"Sanity may be madness, but the maddest of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be."

— Miguel De Cervantes

Returning an approving grin, the young executive shifted his eyes from Seo Ara's outstretched arm to her dark, alluring lenses. "I'm looking forward to it," he stated as he shook her hand, cementing their own marriage agreement.

"Great," his wife replied as she released herself from his grasp. Ara then broke from his contented gaze and stood up, grabbing her long cardigan in the process. "Well then, if there's nothing else, I'm gonna go unpack," she informed him casually and took her leave without waiting for a response.

Intrigued by the turn of events, a satisfied smirk tugged on the corner of Baekhyun's mouth. He silently watched his wife make her way down the well-lit hallway towards the room across from his, and waited for her to disappear inside. "Looks like this marriage just got a whole lot more interesting," he commented before downing the remaining contents of his glass.

|| …………… ||

With a heavy breath, Ara closed the door quietly behind her and stared into nothing. Was this really her new reality? Being trapped in a loveless marriage with an arrogant, unfaithful stranger who would never give a damn about anyone but himself?

Shifting her thoughts elsewhere, she released a second sigh and set her eyes on the lone unopened box sitting on her desk before walking towards it with light, careful steps.

She hesitantly ripped open the tape and unfolded the four cardboard flaps, revealing a stack of books and another container hidden just below. She dug through the hardcover literary works and pulled out the makeshift chest that guarded her collection of treasures—a mix of random items that meant more to her than any designer clothes, overpriced bags, and bank-breaking shoes.

It was a plain black box, the size of a shoebox, with the characters "J&A" written on the bottom right corner in faded white ink.

Though the mere sight of the container consumed her conscience and ripped through her chest—once again shredding the heart she carelessly glued back together—Ara slowly removed the lid and stared into the jumbled contents resting inside. There was a bundle of movie tickets, multiple concert wristbands, countless drink stubs, a helmet keychain, a small notebook of landscape sketches, a handheld mini-camcorder, and 39 individually laminated flowers. 

"One for every month," she whispered with a sad smile, brushing aside the dried variety of floras.

With the path clear, she reached for the camcorder with gentle hands and stared at it. The silver contraption was a simple, outdated device containing proof that she was genuinely happy at one point in time.

"Was there a way to preserve us and still set things right?" she asked softly as she glanced at the flowers and camera, knowing the answer was a definite no. There was no way she could've gathered the resources she had now. No way she could've made it this far. There was no way she could've leveled the playing field…if she hadn't let him go.

Unable to tolerate the growing heartache any longer, Ara returned the items into their container and closed the lid once more. She dropped to her knees, and stashed the box of her alternate future under the bed and away from sight.

She then walked over to the window, which ran from one side of the room to the other, from the ceiling down to the floor, and gazed out at the bustling city that extended into the horizon. Crossing her arms, she released a soft breath and let her eyes dart from one skyscraper to another.

Somewhere out there was a group of individuals who would connect the dots, lead her to the truth, and help her find what she was looking for. All she had to do was track them down, lure them out, break every ounce of loyalty they saved for her mother, and get a confession.  

|| Three Days Later ||

Despite replacing their newlywed love nest with the exact frame, mattress, comforter, and sheets as the one in his old bachelor pad, Baekhyun remained insomniac for three consecutive nights and counting. His curiousness, fantasies, and suspicions fed into one another and danced merrily around in his head from dusk until dawn, unceasing.

Though he was fully on board with the terms of their marriage, he couldn't help but doubt his current reality. Did the fiery, confident, and riveting Seo Ara really exist? Or did his wife's overwhelming innocence sickened him to the point that his brain was forced to alter her personality? To one that was more suitable for him? Did their lengthy conversation and their agreement really happen? Or was he currently stuck in a dream forged by his strong desires?

The possibly not-at-all-innocent woman left the following morning after their dialogue exchange. She had been gone for the past two days, supposedly attending to "personal matters", so he