Gerald’s death came far too suddenly. To family and friends, it was a pity, yet in Rachel’s mind, she believed it was good for him to leave in such a peaceful way.

If it were her, she too would want to go like that one day. Once she reached a certain age, she’d leave without the torment of illness. It would just be a natural death.

Everything should follow the course of nature.

By the time Gerald’s funeral was over, Rachel was completely exhausted. Compared to her, Tyler had it even harder. Running back and forth between the hospital and the funeral, he barely had a moment to rest. Thankfully, Gerald’s service was kept simple. It was nothing like Jim’s elaborate ceremony. They simply didn’t have the energy for anything more.

When Rachel and Tyler returned to the apartment and pushed the door open, two furry figures darted out. The golden-brown Sunny carried a slipper in her mouth and circled Rachel excitedly, while the snow-white Ray pawed at Tyler’s pants and wagged his tail nonstop.

“You two together are absolute chaos,” Rachel said, scooping Ray into her arms. He licked her chin with his tongue.

Sunny, not to be outdone, clamped down on her handbag and dragged it to the living room before letting out a pitiful whine.

Tyler paused halfway through taking off his jacket. Looking at the mess, he chuckled. “Keep spoiling them, and they’ll tear this place down sooner or later.”

Even so, he bent forward to pick up the pillow Sunny had knocked to the floor and scratched behind her droopy ear.

The sunset spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, gilding the living room in warm gold. Rachel sat cross-legged on the rug and waved a toy for the dogs. Sunny leaped and snapped at it, while Ray lazily stretched at her feet, occasionally glancing at Sunny with what looked like smug amusement.

When Tyler came downstairs after going through his emails, he found Rachel knocked back onto the carpet by Sunny’s pounce. He strode over and caught her by the waist. His warm breath brushed against her ear.

“Had enough fun?”

Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her nose against his chin. “You know, playing with them is actually kind of fun.”

Ray seemed to understand. He lifted his head to nudge her hand with his wet nose. Sunny, even more excited, leaped onto the couch and tossed a plush toy between the two of them.

“Down.”

Tyler frowned and swatted Sunny’s back, but she refused to budge and forced herself between them. Her tail brushed against Rachel’s neck, making her laugh uncontrollably.

Just as Rachel tried to push Sunny away, Ray ambled over and rested his head on her lap with a satisfied grunt.

“Look at them. They’re so sweet. Pets really do bring so much joy.”

Rachel pointed at the two clingy dogs. Her eyes sparkled with joy.

Tyler sighed helplessly and finally pulled her and the dogs into his arms. Sunny yelped in protest, clutching her toy before hopping off with a sulky huff. Ray, on the other hand, nestled deeper between them, earning another round of giggles from Rachel.

By ten that night, Rachel stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, and found Tyler still working at his laptop. She walked over and draped her damp arms around his neck from behind. Droplets of water trickled down onto his collarbone.

“Still working?”

“Just finishing up the reports.” Tyler held her hands against his chest. His fingers brushed over the jade bracelet on her wrist. “Tired?”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “What do you think?”

Tyler’s stamina had always been beyond ordinary.

But she didn’t push the subject. Instead, she tapped his shoulder.

“I need to tell you something about Cecilia. The specialist we contacted abroad said I need to meet him in person to go over the details of her condition.”

Tyler froze. His fingers went still on the keyboard. “I’ll go.”

“No.” Rachel pressed down on his shoulder. “You’ve got too much to handle at the company. I’ll go. Don’t worry, I promise nothing will go wrong.”