Chapter 637

The beach under the night sky was breathtakingly beautiful.

The deep blue sea stretched out into an abyss of darkness.

Moonlight scattered like shards of silver across the water.

The sound of the waves was soft and lingering, as if isolating them from the clamor of the world.

"The moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment though far apart."

Liam Sullivan turned his head, his eyes reflecting the moonlight, his smile gentle.

His fingers quietly reached over, firmly clasping her hand, their fingers intertwining.

"Doesn't it feel like we've stepped into a painting?" His voice was low and soft. "Time has stopped. The past and present overlap."

Vivian Bennett's fingertips trembled slightly.

She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it tighter.

"You promised to make me happy." He raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying an insistence that brooked no refusal. "If you won't even let me hold your hand, how are we like a married couple?"

"It's a bit... hot." She turned her face away, grasping for a random excuse.

Liam chuckled. "The sea breeze is so cool. Where is it hot?"

He led her forward, his steps deliberately slow.

The fine sand was soft.

Two sets of footprints, one deeper, one shallower, meandered into the distance.

The sea breeze brushed through her hair.

Vivian's heart gradually drifted away.

Time travel... overlapping years...

She suddenly felt a little dazed, as if she were in some distant dream.

"Liam." She spoke softly. "Have you ever heard a story?"

"Hmm?"

"A man and a woman. They were suspicious and resentful of each other. They went through many things before realizing they deeply loved each other."

She paused, her voice growing even softer. "But the girl's family was destroyed... and it was indirectly caused by that man."

Liam's steps faltered slightly. "What happened then?"

"Then..." She gazed at the sea. "The girl had to make a choice."

"Did they love each other deeply?"

"Very deeply." She closed her eyes. "It was bone-deep."

"Was the man intentional?"

"...No." Her voice grew strained. "But he bore an undeniable responsibility."

"If it wasn't intentional, then it was just fate playing a cruel trick." Liam frowned. "It would have been better if he hadn't loved her at all. Did the girl hate him?"

Vivian was silent for a long time.

"No." She finally said. "She knew she couldn't blame him entirely."

"Then why not be together?" Liam's tone held confusion. "What's lost cannot be regained. Why give up the person right in front of you? Would being apart make them happier?"

"But she couldn't forget her parents' deaths." Vivian's voice trembled. "Being together would mean living a lifetime of guilt... That's a love burdened with sin."

Just like her.

Once, she could have pretended not to know.

But when the truth was laid bare, bloody and raw, she could no longer pretend.

The loss of the child felt like a delayed punishment.

Liam suddenly released her hand and turned to face her.

Under the moonlight, clear displeasure shone in his eyes.

"So you're saying, no matter how much the man loved her or how guilty he felt, the girl would ultimately leave?" He gave a cold laugh. "What a pointless ending. Having already lost so much, why not hold on to what remains?"

"Because in life... there are things more important than love." Vivian looked up, a faint trace of mockery rising in her eyes. "Who can live for love alone? Those who say they would die for love... do they really exist?"

"Of course they exist." Liam stated firmly. "You just haven't met one. That girl in the story—she simply didn't love deeply enough. If love truly came first, she would fight to the death and never let go."

"You make it sound easy." Vivian shook her head. "When it truly comes to a moment of choice, how many people can disregard everything? Love... can't withstand real trials. Small storms, perhaps. But once it involves life and death, sin, guilt... it's like a bubble. It shatters at a touch."

The sea breeze suddenly grew stronger, tousling her long hair.

Liam watched her quietly, not speaking for a long time.

The moonlight stretched their shadows long, almost merging them into the dark sand.

The sound of the waves continued.

One wave, then another.

Like a sigh.

Like some wordless question.