Chapter 2
Katelyn moved around the room like a robot, putting things away one by one, every move weighed down by a sadness she just couldn't shake.
With every item she touched, her thoughts wandered back to when she first landed in this strange new world.
The moment Katelyn set foot in this unfamiliar world, her gaze zeroed in on Ethan standing in the crowd. That face, so much like Michael's, made her eyes instantly well up with tears. The rush of excitement and longing hit her so hard that she just lost it inside.
She didn't even think—her feet moved on their own, and she practically threw herself at Ethan and hugged him tightly.
Ethan totally freaked out, thinking he'd just been ambushed by some crazy woman.
From that day on, Katelyn started chasing after Ethan with a stubborn, almost obsessive determination.
Every day, she'd stake out his usual route after work. The moment he showed up, she'd hurry over and trail after him all the way home, sticking to him like glue.
She'd pour her heart into making him food and hand it to him with careful hands.
Inside those lunch boxes was all her longing for Michael and her desperate hope that this "reunion" with Ethan could somehow bring back the love she'd lost.
No matter how cold Ethan was, or even when he made it clear he was annoyed, Katelyn never let it get to her.
She was like a relentless bird, always chasing after that glimmer of hope she kept inside.
As time went on, Ethan's attitude toward her slowly started to change.
On the way home, Ethan would sometimes actually take the initiative and talk to Katelyn.
Even those simple exchanges were enough to get Katelyn excited for a few days.
Finally, Katelyn got her wish—she married Ethan.
On their wedding day, she thought she'd finally found happiness again, and that all the darkness from her past would fade away for good.
But married life shattered every dream she'd ever had.
Ethan was still distant, and sometimes, he'd blow up over the tiniest things.
She just couldn't understand why the life she'd been so desperate for turned out nothing like she'd imagined.
Katelyn scanned the room she'd called home for years, and her eyes happened to catch a tiny hairpin clipped to the curtain.
All at once, a wave of bitter memories crashed over her.
Katelyn always had this little routine. Every night before bed, she'd clip her hairpin onto the curtain, so she could easily grab it the next morning.
She'd kept this little habit ever since she lived with Michael.
Back then, Michael didn't just accept her habit. He even wrote in his notes.
[After we got married, the curtain started sprouting a row of little hairpins. Our home, once so empty, now blossoms with her presence.]
Every stroke of those words brimming with love was her most precious treasure, the thing that kept her going through every tough moment after Michael was gone.
But in this world, Ethan absolutely hated that little habit of hers.
Not long after they got married, Ethan spotted the hairpin on the curtain, and his face clouded over. He ripped it off and tossed it to the ground, snapping at her, "Look, you've left marks all over the curtain."
Katelyn was shocked to her core by his sudden rage. She never would've guessed that something so trivial could set Ethan off like this.
Seeing the obvious irritation on Ethan's face, Katelyn suddenly felt like she was living someone else's life. Everything just seemed unreal.
"But you once said you liked these little things about me," Katelyn said, her voice breaking.
She knelt down and carefully picked up the broken hairpin, her hands trembling and her voice choked with tears.
Ethan blinked, confused. "When did I ever say that?"
Ethan caught himself and tried to rein in his temper, his voice softening a little.
"This curtain is brand new. If you keep clipping your hairpins on it, it won't look nice anymore. If you don't have anywhere else to put them, I'll get you a dressing table. You can choose whichever one you want."
Katelyn just shook her head, her eyes empty, without a word.
She gathered all the little hairpins from the curtain, leaving only one behind.
That single hairpin was Katelyn's final act of holding on—a way to recreate the life she'd shared with Michael, pretending Ethan was still the one who truly loved her.
But as time went on, Katelyn came to understand that without love as the foundation, everything in life lost its warmth, turning cold and unfamiliar.