The Rain won't Last Forever

Oliver stayed in the bridal shop for a long time, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward the old-fashioned car parked across the street.

Even when the shop manager reminded him several times to check the fit of the wedding dress he had ordered three years ago, he was lost in thought.

The rain intensified, showing no sign of letting up.

The car outside appeared especially forlorn amidst the storm.

He recalled the hand Jack had rested on Emma’s waist earlier and an inexplicable frustration stirred within him.

He grabbed his suit jacket and prepared to leave.

“This style is absolutely stunning. Oliver, thank you for arranging so many for me.”

Luna admired the wedding dress Oliver had custom-ordered, her fingers eagerly tracing the glimmering rhinestones.

Yet, the subtle hints of a wedding in her words made him frown in irritation.

“You’re misunderstanding. This isn’t for you.”

Oliver impatiently snatched the umbrella from the shop assistant, oblivious to the fleeting flash of malice that crossed Luna’s eyes.

He walked slowly toward the parking lot, deliberately passing by the old-fashioned car and instinctively glanced toward the passenger window.

What he saw was a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Jack was frantically holding his hand to Emma’s mouth as she lay with her eyes shut tight, blood pouring out of her mouth uncontrollably.

Oliver's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand and pain surged through his entire being.

He immediately dropped the umbrella and dashed through the rain toward them.

“Why are you just standing there? Drive to the hospital now!”

Jack froze at his shout, but his hands shook uncontrollably on the wheel.

The relentless downpour outside felt like a wall of suffocating pressure closing in on him.

“I... I can’t. I really... I can’t do it…”

Oliver rushed to the driver’s side, flung open the door and yanked Jack out of the car.

“Get away!”

Jack was left in the pouring rain, watching helplessly as Oliver drove away with her.

When he opened his eyes again, he was met with blinding white.

I woke up in the hospital and a familiar figure sat beside me. I instinctively called out.

“Jack, water…”

A pair of clean hands quickly brought the glass to my lips and a calm voice said,

“Take it slow.”

I jolted awake, my mind clearing suddenly.

“Why are you here?”

Oliver’s smile was tinged with bitterness.

“Not your little boyfriend. Are you let down?”

I didn’t respond and he kept talking, his voice rough.

“What’s going on with you? Why were you bleeding from the mouth out of nowhere?”

It dawned on me then that he must have been the one who brought me to the hospital.

“It’s a stomach ulcer. Sorry for wasting your time.”

His voice grew cold as he clenched his fists.

“Emma, do you think I’m that easy to fool?”

“Does a stomach ulcer really cause this much bleeding?”

I turned away, closing my eyes to avoid him, while he picked up his phone and began dialing.

“I’ll call your grandmother and have her come take care of you.”

I struggled to sit up, trying to push his hand away.

“No!”

He pressed my flailing hands down with a look of frustration and muttered,

“Be good.”

Then, as if suddenly realizing how soft he sounded, he hardened his expression.

“You have no ties to the Mortimer Family anymore. I’m only calling your relative out of basic humanity, so don’t be ungrateful!”

It felt like a knife had plunged into my heart, leaving me frozen in shock.

“My grandmother, she…”

“She’s no longer here.”

I let my head fall in defeat and he hesitated with the phone in his hand, his voice dry and his expression stiff.

“When did it happen?”

My eyes burned with unshed tears, the pain too much to hold back.

"Three years ago, the day after my miscarriage."

He stood there, mouth slightly open, unable to speak for a long while.

I gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“Doesn’t Mr. Mortimer remember? You rushed to divorce me and had me sent away, just like today when you called my grandmother to pick me up.”

“But she was over seventy, in poor health. Can you imagine how panicked she must have been when she heard about my miscarriage and divorce?”

I closed my eyes, trying to suppress the rising tide of anger.

“She rushed to see me, but unfortunately, she missed a step and fell, never getting up again.”

Oliver took a long time to force out the words, his phone slipping from his hand.

“How could this…”

“I didn’t mean to…”

Sometimes I wonder—if I hadn’t left with Amelia back then, if I hadn’t selfishly fallen for him, would all of this have been avoided?

He would have had a loving mother, a partner and lived a life of happiness and ease.

And I would have stayed by my grandmother's side, watched the sunsets on our little island and savored the old lady’s home-cooked meals.

Two burning tears finally broke free, streaming down my cheeks.

I fought to stifle my sobs, my eyes locking with his in a desperate plea.

“So, Oliver, please, just go. Let’s not see each other again.”

“Would that be alright?”