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Chapter 2

Author: Purple Water Sprite
I thought Janice would be furious and demand an explanation right away.

Instead, she simply replied: [Okay, sweetie. I'll be waiting for you at home. Remember, I'm always in your corner.]

Hot tears welled up in my eyes, but I forced them back.

I typed back: [Okay.]

When I backed out of the chat, I accidentally tapped into my social media feed. The top post was from Serena.

It read: [Heading over to meet his parents on Thanksgiving! What should I wear?]

She didn't mention Samuel directly, yet the comment section was already buzzing with excitement.

[Meeting the parents over the holidays? Are wedding bells in the air?]

[As I said, if Samuel had any sense, he'd see Serena is ten times better than the girl he's with now.]

...

Out of all the comments, Serena singled out this second one to reply to.

[Oh, don't be silly! Chloe is totally fine... Well, except for being a small-town girl with a bit of a cheap streak, but other than that, she's okay!]

My best friend, Maya Jenkins, called me right then.

"Chloe, what is going on?" she asked with concern. "I just saw that bitch Serena's post! You're going to meet Samuel's parents. What is she tagging along for?"

"Maya, I'm not going to his place anymore," I sniffled. "I'm going to my hometown for Thanksgiving this year."

After a long pause, she asked seriously, "Are you sure about this?"

I looked over at the heavy luggage, then replied firmly, "Yeah."

Maya's voice cracked with emotion. "It's all because of that douchebag and his little snake! As soon as I give birth, I swear I'm storming their office and tearing them to shreds!"

Her childish outburst made me smile through my tears. "Just rest up and focus on the baby. I'm still planning on being the godmother, you know."

"Maya," I added quietly, "this time, I'm truly letting go."

There was no heartache, no fury, and no disappointment anymore—only absolute calm.

I had talked about letting go so many times before. Including this year, Samuel and I had known each other for nine years.

Back then, he was the untouchable golden boy of the School of Architecture. One look at him, and I didn't want anyone else.

I chased after him for four long years, and it wasn't until after graduation that he finally gave me the official title of his girlfriend.

Countless times I had grown discouraged and wanted to walk away, but in the end, I could never bring myself to part with him.

During the awkward adjustment phase of our relationship, his cold detachment kept me awake night after night. Back then, I naively thought that was just who he was.

That was until his lowerclassman, Serena, showed up. He remembered her monthly cycle, brought her an umbrella when it rained, and took her out for midnight burgers after her breakups.

We fought and gave each other the silent treatment countless times over her. Yet Samuel swore up and down that he only saw her as a sister.

After nine years of entanglement, he said it so convincingly that I fought hard to believe him. I forced myself to believe that all that favoritism was nothing more than brotherly love, swallowing every drop of disappointment and pain.

Until my birthday this year, when Samuel finally agreed to take me to meet his parents, I thought that the long wait was finally over and that sweet relief had come at last.

But my nine years of devotion couldn't hold a candle to a few breezy words from Serena. This dream of mine had finally reached its end, waking me up once and for all.

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  • Rain at Dusk After All These Years   Chapter 10

    I thought Samuel would finally let go and give us both a graceful ending.Yet a week later, Clifford texted me that Samuel had shown up at the house again, carrying bags of gifts and rolling up his sleeves to help around the house with cooking and cleaning.It was as if he were trying to make up for every way he had failed me over all those years. I tried to stop him a few times, but when he wouldn't listen, I gave up trying.The following day, as I stepped out of the office after work, I saw the ground outside covered in a sea of roses arranged to spell out a sentence.[Chloe, I was wrong. Can we start over, please?]Samuel stood in the center, dropping to one knee as he held out a diamond ring. My coworkers were all gathered around, cheering and making a fuss.But I didn't give a single reaction, carrying on with my routine like nothing had happened.Samuel wasn't discouraged. For an entire month, he showed up outside my office building every workday, foolishly believing that

  • Rain at Dusk After All These Years   Chapter 9

    In just two short months, I had settled comfortably into my routine at the new firm. I made it a point to visit my parents once a month, and they never pressed me about marriage.The next time I saw Samuel, it was on my father's birthday. I had taken a day off work to drive back to their place. It was just going to be a quiet dinner with the three of us, no guests invited.When I pulled up to the house, however, I noticed a familiar car parked out front. Checking the license plate closely, I instantly recognized who it belonged to.A second later, a figure darted out from the porch, almost running straight into me. I instinctively sidestepped to dodge him.The man standing before me looked gaunt and exhausted, with heavy dark circles hanging under his eyes. The moment his eyes met mine, they flushed red, and tears spilled over."Chloe, you're finally back!" Samuel sobbed, his voice thick with emotion, but I paid him no attention.Holding my gift, I walked past him and walked stra

  • Rain at Dusk After All These Years   Chapter 8

    On Thanksgiving morning, I arrived in my hometown on the earliest train.Even though I had insisted he didn't need to pick me up, my father was relentless. Even as I approached 30, in his eyes, I was still the little girl who needed his care.Clifford Hayes took my luggage and loaded it into the trunk. I stretched out in the cozy back seat and fell into a peaceful sleep.By the time we got home, Janice had prepared a feast of my favorite food.Because Samuel was allergic to seafood, I had stopped buying it altogether over the years. Eventually, I had almost forgotten how much I loved it.Janice never forgot my favorite dishes. I ate until I was stuffed.That night, I slept in the bed Janice had freshly made for me, surrounded by the comforting warmth of home.When I was with Samuel, caught up in work and constantly taking care of him, I could only manage to visit my parents during major holidays.But now, I could come back whenever I wanted.The next morning, I woke up to a sp

  • Rain at Dusk After All These Years   Chapter 7

    Early the next morning, Samuel booked the earliest flight out, taking a reluctant Serena along with him.The moment the plane landed, the anxiety that had been gnawing at Samuel all these days quietly evaporated. He knew that now he and I were finally in the same city.Ignoring Serena's protests, Samuel dropped her off at her rented apartment and immediately hailed a cab back to his own place.The entire ride there, he rehearsed the long-overdue apology he had been dwelling on for days. Holding the gold bracelet his parents had prepared, he couldn't wait to tell me in person that I was the only woman he ever wanted to marry.As soon as the taxi pulled up outside the apartment building, Samuel burst out. It wasn't until the driver yelled after him that he remembered the gifts sitting in the trunk.As the elevator rode up, Samuel's heart pounded faster with every floor. Stepping up to the door and turning the handle, he realized he had never felt such overwhelming joy before.And t

  • Rain at Dusk After All These Years   Chapter 6

    Samuel got up early the next morning.As he was preparing to head out, Serena pulled at his arm with a bright smile, saying they should go check out the local sights together since she had already put together a complete itinerary.Samuel jerked his hand away, telling her blankly that he was going to pick me up from the airport. Serena's eyes instantly welled up with tears, but the go-to weapon that had never failed her didn't work this time.All Samuel felt toward her was pure irritation. Looking at her with a cold, flat expression, he said, "If you don't want to stay here, you can take a flight home."Without giving her another glance, he turned and walked out of the house....Samuel spent the day waiting at the airport without eating anything. With every arriving flight, he watched the crowd streaming out with desperate eagerness, hoping to catch a glimpse of me.Yet the figure he was longing for never showed up. Refusing to give up, he dialed my number again and again, but

  • Rain at Dusk After All These Years   Chapter 5

    As boarding time approached, Samuel still hadn't spotted me anywhere in the terminal.He couldn't help feeling a growing wave of anxiety, pulling out his phone to call me. All he got was the cold, automated prompt telling him that my phone was switched off.The flight was about to depart, and Serena kept urging him."Samuel, if we don't get on the plane right now, we're going to miss it. Maybe Chloe realized she wasn't going to make this flight and rebooked another one or something."Hustled onto the plane by Serena, Samuel knew there would be no signal, yet he couldn't stop himself from unlocking his phone, hoping to see a text from me.The plane took off with a deafening roar. Staring at the empty seat beside him, Samuel felt a sudden surge of panic rising from deep within.He couldn't wrap his mind around what it was, but a dull ache throbbed in his chest, as if reminding him that he had lost something irreplaceable.To make matters worse, his stomach, which I had spent years

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