Chapter 10
Gerald wandered the streets like a lost soul, circling aimlessly until he finally stopped before my gravestone. He stood there for a long time without saying a word.
Every death anniversary after, he would kneel at my grave for a full day, as if attempting to
atone for his sins.
In the years that followed, he traveled across mountains and rivers with my ashes, using
what little money he had left.
He had once promised to take me traveling around the world when we had time. It was to make up for our missed honeymoon.
But later, he spent most of his days with Aileen. He had long forgotten that old promise of
ours.
It seemed like his memories had returned as he tirelessly journeyed through different cities
and countries.
He spent ten full years fulfilling his promise. However, death had already taken away my
chance to share the journey with him.
On the day he completed his world tour, he returned to my grave with a bouquet of red roses. Red roses were my favorite when I was alive.
But the roses became soaked in blood when he took his own life before my gravestone.
With his last breath, he smiled faintly and whispered, “Elly, if there’s a life after this one,
don’t meet a piece of trash like me. I know my sins are too heavy to atone for. This worthless life is all I have left to give you.
“I once swore that you’d be my one and only. I swore I’d never betray you, and that if I did, I’d die a miserable death. Today I’ve fulfilled that promise.
“Elly, please don’t hate me anymore.”
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After that day, only one person ever came to visit my grave, yet the stone remained spotless.
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Penny had always been particular about cleanliness. It was something I had noticed when she was young.
I benefited from that habit. My gravestone was always kept clean and shiny.
She told me Gerald had given her the last of his savings. He said it was his way of making amends to me through her.
But deep down, she never wanted his money. By the time she tried to return it, he was already gone.
Still, she excitedly told me she had donated all of it to the children at a welfare home.
She said we were all children who lost our families too young. She did not want them to end
up like her. She did not want them to be forced to fend for themselves.
Yet she had no regrets. “Hailey, if I’d gotten financial help back then and didn’t have to work, what kind of person would I be now?
“Never mind. Perhaps it’s better this way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you.”
As she spoke, she started crying. It broke my heart to see her cry.
As I looked back on my life, I realized that even though it was filled with hardship, there
were still some happy moments.
I was lucky to have met Penny, and I did not regret meeting Gerald either.
These experiences made me stronger. The good and the bad were all gifts from fate.
If you asked me if I still hated Gerald, I would say yes.
But it was also true that I had once deeply loved the boy who had pulled me out of the darkness. So, I did not regret knowing him.
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Things changed, sincerity could be faked, and love could fade.
I still believed that the Gerald who stayed by my side and made me laugh that year had truly
loved me. But I also had to admit that he loved Aileen too. That was the truth.
If you asked me whether I still loved him, my answer would be no.
If we were thrust into another life, I would prefer that we remain as strangers.
