In The Summer, Where Cicadas Buzz

During the car accident, Ethan Jones used his body as a shield, protecting me so that I could walk away unscathed. However, when he finally woke up, his memory was frozen at eighteen years old, back when Millie Brown was his girlfriend.

Ethan’s friends advised me to let go and fulfill their love story instead. They said that only by Millie’s side would Ethan—the model student everyone admired—step down from his pedestal and live a life. Apparently, I, the obedient, well-behaved girl, made his life dull and lifeless.

What no one knew was that, amid the buzzing cicadas of summer, that well-behaved girl had fallen for him—year after year, never once wavering. So, I waited foolishly for Ethan to remember me until three years later, when I was diagnosed with cancer.

On that very day, I finally saw the surprise he had mentioned preparing for me before the accident. Only then did I truly let go, and when he handed me the divorce papers once again, I signed my name.

After leaving the hospital, I went straight to the cinema. The manager was already waiting for me at the entrance.

“I’m very sorry, Ms. Ellis. This tape was stored three years ago, before Mr. Jones’s accident,” he explained. “After the accident, it suddenly went missing. That was our mistake…”

I waved my hand, signaling that I didn’t mind, and followed him into the screening room.

As soon as I sat down, the lights dimmed. Then, on the large screen, a figure appeared—one I knew better than anyone else.

“Sadie, today is our fifth wedding anniversary.”

Through the screen, his gentle gaze landed on me.

…

“I’m not someone who struggles to express himself,” he continued, “but when it comes to you, I never know how to put my feelings into words.”

Even through the camera, he looked shy, his ears flushed red.

“We met young, but we fell in love far too late… Please forgive me for not realizing it sooner and accept my love.”

…

The video ended, but I sat there for a long time, unable to move.

So that was the surprise he had prepared three years ago—a confession.

The day before our anniversary, he had cleared his schedule and taken me camping. The next day, as we were heading down the mountain, he told me he had a surprise waiting for me. However, before we could leave, a car driving the wrong way crashed into us, forcing our vehicle off the cliff.

In those few seconds, Ethan unbuckled his seatbelt and wrapped himself around me. While I survived without a scratch, he hovered on the brink of death.

The image froze on his pale face, and I stared at the screen greedily.

“You idiot,” I whispered. “Of course, I know you love me.”

Because long before he loved me, I had loved him for a very, very long time.

When the lights finally came back on, I was pulled out of my memories. As I stepped out of the screening room, I ran into James Harold, one of Ethan’s friends. My good mood vanished instantly.

“Ms. Ellis,” he greeted me politely.

I returned the greeting and immediately turned to leave, but he called after me.

“Ms. Ellis, if you truly want what’s best for Ethan, then let him go. Let him be with Millie.”

I had heard those words so many times over the past three years that I was sick of them. Why should I be the one to make things easier? What gave anyone the right to judge my relationship with Ethan?

Fortunately, the manager hurried over and broke the tense atmosphere.

“Ms. Ellis, this is the original tape. It would be best if you kept it yourself.”

I took the bag and walked away, not hearing the conversation that followed between James and the manager.

By the time I got home, it was evening, and Ethan was waiting for me in the living room. I knew another divorce paper was coming.

Out of habit, I was about to refuse, but suddenly, I stopped. The man from the video slowly overlapped with the man standing in front of me. I lifted my head and met his eyes, the question slipping out before I could stop myself.

“Ethan, if I sign the divorce papers, will you be happy?”