Gan Yuan gently accepted the necklace, the brass chain carrying the weight and warmth of the man.
This fake she'd bargained for from an antique dealer, back when she was too young and inexperienced to realize it wasn't a genuine antique. She had given it to him joyously as a gift for his thirteenth birthday.
Later she learned such necklaces were worth at most fifteen cents, commonplace at street stalls.
Unexpectedly, he had always worn it.
"It's a very special necklace."
"It was a gift from Gaia for my thirteenth birthday." Moses' tone became soft as he remembered their younger selves, and his gaze showed a rare tenderness. "It's the most valuable necklace in the world. For it, my little Gaia spent all her money."
"You must have been very close," Gan Yuan said, her finger gently tracing the pendant. "If you were so close, why did she leave you?"