Blurb：
Embark on an unforgettable quest with Elara, a young heroine destined to save the realm of Eldoria from darkness. In this thrilling fantasy novel, follow Elara as she teams up with the wise mage Kaelen, the fierce warrior Roric, and the mysterious dragon Sylas. Discover hidden secrets of the ancient prophecy, wield powerful magic, and confront the sinister Lord Malakar. Perfect for fans of epic fantasy, dragon lore, and strong female protagonists. Dive into a world of enchanted forests, mystical creatures, and heart-pounding battles that will keep you hooked until the very last page!
Content：
I had been in a relationship with Harry Chalamet for ten years.
He stood up for me and even ended up in the hospital after a fight.
He financially supported me in my education by laboring on construction sites.
Even my friends could tell that he was madly in love with me, and I believed it too.
Just when we were about to get married, I noticed he often secretly stared blankly at a photo. But the person in that photo wasn’t me…
Chapter 1
Harry Chalamet leaned against the balcony. He was lost in thought as he stared at the photo in his hand.
I could not see his face clearly under the hazy moonlight.
A cold breeze blew in from the balcony, and I coughed lightly.
He froze for a moment. Then, he instinctively closed the balcony door. “You’re awake?”
I suppressed the bitterness I felt and forced myself to ignore the fact that he had hidden the photo as fast as a lightning strike. “I feel a bit thirsty.”
Harry smiled softly and poured me a glass of water. “Aurora, you could’ve just told me. Why come out here on your own?”
I stared at him closely. An unreadable emotion shone in his eyes.
I noticed a hint of relief in his gaze. He was relieved that I had not noticed the photo in his hand.
“I’m going back to bed now.”
Right after I finished saying that, he lifted me in his arms. “I’ll go back to bed with you.”
I felt like I was trapped inside a hot oven in his arms. “Why are your hands and feet so cold? Don’t come out in such thin clothes next time. You’ll catch a cold. Let me take care of things for you.”
Unlike the past, this time, I found his comforting words unusually displeasing to hear.
I had the urge to ask, “Who is she? Do I look like her? Do you love me?”
Countless questions screamed in my mind. Yet, none came out of my mouth. I merely made a sound of acknowledgment.
This was the second time I had caught him secretly looking at the photo.
The first time I caught him was two months ago while I was trying on the wedding dress in the boutique. He waited for me on the couch.
The female assistant helped me adjust the wedding dress. Her eyes were filled with envy. “Not many men come with their fiancees to try on wedding dresses these days. Madam, you’re a very lucky woman indeed.”
I blushed. My heart filled with joy.
The moment I came out of the fitting room, I saw him lost in thought and looking at his wallet.
From that angle, I saw a photo inside.
The woman smiled radiantly in the photo. She wore a long white dress and had two cute dimples.
She looked lively, energetic, young, and high-spirited. Somehow, we looked alike.
But I was very certain that the woman in the photo was not me.
Chapter 2
I was not young anymore.
I did not remember how I felt at that moment. All I remembered was that we had one of our worst fights that night.
I cried and lost my temper. I destroyed our photos. I turned the house into a mess.
Harry was not angry. When I grew tired of crying, he hugged me. He kissed away the tears on my cheeks and said, “Aurora, you’re a good girl. I love you. I only love you…”
His heart ached for me, and the emotion in his eyes was real. I decided to trust him.
But the suspense in my heart only intensified.
I started to pay close attention to his behavior. Once again, I saw him staring at the photo.
I felt bitter. My eyes welled up. Suddenly, the figure of a young man appeared in front of me.
I was only four years old when I met Harry.
As far as I remembered, I was an orphan.
My mother got pregnant out of wedlock. She insisted on having me. But she had a hard time during labor and died of a hemorrhage.
Everyone said that I killed her because I was cursed. Since no one knew who my father was, I was practically an orphan.
Everyone stayed away from me. My uncle was the only one who carried me in his arms and made me happy.
The others warned my uncle. “No woman would want to marry a man with a child.”
My uncle just laughed. “No worries. I only care about my little girl. When I grow old, she’ll take care of me.”
When I was a few months old, I started to babble. My first word was “Uncle!”
My uncle giggled. He lifted me high in the air. “You’re so smart! You can talk already!”
When I was three years old, my uncle lost his job. We had no choice but to cram ourselves inside a dilapidated house.
Nonetheless, my uncle did not give up. He took me to buy lottery tickets.
He said, “After every storm, there always comes a rainbow.”
Unfortunately, I failed to bring him good luck.
We did not win the lottery.
My uncle chuckled. “It’s okay. We’ll win one next time.”
Later, our hardship finally ended. My uncle married my beautiful aunt, and he bought a mansion.
Chapter 3
But they left me inside the dilapidated house.
I cried and went after them. “Uncle! Uncle!”
My aunt glared at me. “David has been kind enough to raise you up to this age. You need to move on with your life on your own in the future.”
I became an orphan again.
There lived a strange young man near the dilapidated house. He was a loner. His face was always dirty, so I could not tell what he looked like.
I was so scared of him that I stayed really quiet at night.
The night my uncle left me, I sobbed inside the dilapidated house.
The strange man gave me a box of pizza the next morning.
I froze as I stared at him. I was aware that pizza was not cheap. My uncle and I had only eaten that pizza twice.
But the strange man pushed the pizza into my hands. “I bought it just a while ago. Eat it while it’s still fresh.”
His voice was a little hoarse.
I was very reluctant to accept his food. But hunger pangs made my stomach growl.
I noticed that he looked a little blush on his dirty face. “Use the cutlery. It’s clean.”
How could a child resist such temptation? I licked my lips and ate the pizza.
“Why did you cry last night?”
Upon hearing this, I sniffled, and tears streamed down my face again. “My uncle abandoned me.”
The strange man looked stunned for a second. He felt helpless and wanted to wipe away my tears. But he paused for a moment before touching me.
He raised his voice a little and said, “Don’t cry. You’re not abandoned. I’ll adopt you!”
“Really?”
“Yes.” He promised. “So long as I’m alive, it’s not a problem for me to provide for you.”
His voice was loud inside the shabby house. But it somehow soothed my fear and anxiety.
When I was in my most helpless state, it was the same strange young man, whom I was wary of, who offered me a helping hand.
Little did I expect him to provide for me for more than two decades since then.
How did a teenager provide for a four-year-old child?
At that time, I was too young. Harry was a tall guy in my eyes. But he was, in fact, thinner and shorter than most of his peers.
No employer wanted to hire him. He had no choice but to work illegally inside a fast food restaurant.
He received a dollar per day. So, he earned thirty dollars a month.
At night, he was a scavenger and collected discarded items. When he returned, he would often bring me candies.
Chapter 4
When I grew older, I got into the best high school in town with good grades.
I happily showed him the offer letter. He trembled and repeatedly wiped his hands on his shirt before taking the letter shakily.
“Aurora, you’re awesome! Look at your excellent grade!”
He looked around the house. He wanted to find something to celebrate the occasion. In the end, he went out with his money box. “Aurora, wait for me to return.”
I was stunned for a moment. My joy vanished within an instant.
The breeze moved the old wooden door, and it made a rattling sound. The window was covered with old clothes. Harry slept on the floor. We did not have any extra beds. He always slept on the floor.
High school education required a huge sum of money. Harry was already working so hard, but we could barely make ends meet.
I was practically a grown-up. I could work and share his burden.
Harry pushed the door open and entered. He brought in a colorful box and said, “Aurora, I told the boss that you earned good grades, so he gave me a fifty percent discount for this!”
He put the cake on the table. Then, he happily took out a candle and put it on top of the cake. “Aurora, quick! Blow the candle!”
My nose stung. “Harry, I want to quit school.”
His hands froze mid-air. “Aurora, what are you talking about?”
The table became shaky because of the weight of the cake on it.
“I’m serious.”
“Aurora, did someone mistreat you in school? If something happened, I can help you—”
I interrupted him. “No! I want to give up on school. I want to make money with you.”
His lips curved into a smile. “You’re still underage. How are you going to make money?”
“You were underage, too. If you can do it, why can’t I?”
“My case and yours are different!” he said. “Aurora Twilight, all you need to do is study hard!”
I felt as if something was stuck inside my throat. I held back my tears, but they streamed down anyway. “We can’t afford it. High school education requires a lot of money. I don’t want to burden you.”
Harry fell silent for a moment. Then, he clumsily wiped away my tears. “You don’t need to worry about all that. I’ll find a way. As long as I’m around, nothing is a big deal.”
My face stung when his rough hand rubbed against my skin.
The next afternoon, he took out a stack of hundred-dollar bills. “Use this for your school fees. I’ll give you extra money for your living expenses monthly.”
The white light inside the shabby house was blinding. Harry looked pale, but his eyes shone bright.
I gritted my teeth. I swore to excel in my life to provide him with a comfortable life in the future.
Later, I got into one of the world’s top ten universities. But that became a nightmare, and it haunted my days and nights.
I heard Harry breathing lightly.
I carefully moved out of his arms. He was a light sleeper. There was a crease between his eyebrows.
I touched his eyebrows. We had been through hardships. We should not end up like this.
Maybe we needed to talk.
Chapter 5
The next morning, Harry was not around by the time I woke up.
I touched his pillow. It was cold. It seemed like he had left long ago.
He left a note on the bedside table.
[Aurora, something came up at work. I’ve been assigned an overseas business trip. I’ve ordered milk for you. Remember to collect it at the entrance every morning. When I’m not around, you need to take good care of yourself.]
I giggled. But I felt slightly disappointed.
After getting ready, I instinctively went to the art studio.
My major subject was law. But I was more interested in art. As a result, art became my minor subject.
After I graduated, I opened my own studio and earned quite a decent income.
Harry was my favorite and exclusive model. He appeared in more than half of the paintings.
With a paintbrush, I wanted to paint mountains and rivers. But all I could picture in my mind was Harry.
It looked like I needed to find someone to talk to.
After putting down the paintbrush, I went to Yvonne’s workplace.
Yvonne was my high school friend. Later, we enrolled at the same university and naturally became best friends.
She was a psychologist.
I sat outside her consultation room and waited for her to finish her work.
After about ten minutes, an old lady in her fifties or sixties came out of the room.
The old lady had a kind face. But she looked a bit depressed and tired.
When the old lady saw me, she held my hands in excitement. “Ms. Twilight, it’s been a while!”
I was a little confused. I had never seen her before. “Madam, I think you mistook me for someone else?”
“Ms. Twilight, don’t you recognize me? You helped me settle a court case.”
I laughed and said, “Surely you’ve mistaken me for somebody else. I’ve never worked as a lawyer. I run an art studio.”
At that moment, Yvonne came out of her room. “Madam Lorde, you really have the wrong person. She isn’t the one who helped you with the court case.”
The old lady looked apologetic. “Oh dear! I’m getting old and forgetful. Miss, I’m so sorry.”
Yvonne then took me into a lounge area and gave me a cup of coffee.
“How have you been recently?”
“I’m good. Harry went on a business trip.”
Yvonne looked a bit puzzled. “Harry went on a business trip, huh? Did he mention when he’d be back?”
“No. But it’ll be quite some time.”
He had ordered milk for me for a long time in advance.
Yvonne relaxed. “You’re not used to him being gone, are you?”
“Yes. I’ve never been apart from him since we were young. I’m not used to this abrupt separation.”
“That’s perfectly normal. It takes time to adjust.” Then, Yvonne changed the topic. “I’ve been working on a study, but I haven’t found anyone to participate in it yet. Do you want to help me out?”
I nodded. Soft music filled the room. Yvonne asked me to focus on a beam of light on the ceiling.
I concentrated on the light. After a few minutes, she asked gently, “Who are you?”
“Aurora Twilight.”
“Do you know Harry Chalamet?”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I do. I know him. No… I don’t know him.”
“You don’t know him.”
“I… don’t know him.”
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