Chapter 24
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Three days later, Julian returned to Stormfall Pack alone. When he arrived home, the villa next door was lit up again. His Beta said that the Everests had already disposed of all their assets within the pack, and new neighbors had just moved in two days ago. Hearing all this, Julian finally had the concrete realization that everything was truly irreversible.
He stayed in his room alone, awake all night. Early the next morning, from his window, he saw his new neighbors dismantle the swing set in the garden. They replaced the pink and white curtains with dark green ones and cut down and discarded the seashell wind chimes hanging at the door.
Everything related to the Everests and Shelly was gradually disappearing from his world. He was powerless to stop it, so he spent his days getting drunk, numbing himself with alcohol. His tattered heart slowly became hollow, losing the ability to perceive emotions. Love and hate, pain and regret, joy and hope… all were moving away from him.
His room was filled with all sorts of items he had personally picked up from next door. Only at these times would he have a moment of clarity. The neighbor’s five–year–old wolf pup would follow Julian every day, joining him in his treasure hunt.
The large tree in the yard was cut down, the soil where roses once grew was dug out, and the stones painted with cartoon drawings were smashed. Every time Julian saw one item, it would trigger many related memories. The child kept chasing him, relentlessly asking about the origins of these things. He stared blankly, many words rising to his lips but ultimately getting stuck there.
Until a very large wishing bottle was dug out from a certain corner. He opened it and saw a hundred love letters hidden inside, and the familiar handwriting on the cover. In an instant, Julian’s eyes welled up.
The unsuspecting child, overcome with curiosity, casually opened the top letter and read it aloud.
“Julian, hello,” the letter began.“When you see these letters, we should already be together, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t know these letters exist. We’ve known each other for nineteen years, and in all those years before, you never knew I’ve liked you for a very, very long time, did you? You might want to ask me, if I liked you, why didn’t I tell you? What I want to say is, I know the person you like isn’t me.
my heart.” The stars sparkle in your eyes when you look at her, so I can only bury my affection in
“But now she’s gone, and the one by your side is me,” it continued.“Although you never mentioned her name to me again, I think you must have let go, which is why you’re with me, right? Even though you’re not willing to make our relationship public yet, I can wait until the day you feel it’s right. Whether it’s three years, five years, or ten, as long as you have me in your heart, I can keep waiting.”
“Do you think I’m foolish? But we’ve been by each other’s side since we had memories. Since you were there at the beginning of my life, I truly hope you’ll be there at the end too. Although I don’t know what the future holds, the only thing I can confirm is that as long as
have me in your heart, and feel a little care and liking for me, I will wait for you to come back, forever and ever.”
you
By the end, Julian was already in tears. With trembling hands, he picked up the box of envelopes, hugged them to his chest, and stumbled to his feet, heading towards the airport. As if clutching onto a last shred of hope, he was eager to go to a foreign land, wanting to win back the person he might have already missed.
During the long flight, Julian ceaselessly reread these letters. The love hidden between the lines was like honey, like arsenic. It made him cry profusely at times, chuckle softly at others, then feel dejected, then joyful. Two extreme emotions continuously flowed between his wolf nature and human nature, and that heart, numbed by despair, rekindled once more.
Cotton was full of anticipation, excitedly leaping in his consciousness:“She’ll come back, won’t she?”
“She will come back…” Julian clenched his fists, and although he spoke with certainty, his eyes betrayed a sense of bewildered helplessness. This time, was it a final flicker before plunging completely into darkness, or a rebirth through fire before the dawn?
Julian didn’t know what kind of ending awaited him. He could only pray. Pray that the girlish thoughts Shelly, at nineteen, had penned
ROU
< Chapter 24
herself, could save him from his plight. Give him a chance to start over. Just one chance, only one would be enough.
Meny
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