The Remaining Love

Chapter 1

Three years had passed since we last saw each other, yet she was still as beautiful and radiant as ever. When she looked at me and smiled, I suddenly realized that she was no longer the girl I had once known.

Back then, when she was with me, she never wore dresses or makeup. Once, I had asked her why. Blushing shyly, she had answered,

“I want you to love me for who I really am, even if I’m not beautiful or feminine like all those wealthy girls you’ve met.”

And yet, today, I happened to see her walking hand in hand with a wealthy middle-aged man. Her face had changed somewhat beneath a layer of makeup, her eyes looked sharper and more sophisticated, and even the glasses she had once called her “inseparable companion” were gone.

She casually waved at me when she saw me and introduced me to the man beside her as an old classmate.

“An old classmate.”

Those three words felt like a knife driven straight through my heart.

Had she really forgotten everything? Had she forgotten the two years we had spent deeply in love?

I stood there like a fool as she said goodbye to me, then turned back and continued enjoying herself with her lover.

She moved from one expensive outfit to another, choosing jewelry piece after jewelry piece without hesitation.

The girl I had known was never like this…

“Here. This is for you.”

I took out a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant and held it out to her.

“Wow! It’s beautiful!” She carefully took it from my hand. Then she hesitated. “But… it must have cost a lot, right?”

“This is the first gift I’ve ever given you. I don’t care how expensive it is. Let me put it on for you.”

I took the necklace from her and reached around her neck.

“Wait…”

She suddenly stopped me.

“I’m sorry. I can’t accept it.”

“Why? You don’t like it?” I asked in surprise.

“No. I love it. I really do. But I can’t accept something this expensive. I don’t want people to think badly of me because of it someday. You understand, don’t you?”

I looked at her, deeply moved, then nodded and pulled her into my arms.

When I had bought that necklace, I had imagined how happy she would be. I thought she would eagerly take the gift from me, then reward me with a kiss, just like the other girls I had dated before her.

After that day, I only gave her the roses she loved most. They were simple gifts, but she accepted every one of them with a smile, her eyes always shining with happiness.

And yet now, she seemed so delighted by expensive things.