Chapter 3

Two years ago, Evan brought Lily to Willowbrook Sanctuary for some medicine. It wasn't anything serious; she'd only caught a cold. I gave her three remedies, and that was all it took.

But she nestled into Evan's embrace, let out a couple of soft coughs, and tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes. "Evan, am I holding you back?"

Evan hugged her tighter, soothing her with a gentle voice. "Don't be silly. I'll take care of you, I promise."

I stood off to the side, clutching a freshly picked herb in my hand. My hand was aching from a deep cut I'd gotten the day before while drawing blood, and blood was still seeping under the bandage. The pain made my fingertips go numb.

No one asked if I was hurting.

Evan didn't even notice how pale I looked. All his attention was on Lily, like she was a fragile porcelain doll he had to protect.

Lily suddenly looked over at me, giving a soft, gentle smile. "Ms. Hart, I heard there's a hot spring at Shadowcrest behind Willowbrook Sanctuary. People say it's good for my health. Do you think I could..."

"Shadowcrest is dangerous. There's miasma there," I interrupted her.

"I'll take you there," Evan said immediately. "I know the way."

Of course he did. Back when he was still healthy, he used to come to Willowbrook Sanctuary all the time to practice swordsmanship with my master. I was always tagging along behind Evan, like his little tail.

Every path on Shadowcrest, every spring, I was the one who showed him the way. But now, he was going to walk those same paths with another woman where I once walked beside him.

"I'm going too," I said.

Evan frowned. "Why are you coming along? Isn't someone supposed to stay and keep an eye on Willowbrook Sanctuary?"

"Yeah," I said, meeting his gaze. "But I'm the only one who knows how to avoid the miasma on Shadowcrest."

In the end, the three of us set out together. Lily was too weak to walk, so Evan carried her on his back. I followed behind, watching his white cloak billow in the mountain breeze, and saw Lily nestled against him, smiling faintly.

When we got to the hot spring, Lily wanted to get in. Evan instinctively turned his back, but then saw me still standing there.

"Aren't you going to look away?" he asked, his tone making it sound like this was common sense.

It was as if he didn't see me as a woman at all, like I couldn't possibly feel shy or embarrassed. Like I was made of stone. No gender, no shame, no tenderness, no vulnerability.

"I'll stay here," I said. "In case any beasts come lurking."

Evan nodded. "That works."

Then he walked a few steps away, sat down with his back to the hot spring, and closed his eyes, settling into a quiet meditation.

I sat on a rock, listening to the water trickling from a stream behind me while Lily hummed a soft tune. Her voice was soft and sweet, like honey that clung to my ears, refusing to let go.

Suddenly, Lily let out a scream.

Evan rushed over in a flash. "What's wrong?"

"There's... there's a snake..." Lily whimpered, her voice quivering with fear and tears.

I turned and saw Evan had already jumped into the hot spring, gathering Lily into his arms. Her clothes were drenched, clinging to her curves and outlining her silhouette. Evan's ears flushed red, but he still held her close.

The "snake" was actually just a water rope. It was grayish-brown and slender, drifting across the surface.

"Don't be scared, I'm here," Evan murmured, his fingers gently soothing her back.

Suddenly, I felt cold inside, like all the warmth had drained out of me.

It was the peak of summer, steam rising thick from the hot spring, but I was shivering as if winter had crept into my bones.

I heard myself say, "Evan."

He looked up at me, his gaze still gentle, but deep down I caught a flicker of impatience, like he really didn't want to be interrupted. "What?"

"I had to draw blood from myself this morning," I said.

He paused, surprised. "What?"

"The Soulbloom needs a drop of my heart's blood every day," I said slowly. "When I took blood this morning, the wound reopened. It really hurts."

Everything fell silent for a few seconds.

Lily peeked out from Evan's arms, her wet eyes fixed on me. "Ms. Hart, you really work so hard for Evan."

Evan frowned. "Then... you should head back and get some rest. I'll handle things here."

Classic Evan.

When I told him I was hurting, he never asked how much it hurt, never said "let me take a look." He just told me, "Go get some rest."

Because all my pain did was ruin his sweet moment with the woman he loved most.

I stood up and walked away from Shadowcrest.

That was the first and last time I ever tried to let Evan see how much I was hurting.

After that, I stopped talking about it. I just kept all the pain to myself, swallowed every bit of misery, and let the blood drip day after day. Like a mute, I spent three years quietly raising that Soulbloom, hoping for a miracle.

The miracle I was waiting for never happened.

Instead, what finally came was the news that Lily was gone.