His Warmth Wasn’t Mine, I Walked Away

In her second year of devotedly pursuing William Hawthorne, Summer Forrest finally decided to let go of her unrequited love after witnessing the exclusive tenderness he reserved solely for Mia Crawford. Inside the Prayer Hall on the mountain peak, more than fourteen thousand feet above sea level, a massive Earth Symbiosis Stone Carving stood in the center of the ochre stone wall. Summer knelt on both knees, her hands crossed over her heart, and closed her eyes in sincere prayer. "Spirit of Earth Symbiosis, please bless William with a peaceful and happy life. May he spend his days with the one he truly loves." Every word carried her two years of love and devotion, yet she asked nothing for herself. This was the last time she would pray for William alone. Suppressing the overwhelming sorrow in her heart, she bowed deeply three times to the stone carving. As she stepped out of the hall, her phone buzzed. A message from a coworker on the medical aid team. Coworker: Summer, the director says you put in a transfer request. You're moving from the Southern Valley all the way out to the Northern Wasteland? There's a whole plateau between them, and that route is brutal. Can you really walk away from William like that? Summer stared at the screen, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips. In her two years on the Muren Plateau, everyone on the medical team knew she was in love with William. Born into a family that had presided over sacred blessings for generations, William had been familiar with all tribal rituals since childhood. The residents of the entire valley respected him deeply. Even though he didn't stay at the Prayer Hall year-round, everyone would wait for him to preside over festivals and farewell ceremonies. He was like the eternal ice of a snow-capped mountain—distant, aloof, and rarely showing any romantic interest. Yet, he had made exceptions for Summer several times. Once, when she encountered wolves during a medical trip to the countryside, he had ridden like the wind to reach her. Disregarding the tribe's rule against harming living creatures, he shot an arrow to drive the beasts away and pulled her onto his horse. Every time she went deep into the mountains for patient consultations, he would accompany her the entire way to act as an interpreter, patiently helping her educate the locals on health and wellness. It was these small, warm gestures that kept Summer's hopes alive. But despite her active efforts to get closer to him for two whole years, she never received a single word of reciprocity. She tapped out a reply. Summer: I can't catch him. I'm letting it go. She put the phone away and walked slowly to the corridor hung with wooden prayer wheels, brushing her fingertips over them to set them turning. Every rotation was a blessing, and she gave every last one of them to William. At the bend in the corridor, a stretch of ochre ceremonial robes came into view. William, tall in a plain white highland tunic, was walking toward her, a cluster of young apprentices around him. "William..." Summer stopped dead. William's gaze lingered on her for a brief second. He nodded slightly, the Turquoise Pendant on his ear swaying gently. Summer watched his retreating back, a bittersweet feeling washing over her. On her way down the mountain, the memory of their first meeting flooded her mind uncontrollably. She had only been on the plateau for a week when she happened to witness a Wilderness Return Ritual during a medical trip. That day, William wore his full, solemn ceremonial attire. As his fingers lightly touched the Herb Prayer Beads, he bowed his head and whispered blessings. The sunlight fell upon him, bathing him in a soft, ethereal glow. At that moment, she fell for him completely. But back then, she was too captivated to realize that someone so dedicated to protecting the spirits of the wilderness would never easily be swayed by earthly romance. At the foot of the mountain, Summer saw William again. He was standing beside his white horse, apparently preparing to leave. After a moment of hesitation, she stepped forward and called out to him. "William, I have something to tell you," William paused, his deep voice carrying a calm resonance. "What is it?" Summer took a deep breath. Just as she was about to tell him about her transfer and say goodbye, a cheerful, youthful voice cut her off. "William! Summer!" Summer turned. Mia Crawford, in a bright red highland dress, came riding up and pulled her horse to a clean stop beside them. Mia was the girl next door who'd grown up alongside William. She'd left at fifteen to go to school and had only come home a month ago. The second the horse stopped, she swung down light as a bird. William's hand shot out on instinct to steady her, his brow tightening, something anxious he couldn't quite hide in his eyes. "Easy." That protectiveness, meant for one person only, landed clear as day in front of Summer. It was only after Mia came back that she'd seen this soft side of William for the first time. Maybe it took someone as warm and blazing as Mia to thaw the frost that had sat over his eyes for years. Mia reached out, tugging at William's arm and swaying it back and forth. "William, you promised to accompany me to the Abundant Valley Bonfire Gathering tonight. You didn't forget, did you?" Something helpless flickered in his eyes, but he let her pull at him without shaking her off. "I didn't forget." Summer stared at her hand wrapped around his arm and thought of the time she'd worked up the nerve to give his sleeve the smallest tug. Back then his eyes had gone cold in an instant, and she'd never dared touch him again after that. Turned out he wasn't incapable of tenderness. His tenderness had just never been hers.