Chapter 1

"Hi Mr. Hammond, Mrs. Hammond," Belinda Manning chirped cheerfully. "I'm really sorry for this, but I just couldn't get a cab in this downpour."

The car door swung open, and the wind and rain lashed into the back seat, drenching the leather.

Belinda folded her umbrella and slid in, drenched from head to toe. Her white chiffon blouse clung to her body, and water dripped from her wispy strands of hair around her face.

She looked absolutely disheveled, but her smile was as bright as the sun.

Levi Hammond kept one hand on the steering wheel. He didn't turn around, but he pulled out a few tissues from the glove compartment, reached over my shoulder, and handed them to her in the back seat.

"Dry yourself off with these. Be careful not to catch a cold."

His voice was gentle and laced with thoughtfulness as always.

Belinda took the tissues, her fingers casually touching the back of his hand, but he didn't flinch or pull away.

"Thanks, Mr. Hammond. You're always looking out for us," she said with a cheerful smile, her tone completely unpretentious.

Levi drew his hand back and lightly tapped his fingertips against the wheel twice.

"It's not easy for a single young woman like you to be out and about like that anyway."

I remained seated in the front passenger seat, quietly watching the rain hammering against the window. The windshield wipers swung hard and fast, slicing through the water in layers again and again.

The moment Levi said "It's not easy", I watched the red numbers above his head jump again, changing from [327 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes] straight to [289 days, 10 hours, 12 minutes].

All because of a casual, empathetic remark, the countdown to the day he would be leaving me emotionally shortened by more than a month.

I closed my eyes, feeling a slight twist in my stomach.

"Is the air conditioning a bit too strong for you?" Levi suddenly asked.

I thought that he was talking to me. I was just about to tell him it was fine when I heard Belinda sneeze in the backseat.

"It's a little too cold," she replied. "My clothes are completely soaked, and the wind is a little chilly."

Levi's gaze swept toward the controls in the center of the car panel. Then, he reached for the air conditioning knob and turned the temperature up by several degrees. His eyes then fell on the cashmere blanket on my lap.

I had left the blanket in the car a few days ago so that I could cover my legs.

"Anna," he suddenly called out to me. "Let Linda use the blanket for a bit. She's freezing."

I turned to look at him. It was quite dim in the car, and the streetlights flashed across his handsome face every few seconds.

His expression was quite neutral and natural, as though it was just a very simple and normal request—one that was selfless, open, and honest.

This was Levi Hammond.

Everyone said he was the perfect man. He was kind, gentle, always considerate, and radiated kindness that kept attracting people to him.

I didn't say another word and picked up the blanket on my lap before handing it to the backseat.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hammond!"

Belinda took the blanket and wrapped it around herself without any hesitation.

"You're so generous, Mrs. Hammond. Mr. Hammond is truly blessed to have married someone like you," she said with a sniffle, then sighed comfortably in the back.