A Song of Longing

That night, Jessica was tormented by nightmares.

In her dreams, her parents' stern voices clashed with Anthony's tender words, a cacophony at the edge of her consciousness.

"If you marry Anthony, you'll never be welcome in the Sullivan family home again."

"Jess, I'll never let you down. From now on, I'll be the closest person to you in this world."

…

Five years earlier, she had courageously defied her parents. She broke off the engagement they had arranged since her childhood, determined to marry Anthony.

Her father was so enraged by her decision that he suffered a heart attack, and her mother bitterly cursed, "You'll regret this one day."

However, Jessica chose to believe in love. She packed her bags and left Hudson City for Capital City, all on her own.

Anthony's love for her had not faded in the slightest over the years. In fact, it had only grown stronger.

His friends would joke, "If Jess pointed to a star and said she liked it, you'd climb up there and pluck it from the sky for her."

Jessica would just laugh when she heard that because Anthony had, in a way, plucked a star for her.

One day, she had casually admired a blue star in an astronomy magazine, calling it 'very special'.

On their anniversary, she received a certificate from the Britannia Star Name Registry. That twinkling blue star in the cosmos was then hers alone.

Anthony had installed a powerful telescope on their bedroom balcony.

Nearly every night, Jessica gazed through it, watching her star sparkle.

With her joyful marriage, she showed her parents that she had made the right choice, that Anthony was the person she was meant to trust all along.

If marriage were a high-stakes game, then the flawless fake marriage certificate was the undeniable proof of her loss.

Amid the turmoil, Linda materialized before her.

"Jessica, you're an impostor. I'm the one and only Mrs. Harris!"

Jessica frantically shook her head, her voice tinged with panic, "No! I can't believe it!"

Then, out of nowhere, Anthony appeared behind Linda, his eyes icy and distant as he observed the scene.

Seizing what felt like her last hope, Jessica pleaded, "Anthony, tell her, please, I'm Mrs. Harris."

However, Anthony did not even glance her way. He clasped Linda's hand and they turned to walk away together.

"Anthony!" she called out, her voice echoing with desperation.

Startled awake, Jessica found herself back in reality.

"I'm right here, Jess. Bad dream?" Anthony's voice was full of concern as he soothingly rubbed her back.

Tears welled up in Jessica's eyes. "Anthony, who am I?"

For a moment, Anthony looked surprised, then he smiled warmly and playfully pinched her nose.

"You're Jessica, the love of my life, my Mrs. Harris."

Really?

She wanted to confront him, to ask why—if she meant so much to him—he felt the need to create a sham marriage certificate.

"Anthony, about the marriage certificate..."

Just then, Anthony's phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Jessica caught a glimpse of the screen. The caller ID displayed 'Linda'.

Anthony gently tapped her hand and said with a hint of distraction, "I'll get the lawyer to sort out our marriage certificate as soon as possible. There's an emergency at work I have to take care of."

He barely stepped out of the bedroom before he snatched up the phone with urgency.

"Linda, hang tight, I'm on it," he said.

Meanwhile, Jessica got a call from the head of the welfare center where she had been helping out.

"Jessica, a couple's interested in adopting Tracy. Mr. Harris said you were considering it too. Can you swing by to discuss it?"

Quickly changing, Jessica drove to the welfare center.

She spotted Anthony at the stairwell, about to wave, when a figure darted past her and into his embrace.

"Anthony, you're here! Please, we have to save Tracy!"

Holding Linda close, Anthony reassured her, "Don't worry. No one is taking our girl."