The butler respectfully handed a gift list to June.

"Mistress, these are wedding gifts sent by Mr. Thorne in his capacity as a husband."

The car was filled with jewelry and jade, but the most conspicuous item was a pair of emerald earrings at the front of the car.

Xavier had explained to June that the ones he gave to Rosalind were fakes. For years, he had never given up on persuading the seller to part with the originals. Today, he presented the real ones to prove his sincerity.

"I heard June used to be someone's mistress in the big city. Did her sugar daddy send her off as a daughter out of pity?"

"That explains it. No wonder she came back. She was probably dumped and came to find Julian to be the 'fallback guy'!"

...

A few nasty voices rose from the crowd, but Julian immediately had them escorted out.

"Those who spread malicious gossip are not welcome at my wedding with June."

During the time Xavier had been quiet, June thought he had truly repented. Yet he had used this most childish trick to trap her in a storm of rumors once again.

He knew perfectly well that today was her wedding day. Giving gifts in the name of a husband in front of so many people was a slap to her face.

He knew that those emerald earrings were a dream left unfulfilled at her previous wedding, and now he brought them out to remind everyone that they had a past together.

He spoke of sincerity, yet he didn't even dare to show his face.

His love was domineering and coercive—but that was his self-righteous version of love, not the act of a lover.

"Take all of these things away. I have already called the police; they will be here in ten minutes."

The butler was shocked by June’s heartlessness. Xavier had been given no room at all to turn things around. The butler had prepared many words and strategies, but none were of any use. In the end, he could only tell her the final arrangement:

"Mistress, Mr. Thorne said he will wait for you at the old place. He said no matter what, you must go. He will wait there until you come and will not leave."

The "old place" where they first met was a scar to her—a scar that was nearly healed.

Why would she go back to reopen a bloody wound?

She wouldn't go, and she never wanted to see that stranger again.

The wedding proceeded as planned.

June pushed the butler’s words to the back of her mind and began her new life with Julian.

Their quiet days were laced with honey—sweet, warm, and filled with laughter.

It wasn't until a week later that news reached the village of someone being eaten by wolves.

The search and rescue team went up the mountain and found only a few fragmented white bones and a rib-bone ash necklace.

"June, according to his butler, Xavier Thorne has been missing for a long time. He went up the mountain on our wedding day and never appeared again. Could it be..."

Dark clouds gathered outside, and scattered raindrops broke through the cloud layer, falling coldly into June’s palm.

Xavier had once vowed: "If I ever betray you, let me be like this rib—broken and ground to dust."

This necklace had truly witnessed his oath.

He really...

"A self-fulfilling prophecy. Having broken his vow, his bones truly aren't even whole."

Xavier Thorne would truly never appear again.

She wiped the tears from her face—the last tears she would ever shed for the past.

The past had vanished like smoke, and the former pain was settled. She would never be sad or miserable again.

What was past was past; only a brilliant and bright tomorrow awaited her.

Shortly after the wedding, Julian took June to Mount Kailash.

He pasted the photo of June’s father on the Rebirth Stone.

The photo was of her father and June herding sheep together. The girl’s face was rosy, and she was crying and clamoring for the candy in the man’s hand.

"I couldn't walk back then, so Father used candy to lead me along. I haven't seen Father smile like that in a long time."

"June, there is a beautiful legend here. If you paste a photo of a loved one on this Rebirth Stone and walk around it in prayer, they will receive it. Let’s go pray; you can talk to Father more."

June and Julian held hands and walked around the stone circle after circle.

Through her tearful eyes, she seemed to truly see her father standing not far away, smiling at her.

"Father, I am very happy."

"I will keep walking forward with June."

THE END