The cashier’s scream shattered the supermarket’s murmur like someone had smashed a bottle on the floor. “Insufficient funds!” she said, raising her voice in that sour tone that not only informs but also displays. “Again!”

“W-where…” he whispered, his voice trembling. “Where did you get that bracelet?”

Maya saw the powerful man suddenly kneeling and panic surged through her.

Instinct took over.

She grabbed the bracelet from the floor and clutched it tightly, backing away like a frightened animal.

“Don’t take it!” she cried. “It’s the only thing I have left!”

“Wait!” Jonathan said urgently. “Who made it? Tell me!”

Maya’s eyes burned with exhaustion and fear.

“My mother,” she said softly. “Before she died.”

Jonathan’s face turned pale.

“What… what was her name?”

Maya hesitated.

Then she answered.

“Elena Alvarez.”

The name struck Jonathan harder than any blow.

Because thirty years ago, Elena Alvarez had been the only woman he had ever truly loved.

And the bracelet she tied had always come in pairs.