Back then, he hadn’t thought much of her words–just admired how capable she was.
But now, sitting here, he realized the full weight of what she’d said. Jane had spent her whole life cooking for others, for her family, for people who never appreciated her.
And now, Summer stood there, proudly offering him her “first” attempt at cooking, completely oblivious to how much Jane had sacrificed for her to have that privilege.
Her “first time” was built on Jane’s countless, thankless efforts.
William pushed the lunchbox away, his voice flat and distant. “I’m not hungry.”
Summer froze, blinking at him in disbelief. Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, “I’m sorry, William. Did I… interrupt you?”
She turned her wheelchair around, her voice trembling. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have come to the office. I’ve been useless ever since my surgery…”
William hesitated, his mouth opening slightly as if to say something.
But just then, the notification sound on his computer interrupted him.
His eyes flicked to the screen, and his breath caught.
The email subject line read: “J.”
It was Jane.
William’s fingers trembled as he clicked on the email.
What appeared next sent a chill down his spine:
A scanned image of an organ donation certificate.
In the corner of the documents was a small photo of Jane. She was smiling softly, her gaze calm and serene.
Jane was dead.
The words repeated in his mind like a broken record: Jane is dead. Jane is dead.
For three full minutes, William sat there, unable to process what he was seeing. His brain refused to accept the reality of those words.
Dead? What did that even mean? How could Jane be dead?
He sat frozen, his body shaking as if he’d been plunged into a freezing lake.
The sound of Summer’s muffled sobs brought him back to the present. He looked up. The room was pitch black now–he hadn’t even noticed night had fallen.
Summer approached him again, holding the lunchbox.
“William,” she said softly, her voice trembling, “you’ve gone all day without eating. Please, just eat a little, and I’ll leave right after. I promise I won’t bother you anymore.”
William’s gaze shifted to her face. For a moment, he was struck by how much Summer resembled Jane–enough to make his stomach turn.
His voice was harsh as he finally spoke: “Summer, Jane is dead.”
Summer froze, her expression blank for a moment before she whispered, “How could that happen?” She sounded shocked, but not devastated.
William turned to his assistant, who had been standing silently nearby. “Jane is dead,” he repeated, his voice cracking.
9:18 AM
<
The assistant hesitated before offering a quiet, “I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Grant.”
William looked between them, his chest tightening. None of them seemed truly affected.
No one cared.
And for the first time, he realized that Jane had existed in a world where no one truly cared if she lived or died.
The thought hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. The woman who had once pulled him out of darkness, who had been his strength, had been left to face her pain alone. And now, she was gone.
William’s voice was hollow as he stared at the computer screen. “Summer, your mother signed the organ donation papers for Jane. She didn‘
even notice Jane was sick.”
Summer bit her lip. “We… we thought she was lying…” She paused, then added, “William, please don’t do this to yourself. I’m really worried about you. Just eat something, okay?”
She pushed the lunchbox toward him again, her tone almost pleading. “If you’re not okay, it’ll affect me too…”
CRASH!
William snapped. He shoved the lunchbox off the desk, sending it flying. The cold food spilled across the floor, some of it splattering onto
Summer.
She gasped, tears streaming down her face as she cried, “William! People die every day! Are you going to destroy yourself over someone who’s already gone? What about the people who are still here? What about me?”
She wiped at her face, her voice rising. “I’m worried about you! Why can’t you see that?”
William turned to look at her, his face unreadable.
NE
In her eyes, he saw anger, frustration, and indignation–but no sadness.
Not even a trace.
Jane was gone.
As her only sister, Summer didn’t seem to care at all.
No… perhaps no one in the Faulkner family would care.
It hit William like a punch to the gut, a cruel moment of clarity.
Everything he had done in recent months–every action, every decision–suddenly felt disgusting, unforgivable. The weight of his guilt and regret crushed him, leaving him trembling in his chair.
And yet, Summer stood before him, still speaking.
“William, if you’re worried about the wedding in a few months, don’t be,” she said, her voice light, almost cheerful. “I could be your bride- instead. You could marry me.”
Her tone turned tender, almost conspiratorial. “You already accepted my confession, didn’t you? Besides… you and Jane, there’s no chance of that now. It’s over between you two. And I’m her sister. If she’s watching from the afterlife, she’d be happy for us–don’t you think?”
“Get out!”
William’s roar exploded through the room, his voice raw and furious.
His eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed the nearest object–a mug–and hurled it at Summer.
The mug smashed against her forehead, leaving a deep gash that immediately began to bleed.
9:18 AM
<
Summer screamed, clutching her head. “That hurts!”
But William didn’t even flinch. His face was dark, his voice cold and deliberate as he repeated:
“Get. Out.”
Summer hesitated, her lips trembling, but when she saw the unrelenting rage in his eyes, she reluctantly turned her wheelchair and left the
room.
William sat alone in the dark, unmoving.
It wasn’t until midnight that he finally picked up his phone and called his assistant.
“Find out who sent that email,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I need their contact information.”
He couldn’t let go. He refused to let go.
Ten minutes later, William was dialing an unfamiliar international number.
The voice on the other end was calm, polite, and distinctly foreign. “Hello, are you Miss Jane’s husband? We are deeply grateful for her
contributions to our medical research lab.”
William felt as though a blade had been driven into his throat, each word cutting deeper and deeper. He struggled to speak, his voice barely a whisper.
“Her body… can I bring her home?”
There was a brief pause before the voice on the other end replied, filled with regret.
“I’m sorry. Miss Jane’s body has already been respectfully handled. Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to retrieve it.”
The man hesitated before continuing. “However, we do have some of her personal belongings. There’s a rather thick journal she left behind. If you’d like, I can arrange to have it sent to you. And… if you wish to visit, her grave has been placed in our memorial garden. You’re welcome to
come and take her home.”
The call ended, but William couldn’t move.
He sat there, staring blankly at the moon as it dipped below the horizon and the sun slowly rose again.
The city outside came back to life–cars honking, lights flashing, people rushing to and from their homes.
William suddenly realized that in this bustling, crowded city, there would never again be a light waiting for him.
He closed his eyes, and two silent tears rolled down his face.
A few days later, the package arrived from overseas.
Inside was Jane’s journal.
It was thick–years and years of entries, filled with the thoughts she had poured out over her entire life.
William opened to the first entry and began to read.
February 6th – Sunny
Today is New Year’s Eve. The sun was out, and it felt warm.
But I have a fever, I feel awful.
Mom said I was being dramatic and wouldn’t let me rest. She insisted I make dinner for the whole family.
9:18
<
No one touched the food I made. Instead, Mom dragged me to the hospital to donate blood for Summer. I fainted too.
When I woke up, I was lying on the cold floor. No one was there to help me.
I felt so sad.
June 7th – Rainy
Today, I found out a secret.
Dad has Rh–null blood too.
But Mom loves Summer. She loves Dad. She loves herself.
She doesn’t love me.
No one loves me.
September 2nd – Sunny
First day of college.
Summer introduced me to one of her friends today. His name is William.
He’s kind of handsome.
When Summer needed a blood transfusion, he stayed by her side. After it was over, he took me downstairs for lunch. He said I needed to eat something to replenish my strength.
It was the first time anyone had ever cared about me after I donated blood.
May 3rd – Overcast
We’re together now.
But I feel guilty. For the first time in my life, I’ve taken something that belonged to Summer.
I feel like I’ve stolen something.
September 2nd – Cloudy
William told me that everyone has the right to live for themselves.
It felt like sunlight breaking through the darkness in
my heart.
For the first time, I realized I could have a life that was truly my own.
I wanted to grow old with him.
July 1st – Sunny
Summer got out of prison.
William hugged her, his eyes red, and said to me:
“You’re the only one who can help her.”
The man who once pulled me out of hell… pushed me right back in.
October 3rd – Rainy
There’s something worse than hell.
9:18
<
The doctor said I don’t have much time left.
He asked me if I had any family.
I told him… I used to think I did. But now I realize I don’t.
So I’ll have to fight this alone.
…Actually, I’m done fighting.
If no one loves me, then I surrender.
The pages were stained with tears–her tears–blurring the ink.
William couldn’t read any further.
He closed the journal and sat there in the deafening silence of the world, tears streaming down his face as he cried for the woman he had failed.
Winters in Eldoria were colder than Jane had ever imagined.
Though it was only fall, Jane had already bundled herself up in a puffy down jacket.
When she pushed open the door to the studio, wearing gloves and a scarf, Lucas Reed–dressed casually in a coat–couldn’t help but laugh. “Is it really that cold?”
Jane shivered as she pulled the scarf tighter around her neck. “I’m from Emberwood, where it’s basically spring all year round. I’ve never been this cold in my life.”
Lucas chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. I used to hate the winters here too, but you learn to adapt. It’s all about blending in.”
Jane had met Lucas after moving to
Eldoria.
She had no resources, no connections, and didn’t even know how to file the necessary paperwork.
That day, she’d spent hours running between government offices, asking countless people for help, but no one gave her a clear answer.
By the evening, she was sitting on a park bench, exhausted and starving, gnawing on a baguette so hard that she chipped a tooth.
Frustrated, she was about to throw the broken piece of tooth into the trash when a hand stopped her.
“Don’t toss it,” the man said. “What if it’s still useful?”
That was how she met Lucas.
Jane thought Lucas was strange. But then again, Lucas thought the same about her.
As it turned out, Lucas was also a designer, someone with a background in art who shared her dream of starting a studio.
So, they decided to team up.
Jane provided the funding, while Lucas handled the logistics. Together, they built the studio from the ground up.
The business was still small, and while they were making progress, they hadn’t broken even yet.
The team consisted of just the two of them and a pair of graduate students–twins named Riley and Reagan Parks–who worked part–time. The twins were lively, full of energy, and, most importantly, affordable. Jane could manage to pay them.
Jane’s new name was Aurora, inspired by the northern lights.
Jane woke up in the middle of the night, her bladder uncomfortably full. As she got up to head to the bathroom, she noticed Riley sitting on the
9:18 AM
<
Riley glanced up and hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
When Jane came out of the bathroom, Riley approached her cautiously.
She held up her phone, the screen facing Jane. “Miss Aurora… does the woman in this obituary photo look like you?”
Jane’s heart dropped. She stepped closer, her eyes locking onto the screen.
It was a news article from back home.
The headline read: “Grant Group CEO William Grant Holds Lavish Funeral for His Late Fiancée.”
The article described the grand ceremony, attended by high–profile figures and covered extensively by the media. William was portrayed as a grieving lover, his devotion painted in vivid detail.
There was only one photo of the grave, and on the tombstone was a blurry picture of the deceased fiancée.
Riley had zoomed in on the image as much as possible. Though the resolution was poor and the details hazy, it was undeniable to anyone who knew Jane–the photo was of her.
Riley’s eyes widened as she whispered, “It’s really you, isn’t it?”
Jane quickly pulled Riley into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. She held a finger to her lips. “Shhh. Yes, it’s me. But I need you to promise me something. Please, keep this a secret.”
Riley hesitated, clearly conflicted, but eventually nodded. “I’ll keep your secret, but… there’s something I need to tell you.”
Jane frowned. “What is it?”
Riley’s expression turned serious as she looked Jane in the eye. “The reason I pay so much attention to the Grant Group… is because of the fire at their press conference.”
Jane’s stomach churned. “What about it?”
“The only person who died in that fire…” Riley paused, her voice steady but heavy.
“Was my brother,” she said.
Months had passed, but whenever Jane thought about the fire, a chill still ran down her spine.
That press conference had been crowded, with dozens of people packed into the venue. When the fire broke out, screams and chaos filled the building. The entire 16th floor was engulfed in flames, leaving it unrecognizable.
One person died, countless others were injured.
As the CEO of the Grant Group, William should have been held legally responsible.
But Summer stepped in to protect him.
At the time, Summer was still working at the Grant Group as a coordinator for the press conference. She claimed that she had accidentally knocked over a candelabra, sparking the fire that spread out of control.
The night before she went to prison, William visited her in the holding cell. Her eyes were red and swollen as she said:
“William, I don’t even know how the fire started.”
“But… I just wanted to protect you.”
And so, Summer became William’s savior, his benefactor.
And for Jane, that moment sealed the end of any future she might have had with William.
Now, hearing the fire mentioned again, Jane felt a familiar coldness creep into her chest. She lowered her voice and said, “I’m sorry… my condolences.”
“That’s not why I brought it up,” Riley said, her brow furrowing. “To be honest, I’ve always suspected my brother didn’t die in that fire at all… bu because of something else.”
Jane froze. “What are you trying to say?”
“My brother attended a summer program in college,” Riley explained. “It was with the fire department. He trained there for two months, and the captain even wanted him to join full–time. You know what that means, right? He knew how to handle a fire. There’s no way he’d be the only one to die in an accident like that.”
She paused, her voice growing heavier. “After the fire, my family tried to investigate. We went to the Grant Group and demanded the security footage. But they told us all the recordings had been destroyed in the fire.”
“We even pushed the police for answers, but nothing came of it. Eventually, we had no choice but to let it go.”
Riley’s gaze bore into Jane. “But we’ve never believed he died because of the fire.”
She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “You have a sister, right? Summer?”
Jane nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yes…”
“I never met her, but that year, my brother mentioned her name a lot. He knew her. He liked her. I’m almost certain the only reason he was at that press conference was because of Summer.”
Jane felt her stomach drop.
A terrible suspicion began forming in her mind, unbidden and unwelcome.
Had the fire been as simple as it seemed?
Jane didn’t know. But she forced herself to bury the thought deep down.
She wasn’t Jane anymore–she was Aurora. Jane was dead, and anything connected to the Faulkners or the Grants no longer had anything to
do with her.
For days, Jane tried to push those thoughts out of her mind, but they lingered, gnawing at her focus.
Even Lucas noticed something was wrong. “You’ve been acting off lately,” he said, watching her closely. “What’s going on?”
Jane forced a smile. “Probably just didn’t sleep well.”
