A gentle, warm sensation wrapped around Calum's wrist, making him look back at Emma. His gaze landed on Emma's slender figure and the hand holding his wrist. Calum pressed his lips together, wondering if he should try to understand more about Emma's past. Marcus watched as Emma pulled Calum away, his handsome brow furrowing. Emma seemed to have had a hard life before. He had never realized it before. Once they entered Calum's room, Emma pulled out a neat little sewing kit from her storage band. She told Calum, "Calum, take off your shirt. Let me patch it up for you." Calum took off his shirt, exposing his strong upper body. He then handed the shirt to Emma. Emma sat on the couch and took the shirt from him.She threaded the needle with practiced hands and began mending the fabric, completely focused. Calum stood to the side, watching Emma, his expression complicated. Emma's slender, skillful fingers stitched with a precision and steadiness that impressed him. To hide the repair and make it look better, she even switched to silver-gray thread and traced a simple pattern along the cuff. Calum watched her work, feeling even more conflicted. He put a hand to his chest, where he felt a rush of warmth, a flutter of emotion, and a sharp pang of heartache. Calum swallowed, then spoke softly. "Emy, how did you learn to do this?" She was clearly so skilled at sewing, like she'd done it countless times before. Emma didn't even look up. She kept sewing as she answered, "Grandma taught me. When I was little, we didn't have much money. We couldn't afford new clothes. If something ripped, I had to fix it myself."Grandma was always busy, so she taught me how to sew. Eventually, I got the hang of it." By the time she grew up and could buy her grandma new clothes, her grandma was already gone. When Emma talked about her grandma, her voice turned soft with grief and nostalgia. Calum's heart twisted painfully. Emma had grown up in such hardship that she couldn't even afford new clothes. He knew Emma was a human female, but he had never asked where she was from. Maybe he'd never dared. Any human female who turned up in the Interstellar Empire had always arrived under mysterious circumstances. Grandma? What about her parents? How could they let her live such a hard life? Emma had no idea what Calum was thinking. She stitched a little cedar branch on Calum's sleeve. A cedar tree was tough enough to withstand bitter cold and stand tall in any storm—she thought it suited Calum perfectly. At the tip of the branch, Emma added a tiny star with gold thread. "All done." Emma snipped the last bit of thread and handed the shirt back to Calum. "See? You can't even tell it was ever ripped, right?" Calum took the shirt and ran his fingers gently over the embroidery. He felt the faint texture of the thread under his fingertips, as if it still held her warmth. Looking at the pattern, Calum's eyes welled up with tears. He felt like he was the cedar branch, and the star beside it was his Emma. Calum carefully put the shirt back on, the embroidery falling right at his wrist. He looked at it, his eyes shining with gratitude and tenderness. "Emy, you're incredible."Calum looked at Emma, his gaze burning. If anyone looked closely, they'd see the hidden pain deep in his eyes. He couldn't imagine the life Emma had led. She'd had to sew her own clothes because she couldn't afford new ones. Emma got a little embarrassed by the way he was looking at her. "It's just a little embroidery. It's nothing." "No." Calum stepped forward and gently took her hand—the one that had just finished sewing—and kissed the back of it. "This means so much to me." He spoke, then pressed a reverent kiss to her hand. "Emy, this is the best gift I've ever gotten." It was worth more than any fancy clothes or treasures in the world. Emma's hand twitched.The feeling of his lips on her skin seemed to electrify her whole body. Calum gazed at her and kissed her lips. He was so gentle, it almost didn't feel real. "Emy..." Calum's voice was low and hoarse, full of feeling. "I missed out on your past. "But I'll do anything to protect your future." He would never let her suffer again. He would give her all the best things the world had to offer. … Out in the living room, Marcus sprawled on the couch, long legs stretched out. He rested one arm behind his head and tapped the air above his eyes, opening up his floating lightcore screen. He sent a message, '@Everyone, did you all know Ms. Tibarn can sew?'