Chapter 72

Victoria stared at the fog curling upward, lost in the tides of memory. To her, Elijah had always been the gentle older brother-type—reliable, warm, and always looking out for her like a true childhood friend. They'd grown up side by side. But everything shifted the moment Elijah met Grace. It was love at first sight. The two were a perfect match—rich, beautiful, admired by everyone like the golden couple out of a movie. Their relationship felt so pure and joyful. Victoria had genuinely wished them the best. But life had other plans. A brutal twist shattered that happiness—Elijah was diagnosed with cancer after a routine checkup. It had hit like a freight train. Just thinking back to that moment made Victoria's heart squeeze. She could only imagine how much worse it must have been for Elijah himself. At that time, he and Grace were at their happiest, completely wrapped up in each other. Not long before, he'd even asked Victoria what kind of wedding girls liked. Now that memory just hur