The pain came quickly, but it faded slowly, with every breath tasting of a dry, bloody tang.
The man's face turned pale, his grip on the pen gradually tightening until his knuckles were white.
In his daze, he remembered the handmade teacup he had lost.
He loves tea, but few knew this fact. Only Hannah Winter paid attention, every year her birthday gifts for him were related to tea.
Sometimes it was tea leaves, sometimes it was a teapot, and sometimes...a teacup.
In the past, he never took the time to unwrap the gifts from Hannah, even if she handed it to him in person, he would throw it directly into the storeroom in front of her.
He remembered the heartbreaking tears she shed, her tightly clenched lips, and the lost look in her eyes.
It was only after she left him that he finally opened that storeroom, unwrapped all the gifts, and discovered the girl's little thoughts.
They were filled with her humblest love.
But, the teacup was nowhere to be found.
