Chapter 1

After being diagnosed with severe cerebral small vessel disease, my life was on a countdown.

The selective cognitive impairment caused by the illness made me slowly forget everything I loved during my volunteer teaching assignment in the remote mountains.

One day, the ex-boyfriend I had brutally dumped years ago drove an off-road SUV right up to the muddy school gates.

He looked down at my rough skin and cracked, sunburnt cheeks with undisguised contempt, laughing bitterly.

"Living in a godforsaken dump like this... I guess that's your karma for chasing money back then, huh?"

"Look at how pathetic you are. Are you regretting it now? Do you want to beg me to take you back?"

I looked at him with innocent curiosity, clutching the children's homework notebooks tightly against my chest. "And who are you?"

"Playing dumb? Keep pretending! Nora, it's been a few years, and your acting skills have certainly improved."

The man kicked over a nearby pile of coal ash, gritting his teeth in fury.

I rubbed my hands together awkwardly, a faint spark of excitement lighting up my eyes.

"I know... Dressed so well, you must be a kind donor!"

I turned around to fetch the certificate of appreciation, ready to present it to this generous philanthropist.

Cradling a stack of cheap red construction paper, I carefully shuffled out of the office.

"Sir, this is a certificate of appreciation for you. Thank you so much for donating supplies to the kids."

He stared at the red paper, where the ink was written in clumsy, crooked strokes.

"Nora, we haven't seen each other in five years. Why does your handwriting look like chicken scratch now?"

"Back then, didn't you cry in my study just trying to practice your penmanship?"

I had no idea what he was talking about. My arms grew tired from holding it up, so I pushed it toward him a little more.

"Sir?"

He let out a sudden, cold laugh and snatched the red paper.

"Nora, are you really going to play stupid with me?"

"When you dumped me for money back then, weren't you acting tough as nails?"

Before I could explain, he ripped the paper in half with a vicious tear.

"Caleb, why the huge temper?"

The passenger door opened, and a pair of sleek designer heels stepped right onto the torn scraps of red paper.

Chloe covered her nose in disgust, glancing around the run-down yard.

"This is the place you were talking about? It's basically a pigsty."

Caleb casually slipped an arm around her waist, shooting me a defiant look.

"Take a good look. This is my fiancée now, Chloe."

"Younger than you, prettier than you."

"Nora, look at the pathetic mess you've become. How could you ever compete with her?"

I followed his gaze. The woman named Chloe was indeed gorgeous, but what did that have to do with me?

Feeling completely bewildered, I turned around to grab a broom, not wanting to bother with these strange people.

Some of the paper scraps were wet and stuck to the dirt, impossible to sweep up, so I had to crouch down and scratch them off with my fingernails.

As I scraped, I muttered under my breath, "Red paper brings good luck. Even if it's broken, it means peace."

"If I collect them and dry them out, I can still cut window decorations for the kids' classroom."

The man's breathing turned heavy with rage. He strode over and stomped his boot down onto the scrap of paper I was reaching for.

"Nora! Do you really think this is cute?"

"I'm talking to you! Why are you playing deaf and dumb?"

I looked up at his polished leather boots, then down at the red paper mashed into the mud.

What a waste.

Noticing his fury, Chloe fanned the air near her nose on purpose.

"Caleb, this place is awful. There's nowhere to even step."

"Look at all this trash in the road. How is anyone supposed to walk?"

She pointed at a tattered cloth bag lying in the middle of the path, her face twisted in disgust.

He glanced at the bag and kicked it aside.

"Throwing garbage right in the road! Is this the kind of manners your school teaches?"

The bag went flying, scattering pencil stubs and homework sheets all over the dirt.

"Ah! My backpack!"

Little Lily, who had just walked in, burst into tears when she saw it.

Right then, Aaron charged out.

"Bad guys! Don't bully Lily!"

Unsteady in her heels, Chloe was shoved straight into a mud puddle by Aaron.

"Ah! My dress!"

Chloe shrieked as she scrambled up, her face and clothes splattered with mud.

Caleb completely snapped. He grabbed Aaron by the collar, his knuckles popping with tension.

"You're dead meat! A village idiot dares to lay a hand on my woman?"

Aaron couldn't understand what he was yelling, but he could feel the malice pouring off the man. He raised the wood-chopping axe in his hand high into the air.

If Aaron hurt someone, his life would be over.

Without thinking, I threw myself forward and locked my arms around the hand holding the axe.

"Aaron! Put it down! Listen to me!"

Aaron looked down at me, the murderous glint in his eyes softening into a look of hurt.

Sighing in relief, I turned to Caleb and bowed repeatedly.

"Please don't be angry, sir! He has a cognitive disability, he doesn't know any better!"

"Please don't hold it against him. If you want to hit someone, hit me!"

Seeing me so submissive, the fire in Caleb's eyes burned even hotter.

"Fine, Nora. You're really something."

"Throwing your life away for an idiot, huh?"

"Weren't you acting all proud just a minute ago? Pretending I didn't exist?"

He gave a cold laugh and barked at his driver behind him:

"Tell the convoy to seal the supply trucks!"

"Not a single grain of rice, not a single lump of coal gets unloaded!"

"Since this pathetic school has so much pride, you can all freeze and starve to death!"