He had missed her—and she was never coming back.
He couldn't stop wondering: if he had held on just a little longer back then, would everything have turned out differently?
"Don't worry. I'll treat Sophia like my own daughter. From now on, I'll stand where you once stood and protect her. She's a good girl. I want her to be happy. I want her, someday, to finally untie the knot in her heart. Aurora…"
His eyes grew red.
"I miss you… so much."
She had been all his youth, and now, in middle age, all of his memories.
He leaned his head against the tombstone and closed his eyes.
Not far away, a graceful figure quietly turned and left.
...
It had already been three days.
When Olivia saw Ethan, hope flashed desperately in her eyes.
"Ethan, you have to get me out of here! I can't stay in this place!"
Ethan crossed one leg over the other, hands resting casually on his knee, saying nothing.
