The morning light in Singapore was no longer the clinical, intimidating diamond it had once been when Hana Wijaya first stepped off the plane a year and a half ago. Now, as it filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of her apartment overlooking the Keppel Bay harbor, the light felt like a familiar guest—one that highlighted the life she and Ethan had meticulously, honestly built together. On her bedside table, the silver and emerald brooch in the shape of a small, resilient tree caught the first rays of the sun, shimmering with a quiet, persistent brilliance. Beside it lay her engagement ring, the dark silver band and its single emerald reflecting the green of the hills where they had finally decided that their future was a shared one.
Hana sat on the edge of the bed, a single ceram
