With Jane constantly on my mind, I compressed a two-year exchange program into an intense eighteen months. Even when I fell ill and ended up in the hospital, I pushed through my coursework, nearly giving myself pneumonia from the stress.
During that time, I made sure to fly back every three months to spend time with Jane, worried that any longer apart might lead her to drift away from me.
Little did I know that Winston's sudden appearance would throw everything off course.
She accused me of harboring too much ambition, suggesting that one departure for education meant I'd easily leave again.
But I never truly left her; I even ran her family business meticulously and kept it still as she had no interest in it.
My love was steadfast; I proved it at every turn.
I tolerated her running back to Winston time and again, our marriage, unlicensed and hollow, merely a façade for her indiscretions...
Yet even my tolerance wasn't enough to fulfill Emily's final wish.
When Emily passed, it felt like my heart went with her, and all my former vitality extinguished.
I sighed deeply, my expression solemn, "You know full well how I've treated you."