For a brief moment, surprise flickered in her eyes, but exhaustion consumed her. She barely had the strength to speak. Just before losing consciousness, she whispered, "Griffin… please… contact Aric for me…"
Then, everything went dark.
Griffin gazed at her pale, fragile face, a wave of memories washing over him.
He remembered an afternoon, years ago—Emerald lying under a tree, sunlight filtering through the leaves. Her face had been round with baby fat, her cheeks soft and full.
Back then, she had been carefree.
Now, she lay before him, barely clinging to life.
He jumped down from the tree, landing lightly beside her, and let go of the small creature he had just caught.
Resting his chin in his hands, a soft smile played on his lips. She was beautiful—so beautiful that, even as a child, he had already decided he wanted to marry someone like her when he grew up.
Back then, it was all just a game of playing house. But even then, Emerald had unknowingly taken root in his heart.
