The more time Adam spent with Eve, the more Lilith's memory faded into the deepest corners of his mind. Eventually, he even took her down to the beach, and they let the waves chase them.

Eve was more agreeable than Lilith had been. She didn't push back as much and took more of an interest in what he had to say. It might've been because Adam was technically older and more experienced in the world, so she had to rely on him to teach her the names of the different animals and which trees she could eat from except the one. But he didn't care.

He wasn't alone anymore. He had someone to love and cherish. And that's all that mattered.

After touring the rest of Eden, Adam had finally decided to show her the instruments Luci had made him. He had tried to do everything to avoid the subject, even though he knew Eve knew what had happened. Thankfully, Eve never brought it up, so that made it easier for him to try and forget.

But the gift of music was too good of a gift not to share. Adam loved music, and he wanted Eve to enjoy it, too.

"Did you make those?" Eve gazed at the instruments as Adam revealed them from inside a log.

"No. Luci did." Adam smiled at her as he handed her a harp.

Eve grew silent as she examined the harp in her lap. "This is the first time you've said his name. Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "There isn't anything to talk about. They're gone. We're here now."

Eve didn't look convinced. "But don't you ever wonder what happened to them?"

Now it was Adam's turn to pause. Yes, it was true there were times when the thought did cross his mind. Usually, during the nights when he was about to go to sleep. But what use would it do to dwell on it? They had made their choice, and they weren't coming back.

He just hoped their choice had been worth getting banished from the garden.

"Sometimes," Adam admitted. "But there's nothing that can be done about it now."

He sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her, taking her hands and placing them correctly on the instrument. "Go on, strum it."

Eve turned her head slightly to smile at him. He could tell she was hesitant at first to play it, but once she started plucking the strings, she wouldn't stop. She played a soothing melody and began to hum along to it.

Adam joined in, strumming his lute. He hadn't touched the instrument since Luci and Lilith had left and he honestly thought he would never play it again. But as soon as he held it in his hands, it was like no time had passed at all.

Eve opened her mouth and began to sing. Her voice wasn't as high-pitched as Lilith's had been, but it was still just as lovely.

"Eve, you just sang!" Adam clapped his hands after she finished.

Her face grew the same shade of red as her hair. "I didn't know I could do that! I thought only birds could sing."

Adam laughed. "No, we can sing too."

Eve's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Then I want to hear you sing!"

Now it was Adam's turn to blush. "We have chores to do. Maybe later."

"No, please, Adam! Don't be like that!" She took his hands into her own, discarding the harp. She looked so cute, and Adam was on the verge of giving in. If it hadn't been for the fact that the last time he had sung was during a duet with Lilith, expressing his love for her, he would have agreed to her plea.

"I said, maybe later." He kissed her hand and smiled. "Besides, you don't want Sera to catch us not doing our chores, right?"

Eve pouted her perfect pink lips. "I guess. But can I come with you?"

Adam tilted his head. "To do what?"

"To help you with your chores, of course!"

"Eve." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You have to do your own chores. And I have to do mine. That's what the angels instructed, remember?"

"But the angels said I was to be your helper." The same frown reappeared on Eve's expression.

"And you are. But today, you need to gather the fruits and vegetables while I prune the trees." Adam brushed a loose curl out of her face. "After we finish, I promise I'll sing for you."

That seemed to satisfy Eve since she finally grinned. "Okay. I'll be holding you to that promise."

She walked away with a wink, causing Adam to chuckle to himself. She was someone who was going to keep him on his toes. He could already tell.

So as he got to work pruning the trees and shrubs, he couldn't help but hum the song Eve had been singing earlier. He wondered where she had heard it since he had never heard it before.

He would have to ask her later.

By the time he finished his chores, the sun hung high in the sky. That meant it was midday, and it was time to eat.

Adam went back to the grove, expecting Eve to be there already, done with her chores. But she wasn't.

He didn't think anything of it and decided to eat lunch on his own. Adam plucked some peaches from a nearby tree and started eating them. After he finished, he continued to wait in silence for Eve to return.

She should be back by now. He didn't understand what was taking her so long. Were her chores really that much?

Growing restless, Adam figured he should do something to surprise Eve when she eventually returned. He walked out of the grove and into a field filled with daisies, picking them from the ground. When he had about two handfuls, he sat down under the shade of a willow tree and started braiding them.

As he weaved the flowers into a crown, Adam became so invested in making sure it was to perfection that he lost track of time. If he had been paying attention, he would have realized Eve should have been back ages ago.

He would've heard her slow, methodical footsteps approaching him.

"Adam."

Her voice drew his attention, and he stopped his weaving to look up. Eve stood right in front of him, clutching something in her palm.

"Adam, you need to try this fruit." She kneeled beside him and held out her hand. "I just ate some of it and it's like I'm seeing everything in a new light."

Adam glanced down at the fruit and saw her teeth marks bitten into the apple. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, but he wasn't sure why.

"I've had apples before." He continued staring at the fruit, a pit starting to form in his stomach. "What do you mean by you see everything in a new light?"

"Just go on and try it and you'll see what I mean." Eve urged him, pushing her hand closer to his face.

Adam stood up and tried to back away from her, but she only followed. "Eve, where did you get this apple?"

Eve started to shift on her feet. "Um, from the tree over there."

Adam's face fell when she pointed to the largest tree in the garden. The one they had explicitly been told never to eat from.

The flower crown he had been gripping in his hand dropped to the ground, instantly coming apart.

"No, no, no, no! Eve, what did you– why did you–"

"Adam, relax. The serpent told me that if we ate it, we would be like the angels. We would have independence like them." There was a gleam in her eyes he had never seen before. "Otherwise, why would they forbid us from eating it?"

"Eve, serpents don't talk!" Adam could feel his chest start to rise and fall, his breaths becoming uneven. He hadn't realized it, but he had been raking his fingers through his hair over and over, goosebumps now dotting his entire body.

Her eyes rolled in a way he hadn't seen before either. "I know that. But the serpent also ate the apple and that's why he could talk and think."

Adam just stared at her in silence. He didn't think she realized the gravity of what she had done. Would she be banished like Lilith had? It was very possible.

Or was she about to die like the angels had warned?

But he couldn't let her die. He couldn't lose another wife.

He couldn't be alone again.

She had promised to remain by his side for all time. So it was only fair that he did the same.

He would follow her into death, wherever that took them. For it would be better to die with her than to live without her.

Taking one last look at the paradise that would soon be lost, Adam inhaled a deep but shaky breath before lifting the apple from Eve's eager hand and biting into it.