Tears streamed down Ian’s face as he clawed at the earth with his bare hands.
Even as his fingernails split and bled, he didn’t stop. Finally, the tin box, covered in dirt and rust, emerged once more.
For the first time that night, a hopeful smile crossed Ian’s face.
But the moment he opened the capsule, his smile froze.
Inside lay nothing but still-warm ashes.
Among the charred remains of the letter, he could just barely make out the faint shadow of the words ‘Bound for eternity.
Ian’s trembling fingers lifted a handful of ashes, and his dazed gaze followed the half-burnt peach blossom ring as it slipped through his fingers.
The golden threads wrapped around the stem were now scorched black, scarred by flames.
He clutched his chest, but the thick, stifling air still made it impossible to breathe.
At that moment, Ian finally understood.
Selena was really gone.
He had lost her forever.
