, Mr. Valentine."

"Good morning, Mr. Harley."

"I will go straight into the topic. I want to marry your daughter, Erelle Valentine," he said joyfully.

He looked at Erelle in happiness. Today, for some reasons, she did not wear the silk cloth on her face anymore.

Why do I feel there's something wrong? Maybe because she changed her hair style? No, not just that.

He shifted his gaze around her face. When it came to her eyes, he stopped.

Those eyes...

"Mr. Harley? Are you ok?" Mr. Valentine worriedly asked.

"Oh," he then realized he had knitted his eyebrows, "Don't worry. I'm fine. About what I said just now, please let me marry her, Mr. Valentine. I truly love her. I won't say that I cannot live without her, because I know for sure that I'll stay alive if it happens. However, if it's really going to happen, I will not be myself anymore. She is the missing part of me. Without her, not that I won't be perfect, but I won't be completed."

Hearing those words totally made Erelle shy. She timidly looked down. Mr. Valentine looked at him for a moment, and then smiled gently.

"When are you planning to marry her?"

Aiden's face immediately brightened up.

"After she graduates."

"Good, good. Having you as my son-in-law is my honor."

"No, marrying your daughter is my honor."

Aiden looked at Erelle affectionately. Shyly, she lifted her left hand to fix her hair. The diamond ring on her fourth finger shined purely. It immediately caught Aiden's attention.

She still wears it! But, why the ring looks a little too big for her? I remember it fit perfectly when I wore it on her left ring finger before.

Because her illness had not completely been cured, she was still tired and could not see the weird point in what was going on. Being proposed by a young, talented and wealthy man had successfully occupied all of her mind.

Why suddenly a man came and proposed to her, who he had never seen before?