That night, Xia Wei sat alone on the terrace bench, wrapped in a thin shawl, her gaze lost in the darkness.
One sentence from Jiang Tingchen kept replaying in her mind:
"You are my wife—past and present."
It was just one sentence, but it shook the foundation she had worked so hard to rebuild.
The lights in the Jiang family mansion were turning off one by one. Only her corner remained dimly lit. The breeze tousled her long hair and whispered through the silence—until a steady set of footsteps approached.
"Still not asleep?" Jiang Tingchen's voice was low, no longer cold, but surprisingly warm.
"I can't sleep," she replied softly, not turning to look at him.
He stood behind her, unmoving for a long while. Then he finally said, "I know I hurt you deeply."
Her heart trembled, but she didn't speak.
"I once thought I'd never regret it." His voice lowered. "But when I saw you truly leaving… I got scared."
She turned to look at him, her eyes calm yet guarded.
"Jiang Tingchen, you chose to believe Su Ruoning over me. You shattered my trust. Do you really think one 'I got scared' is enough to fix it?"
His gaze dimmed, but his voice held unwavering resolve.
"I don't expect forgiveness now. But I'm willing to spend the rest of my life making up for it. It's not the man I am now who asks you to come back… It's the man I will become."
A flicker of surprise crossed Xia Wei's eyes before she gave him a half-smile.
"And what if that man isn't worth waiting for?"
"I'll prove he is."
The wind grew colder. She stood, brushed past him, then paused and murmured over her shoulder:
"Then you better hurry… I'm tired of waiting."
Jiang Tingchen remained rooted in place, as if struck by lightning. But something shifted in his eyes—like a long-dormant light finally igniting again.