Chapter 24
Time flew by, and New Year’s Day came round again.
As usual, Melanie went to a cathedral in the suburbs of the city to pray for the kids in the orphanage.
Since it was the beginning of spring, it was chilly in the mountains.
Melanie wrapped a cashmere shawl around herself as she sincerely prayed.
The tranquil surroundings of the cathedral made her feel completely at ease.
Later, she went to the old tree next to the cathedral and tied a note on the wishing tree.
Suddenly, her gaze fell upon a man in a gray robe, who was sweeping the fallen leaves.
The familiar figure made Melanie hold her breath.
That man was Zachary.
The Fullers’ son, who used to be so full of himself, looked so scrawny now. The arrogance and coldness
in his gaze were gone, too.
Instead, there was a peaceful look in his eyes.
“That man is Mr. Placido,” the priest said when he saw Melanie staring at Zachary.
“Why has he… come to live here?”
“I heard that he wronged the person he loved, so he’s here to repent for his mistakes,” the priest muttered. “It’s quiet here, and many come here to find peace. But things might get boring after a long time. I wonder how long someone like him, who’s used to the world out there, can stay here.”
Zachary seemed to sense Melanie’s gaze, so he looked up.
Time seemed to stop when their eyes met.
All the grudges over the years and countless nights she had woken up from nightmares flashed through
her mind. But the next moment, everything returned to normal again.
In the end, Zachary merely gave her a firm nod before he turned around and left.
“What are you looking at?” Jeremy’s voice suddenly rang out in her ears.
Melanie withdrew her gaze, shaking her head. “Nothing. I just saw someone who looked familiar.”
She casually held Jeremy’s arm. “Let’s go. We should go down now. The kids are waiting for us to make
some crafts with them.”
Seemingly deep in thought, Jeremy looked in the direction where Zachary had disappeared, but he didn’t ask a single thing.
What do you want as a gift?”
Melanie shook their intertwined hands. “Mr. Holt, why don’t you spare me some time tomorrow? Instead of receiving gifts, I’d rather you go to the orphanage with me and have a picnic with the kids.”
“Okay, sure.”
Melanie flashed a smile, and the last bit of gloominess she felt faded away.
Just then, a gust of wind swept through the mountains.
Amid the thousand pieces of notes, the one that belonged to Melanie swayed with the wind, the writing on it glistening slightly beneath the sunlight.
“May all pain be left in the past. And may the days ahead be full of hopes and smiles.”
