Chapter 7

Shawn lay his head against my shoulder, his tone full of sincerity. "You're right. I did plan the whole thing. I wanted to marry you because I love you."

I stared at him in shock and couldn't process his words. How could he love me when we had barely ever spoken to each other before?

He smiled tenderly before pressing a kiss on my cheek. "We've known each other since we were children, but you forgot about it."

Upon hearing this, my eyes widened in disbelief. I tried to recall his presence in my childhood, but couldn't find anything.

Shawn chuckled helplessly and began to recount the past I had long forgotten.

He was an orphan whom his grandmother adopted. When he first came to the house, he rarely spoke to anyone, choosing instead to sit alone in corners, murmuring to himself.

He thought no one was listening, but I was.

I would linger by the wall, quietly listening to his ramblings, though I never dared to interrupt. Over time, I came to know all his joys and sorrows, even witho