The Last Leaf of Devotion

Ansel's promise still lingered in Odessa's ears, as if spoken just yesterday. And yet, the ring that once held the weight of their love now graced Sydney's finger.

Odessa stared blankly at the screen, tears streaming down her face without her even realizing it.

"Miss, are you alright?"

The two women looked at her in surprise and quickly handed her a tissue. But when they took a closer look, their eyes widened in disbelief.

"Aren't you… the wife of Halberg Group's CEO?"

Odessa accepted the tissue with a word of thanks. At their question, she offered a bitter smile and shook her head.

"Not anymore. There's no such thing as eternal love. Maybe the journey is beautiful… but the ending is always the same."

With that, she turned and walked away, her steps faltering.

The two women exchanged uneasy glances as they watched her silhouette disappear into the distance.

By the time Odessa returned home, a fever had already set in.

She sank onto the couch, her body weighed down by exhaustion. As her eyes closed, sleep enveloped her quickly.

In her dream, she was carried back to a crisp autumn day when she was just 17.

The campus was alive with the vibrant hues of maple leaves, and for the first time, she found herself running late. By chance, she came face-to-face with Ansel, who stood guard at the school gate.

Back then, he was a slender, neatly dressed teenager. Odessa could still picture his face as she wrote her name in his notebook, a brief smile softening his typically serious expression.

"Odessa… What a beautiful name."

After meeting his clear, steady gaze, Odessa felt her cheeks flush.

That night, her fever surged. She floated in and out of sleep, caught in a blur where dreams dissolved into reality.

In the midst of it all, she felt someone lifting her gently, a cool, damp cloth soothing her burning skin.

"Ansel?" she murmured instinctively.

"I'm here."

The voice was gentle, carrying the unmistakable timbre of youth. It was the voice of a 17-year-old Ansel.

Suddenly, Odessa's eyes snapped open. Darkness and silence engulfed the living room. She was completely alone.

She gazed into the shadows for a long moment before closing her eyes, tears silently soaking into the cushion beneath her.

For the next three days, Ansel didn't appear once.

He had clearly decided to cut her off completely. Not only had he ignored her messages and calls, but he had even gone so far as to freeze her credit cards.

With only two days remaining, Odessa had no choice but to reach out to Ansel's assistant, Gregory McMann. But instead of his usual courteous tone, Gregory's voice was cold and firm, edged with unmistakable impatience.

"Ms. Montclair, if you want to reach Mr. Halberg, you'll need to speak with Ms. Wainwright. He's been with her constantly for the past two days."

Without another word, he ended the call.

Odessa gripped her phone tightly, a wave of humiliation rising in her chest.

Gregory's cold attitude was nothing more than a reflection of Ansel's.

Just then, a message from Sydney lit up her screen, dripping with contempt. "Mr. McMann told me everything. How pathetic! You can't even catch a glimpse of Ansel now!"

Moments later, a stream of photos appeared, each one revealing intimate glimpses of Sydney and Ansel together.

Odessa immediately recognized the background. It was a place all too familiar.

"Actually, Ansel flew me all the way to Yandoria. He's going to propose tomorrow, just like he always said he would.

"Do you want to be there when it happens? Oh, that's right… you're broke now, aren't you? But since you helped me through college, I'll be kind enough to send you money for a plane ticket. You wouldn't want to miss the big moment!"

Shortly after, a transfer of ten thousand dollars appeared in Odessa's account.

The young woman who had once struggled to afford even a meal was now shamelessly showing off Ansel's money, all to spite and humiliate her.

Odessa let out a bitter laugh.

Without a second thought, she booked a plane ticket to Yandoria.

The journey was grueling, stretching well over an entire day. By the time she finally arrived at the castle, the afternoon was slipping away quickly.

In just a few hours, she would leave this world behind forever.