Chapter 25
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Winter retreated, and spring brought warmth. The Everests received news from the committee. After multiple rounds of procedures–the first trial, the defendant’s appeal, and the second trial–Grace’s fact of inciting a crime was confirmed, and she was sentenced according to the law. For the victim, the perpetrator receiving due punishment was undoubtedly the best comfort.
And this day also happened to be Mr. Everest’s birthday. Mrs. Everest personally cooked a large table of dishes, and the family of three raised their glasses to celebrate.
It had been almost half a year since they came to the pack in Spain, and Shelly had grown accustomed to life here. Although there were still many inconveniences, continuously discovering interesting things through exploration was also a kind of enjoyment. She had made many new friends and slowly found her interests.
On this wonderful day, she was also very happy to announce an important decision to her family.“Dad, Mom, I’ve made up my mind,” she said. “I’m going to form a band with my friends. I’ll be the guitarist. We’ve already written our first song, and we’re performing it next week. On behalf of everyone in the band, I sincerely invite you to come to the show!”
Mrs. Everest, who came from a musical family, was incredibly excited when she heard her daughter had decided to pursue music.“Great! Shelly, if you encounter any difficulties in your creative process, just ask, and Mom will tell you everything she knows and support your dream with all her might!”
Mr. Everest also clapped along, his eyes filled with gratification.“Your mother has always hoped you would follow in her footsteps, but we always thought you were young and had infinite possibilities ahead, not wanting to confine you to rigid frameworks, so we never brought it up,” he said.“Now that you’ve actively chosen this path, go forth with confidence and boldness. Mom and Dad will always be your strongest supporters!”
Shelly was already content to have earned her family’s trust and support. For the next period of time, she practiced until the early hours of the morning every day for the performance, working exceptionally hard.
The day before the performance, to be in good shape the next day, she went home early. In the evening, the clouds in the sky were
up, she brilliant, and the evening breeze was gentle. She got out of the car with her guitar on her back, and when she looked unexpectedly saw someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.
After two months, Julian had become even more emaciated, so thin that his eye sockets were sunken, and his complexion was ashen, as if shrouded in a layer of gloom. There was no trace of an Alpha’s youthful vigor. At first glance, Shelly didn’t even recognize him; she only reacted when she heard his voice.
“Shelly, long time no see, how have you been?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Julian realized they were inappropriate. The vibrant face before him, with a smile in her brows and eyes, was no different from when she was eighteen. She was doing very well. Unlike him, who was trapped in endless guilt and regret, unable to find release. And indeed, that was the truth.
The look in Shelly’s eyes when she saw him no longer held the deliberate coldness and disregard of the past. What remained was only the indifference and calmness one shows to a stranger. She had indeed let go of everything. Whether it was love, hate, grievances, or resentment, it was all in the past.
So she merely glanced at him.“Very good,” she said simply.
Seeing her about to leave again, in a moment of desperation, Julian directly held the cherished letters in front of her. “Shelly, I found the letters you wrote to me when you were a teenager, you were then…”
Seeing these slightly yellowed papers, Shelly’s sealed memories stirred slightly. But after a moment of surprise, she only used one
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< Chapter 25
sentence to make her stance clear.“Then was then, now is now”
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“But you said that as long as I cared about you and liked you even a little, you would wait for me forever,” Julian said, his voice choked with emotion.“Now my heart only has you, will you please give me another chance?”
Shelly said nothing and took all the letters. Then, before his incredulous eyes, she personally tore these letters, laden with memories, to shreds. “Alright, everything is zeroed out now,” she said. “We no longer have any connection. Please don’t bother me again in the future.”
She raised her hand, and the fragments scattered like snowflakes. In an instant, they vanished into the wind. Shelly didn’t look at his expression, striding home.
After the door closed, the twilight deepened, and the lights in the courtyard turned on one by one. The warm yellow light illuminated the weeping crabapple trees, which were in full bloom in the courtyard, swaying gently with the evening breeze.
A soothing piano melody drifted from the living room. Hearing the cheerful rhythm, Shelly’s steps became much lighter.
“You’re back?” her mother’s gentle tone greeted her.“How are the preparations for tomorrow’s performance coming along?” Shelly put down the guitar in her hand and walked to her parents‘ side, her voice joyful.“Please look forward to it!”
Looking forward to her standing on a brand new stage. Welcoming her own brilliant future.
Time flew by, decades passing like a fleeting white colt. I lay peacefully on the couch, awaiting the arrival of death. Yet, the next second, I opened my eyes wide, stunned by the vast, boundless sea of stars before me.
Suddenly, a voice sounded in my ear, “Welcome back to the Time–Space Shuttle Bureau.” Immediately, a warm, enveloping power surrounded me. Memories spanning countless years returned like a tide. I remembered. It turned out that I had been shuttling through different times and spaces, attempting to redeem the self that was once deeply mired in despair. Each time I changed fate, I was able to retrieve a piece of my lost soul.
<Zoe’s Story 1
