Chapter 2

When Sophie pushed open the door, a pair of handmade cloth shoes at the entrance stung her eyes.

Lily had made them, and in her past life, Daniel hid them deep in the closet.

Yet during Sophie's illness, he dug them out, placing them by her bedside, touching them day and night.

They disgusted her until her final breath.

The living room glowed with warm yellow light. Daniel sat slumped on the sofa, hands repeatedly clutching his knees.

At the sound of footsteps, he snapped his head up, eyes filled with wariness and confusion, like a wild animal lost in a bustling city.

He didn't know where he was or whether the person before him meant harm.

This place felt terrifying, nothing like the warmth of Seaside Village.

"Who are you?"

Sophie's heart felt gripped by an icy hand, cold and painful.

This was the Daniel just brought back.

He couldn't even tell if he was Daniel or Danny.

"I'm Sophie." She approached him, deliberately holding her breath.

The faint salty scent of the sea clung to him, a smell she disliked.

It belonged to Lily and Seaside Village.

Daniel frowned, straining to recall the name, but only shook his head. "I don't know you. They say you're my fiancée, no... they say we're already married. Is that true?"

Sophie let out a bitter laugh.

He didn't remember.

He only remembered Lily.

He didn't care how much effort the Wilson and Carter families poured into finding him.

"Do you want to go back to Seaside Village?"

Daniel's eyes lit up instantly, like a spark catching fire. "Yes! Of course I do!"

He shot to his feet, knocking over a glass on the coffee table in his haste. Water soaked the expensive rug, but he didn't notice. "I don't want to stay here, learning all these rules, listening to old men drone about company business. I just want to go back, fish with Lily, and lie on the boat at night watching the stars.

I'm not Daniel Carter. I'm Danny the fisher!"

He spoke Danny the fisher with such ease, as if it were his true, born identity.

Sophie looked at the pure longing in his eyes and felt the absurdity of it all. "I can take you to see it."

Daniel cheered instantly.

Sophie took him on a boat to Seaside Village.

The sea breeze carried a briny tang, and Daniel leaned eagerly over the railing.

At the dock, several women in rough cloth clothes mended nets. Their eyes lit up at the sight of Daniel, then shifted to Sophie with hostility.

"Ain't that Danny? You're finally back!" A stout woman spoke first, her tone warm but her gaze slicing over Sophie like a blade. "And who's this? All dressed up, some fancy city lady?"

Before Daniel could respond, a young woman grabbed a bucket of seawater and splashed it over Sophie.

The icy water soaked her clothes instantly, salty droplets dripping from her hair onto her chest.

"You wicked woman! Breaking up a sweet couple like that!" The young woman stood with hands on hips, face full of anger. "If you hadn't dragged Danny away, he'd be married to Lily by now! You made her cry for days, and you've got the nerve to show up here!"

More people crowded around, their accusations piling on.

"Exactly! Our Lily's such a good girl, waiting for Danny all this time!"

"City women are just rotten, can't stand to see others happy!"

"Danny, don't let this kind of woman fool you!"

Sophie stood there, drenched and disheveled.

She looked up at Daniel.

But Daniel only frowned, staring at the chaotic scene, his lips moving slightly. "Hey... don't do this. Where's Lily?"