"I wanted to kill Matthew, then. Not only did he take away my true love, but he abandoned you in the end and even drove you to jump into the river."

The mention of this incident caused him to grit his teeth.

"I was angry at you and outraged at his heartlessness."

I leaned against his chest. "I'm sorry."

He embraced me, gently stroking my hair, and continued, "But I also felt relieved. Because, from then on, I would never let go. Even if you didn't want to divorce him, I would disagree. I swore to help you leave him as soon as possible."

An indescribable pain spread through my body. I knew how hard he had worked to find me. It took him 18 years. That was 18 sets of 365 days.

I hugged him, repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry. I won't leave you again!"

He buried his head in my arms, murmuring, "Do you know how terrifying it was without you? Do you know how I felt when you let go of my hand and flew out the car window?"

As he spoke, I could feel his body trembling slightly.

"I searched