Chapter 18
The salty ocean breeze of Merathea drifted in as Vanessa pushed open the glass door of the bookstore. A soft chime rang from the bell above.
“Morning, Vanessa,” the shop owner, Janice McGuire, greeted her with a warm smile and handed her a cup of steaming tea. “You’re looking better today.”
Vanessa took the cup. Her fingertips stung slightly from the heat, but somehow, she found comfort in it.
“Thank you,” she murmured softly, taking a small sip as the aroma spread across her tongue.
Six months ago, she arrived in Merathea with only cash in her pocket and a worn suitcase. She’d rented a tiny apartment facing the sea, and at night she could hear the sound of the waves. Soon after, she found herself a job,
During the day, she organized bookshelves, helped customers find books, and occasionally read one or two herself. Her life had become so simple that her existence seemed insignificant.
She had no past nor memories. There was no more blurry figure that appeared in her dreams
sometimes.
“Reports indicate that the Watson Group was officially acquired by Hawke Corporation three days ago, and the Hawke Corporation’s decision will…
The TV in the corner was broadcasting financial news, causing Vanessa to pause involuntarily as she arranged the books. She whispered to herself, “Hawke…”
She wondered why that surname sounded so familiar.
Vanessa frowned slightly, but her mind remained blank. When a customer called from nearby, she responded and pushed those scattered thoughts aside.
But that night, she dreamed again for the first time in a long while. In the dream, a man stood in the snow, reaching out his hand to her with gentle eyes. She couldn’t see his face clearly, yet somehow found him familiar, as if she had once held that warmth close.
“Matthias…” Vanessa murmured softly in her dream.
When she woke up, dawn was breaking outside her window, and the sound of waves drifted in faintly. She touched her chest, finding it empty yet feeling no sadness. Instead, she felt a sense of relief. It was as if she had finally let go of something.
Then, she rose from bed. Her bare feet touched the cold wooden floor, the chill bringing her fully awake. The mirror reflected her pale skin, dark eyes, and lips free of both smiles and
sorrow.
Chapter 18
This was the new Vanessa.
That evening, she sat by the seashore as gentle waves lapped at her ankles, The distant lighthouse beam swept across the water like a tender gaze. As she stared at the dark suddenly felt as though she had once waited for someone just like this.
sea,
she
Someone who would never return.
Vanessa touched her chest again. She still felt empty, but the pain was gone. She whispered to the ocean, “That’s it.”
The wind carried her voice away, and the waves carried away her past with them.
Later, Vanessa stood on tiptoes.to put the books on the display rack back on the bookshelf. Raindrops began tapping against the glass, falling faster and heavier.
She turned just as the doorbell gave a bright chime-someone had walked in.
“Welcome,” she said without looking up, her fingers gently brushing along the book spines to arrange them neatly.
The footsteps stopped behind her, and a shadow fell over her. “Do you need help finding a
book?”
She turned around with a professional smile on her lips, but she froze slightly.
The man standing before her was tall. His black coat was dampened by rain, water still dripping from his hair. His features were sharp, his jawline tense, and his eyes bore into her as if trying to etch her face into his memory.
His gaze was too intense, so intense that she instinctively took half a step back.
“Vanessa York,” the man called out, his voice hoarse as if he hadn’t spoken in a long time.
She paused, then nodded. “Yes, that’s me. Do you know me?”
The man’s eyes widened, his fingers clenching and unclenching. He gulped before asking,
You don’t remember me?”
She looked puzzled but shook her head politely. “I’m sorry. I was injured some time ago and can’t remember certain things clearly.”
The sound of rain grew particularly clear in the silence, and the man’s face gradually paled,
“1
Alexander had never imagined that one day, Vanessa would look at him like he was a stranger.
Chapter 10
She had once taken a bullet for him, drunk poison in his place, even risked her life to save him from an avalanche.
And now, she looked at him as if he were a complete stranger.
“I’m Alexander Hawke,” he finally said, voice low enough that it was nearly drowned out by
the rain.
She nodded and asked calmly, “Mr. Hawke, is there anything I can help you with?”
