No Strings Attached

He remembered distinctly that a sketch of a necklace was tucked away in his mother's drawer. It was identical in design, from the shape and number of diamonds to every last detail.

At the time, he was captivated by the necklace, thinking it was stunningly beautiful. He was sure that it would look amazing on his little sister's neck.

His mother watched him, engrossed, and with a smile, she tousled his hair gently. She said softly, "This is a design I made for Aunt May's little girl, a sort of betrothal gift from you to her. Do you think it's pretty? He felt a bit shy then, but he still nodded with a smile.

Later, when May met with tragedy, no one spoke of the necklace again. Perhaps it was a private pact between his mother and May. Others might not have been privy to it.

So when May clasped that necklace tightly in her final moments, what was she trying to say?

lan felt a choking sensation in his chest, and he abruptly stood up to step out onto the balcony, flinging open the window to take deep breaths of the outside air.

hands. She had been so hopeful for their union, so why was she

Clara's background, or

the necklace

way to the gynecology department. A few days ago, she underwent a check-up

asked, "Doctor,

the lab report and frowned deeply. "Premature ovarian failure isn't easily remedied. Some patients take medication for years without any

else that can be done? Or am I never going to be able to

advised. "The chances may be slim, but as long as there's a glimmer, you can't give up. However, I must remind you that if you plan to marry, you

knife. She had an eighty percent chance of being infertile. The remaining twenty percent was complicated by a retroverted uterus. So, the odds of her being able to

of the office, her eyes brimming with tears, clutching the lab report as if it were the sum of all her bittersweet