Chapter 1Gone in the Snow

Lisa Jones had never expected how badly her long-distance relationship would go, when James Sachs loved her more than anyone else.

As the chief of a hospital, he was a very busy man, but he had flown abroad countless times and clocking over 10,000 hours in travel for her.

They could only meet briefly each time. She still remembered in that early winter, he had held her in the snow, saying that he found it all worth it.

She received numerous gifts from him, ranging from thousand-word love letters to million-dollar necklaces bought from auctions.

If it were just to make her smile, he would pluck the stars from the sky.

That love that seeped into their very essence hadn't changed for three years.

It was why Lisa forced herself to fly home through the night.

But when she heard James' friends marveling at their love, only for James to quietly deny it, she had to admit that she felt like her heart was crushed with the agony of a thousand cuts.

* * *

James Sachs' voice wasn't loud, but the room was suddenly silent.

It was not until a while later that someone finally tried to break the ice.

"That was a joke right, James?

"I mean, you two were prom king and queen, and we still remember how you cried like a baby after you sent her off. Heck, no storm could stop you from flying to her for three years…"

After a couple of awkward laughs, the friend finally asked in an exaggerated tone, "There's no way you fell out of love, right?"

"I don't get it myself," James replied flatly, appearing almost at a loss despite his usual composure. "It's just… Those three years have been taxing. I'm happy spending time visiting her, but it's all the more lonelier and wearisome wasting half a day on the return flight.

"Even the gifts have to be different each time—I'm always having to worry if she would be happy or like the gifts."

His fingers were chiseled from always using a scalpel, but there was a sense of tiredness as he held up his champagne flute, staring at the glint refracted off the glass.

Then he finished quietly, "I still love her, but I also think this love has run its course."

His friends exchanged glances and quickly changed the subject.

Outside, Lisa Jones' mind went blank, and she felt like she had tinnitus.

And tonight was supposed to be a surprise…

She had no idea when she tiptoed out of the building and actually wondered how much better it would have been if she didn't come home ahead of schedule.

Maybe that way, she could pretend everything was just fine—that their love was as perfect as it had always been.

However, that was just a fantasy.

While she trudged off alone, muddleheaded, her muted phone started vibrating.

Lisa looked up and saw James running outside, frowning as he looked around.

Her heart skipping a beat, she hid in the tree shade, staring blankly at the screen for a while before answering dryly, "Hey."

James asked urgently, "Hey, I just saw your text… You're back? Where are you now? Come join me at the usual place?"

His familiar voice, carried through current into Lisa's ears, left her sniffling.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but she only managed one through her tears. "I… I just changed my mind. I'm heading home—when are you coming back?'

The anxiety on James' face faded right then, and he calmly replied, "Right away—"

Before he could finish, a young woman with a red scarf around her neck ran straight into his arms.

Lisa watched as James promptly cupped his hand over his phone speakers and smiled as he affectionately tucked the young woman's hair behind her ear.

"Busy with work right now. Just hold on," he then added stiffly.

Lisa could see the scarlet blush on the woman's fair cheeks and suddenly felt like the world was spinning around her.