@goldenretriever069: A year passed. The divorce was finalized. Winter never contacted Karina again. No messages. No calls. No birthdays. Nothing. It was as if she had disappeared from Karina's life as quietly as she had once entered it. Karina couldn't move on. She quit her job. Sold the apartment they had shared. But there was one thing she couldn't bring herself to let go of. The notebook. "Things that made Karina smile." Every night, she read one page before sleeping. Every page reminded her of another moment she had taken for granted. One evening, while cleaning the last of their belongings, a small velvet box fell from the back of a drawer. Inside were two wedding rings. One was hers. The other was Winter's. Tucked beneath them was a receipt. Date purchased: Two years before their wedding. Karina's hands shook. Winter hadn't accepted the arranged marriage because she had no choice. She had been preparing for it... Praying for it... Long before either of them knew it would happen. That night, Karina booked the earliest flight she could. She didn't care how long it took. She only needed to see Winter. Just once. Even if it was only to apologize. When she finally reached Winter's office overseas, the receptionist smiled politely. "Do you have an appointment?" "...No." "I'm sorry. Ms. Kim is unavailable." Karina waited anyway. One hour. Three hours. Until the elevator doors opened. Winter stepped out. She looked healthier. She was smiling. For a second, Karina almost smiled too. Then she noticed... A little girl, no older than five, ran toward Winter. "Mom!" Winter knelt down and caught her in a hug. "I missed you." Karina felt the world stop. A woman followed behind them, laughing. "You spoil her too much." Winter smiled at the woman. "I know." Karina couldn't hear anything after that. She turned away before Winter could see her. So... She really had moved on. That night, Karina cried harder than she ever had. She told herself she had lost the right to be jealous. She had been the one who let Winter go. She should be happy. Winter looked happy. Wasn't that what love was supposed to want? The next morning, Karina was about to leave the country when someone called her name. "Karina." She turned around. Winter stood there alone. For a long moment... Neither of them spoke. "You came." "I was too late." Winter gave a small smile. "You always hated being late." Karina laughed through tears. "...I deserve that." She looked down. "I saw you yesterday." Winter nodded. "You saw my niece." Karina blinked. "...Your what?" "My niece." Winter looked confused. "My older brother's daughter." Karina froze. "And the woman..." "My sister-in-law." The color drained from Karina's face. She had spent the entire night believing... Winter had already built a new family. Winter looked at her carefully. "You cried, didn't you?" Karina couldn't answer. "I wanted to tell you something before you left." Winter reached into her bag and handed Karina a worn envelope. "I wrote this the day our divorce was finalized." Karina slowly opened it. If you ever come looking for me... Please don't come because you're lonely. Don't come because you regret the past. Only come if, for the first time... You're choosing me. Tears slipped down Karina's cheeks. She looked up. "I'm here because I choose you." Winter's eyes trembled. "You told me you'd never love me." "I know." "I spent years trying to forget those words." "I know..." Karina stepped closer. "I was wrong." "I confused being forced into a marriage with being forced to love." "But every time you stopped waiting for me..." "I realized I had been waiting for you all along." Her voice broke. "I'm sorry I noticed when your love was already gone." Winter closed her eyes. "...It isn't gone." Karina looked up. "What?" "I just stopped expecting you to return it." Silence. (Continuation in comments) #winrinaau

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Sunday 19 July 2026 11:54:03 GMT