Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Whispers of my heart: Kabanata 61 - Kabanata 70

Daniel didn’t pack with urgency.He packed with purpose.Every item he placed in the duffel bag had meaning.Her favorite scarf — the one she left behind, soft blue wool she always wrapped around her neck when the city wind bit too hard.The leather-bound journal she’d given him for Christmas — still filled with her handwriting on the first page, where she’d written: “For my love.”A photo in a simple frame: the two of them at La Luna, the night he told her he loved her for the first time. She was laughing, caught mid-sentence, and he was looking at her like she was the only truth he’d ever known.He didn’t tell anyone.Didn’t call ahead.Didn’t text.He just left.Drove through the night, the city lights fading behind him, the highway stretching ahead like a promise. The sky turned from black to deep indigo, then to a soft, blushing gold as the sun rose over the hills of Willow Creek.The Thomas family estate stood at the end of a long gravel drive, flanked by oak trees that had stoo

The silence after his words was not empty — it was full. Full of years, of waiting, of fear, of love that had nearly slipped through their fingers.And then, without a word, Sophia stepped forward.She didn’t hesitate.She didn’t cry out.She just opened her arms and pulled him to her.Daniel didn’t brace.Didn’t stiffen.He folded into her like he’d been waiting to collapse for weeks.His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her like she was the only solid thing in the world. Her face pressed into the crook of his neck, breathing in the scent of his skin — soap, faint cologne, and something that had always been him. The warmth of his body, the steady beat of his heart against her chest — it was all real.They didn’t speak.They didn’t move.They just held.Minutes passed.The clock on the wall ticked softly.A breeze slipped through the kitchen window, rustling the curtains.But they didn’t let go.It wasn’t just a hug.It was a homecoming.A surrender.A promise rewritten in the l

The study was a room built from time.Tucked at the end of the hallway, just off the living room, it had once been Sophia’s father’s office, then a quiet retreat for both parents, and now a sanctuary of old books, worn leather, and memories pressed between pages. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves, crammed with novels, photo albums, and yellowed journals from decades past. A heavy oak desk stood in the center, its surface scarred with coffee rings and ink stains — the kind earned through years of late-night letters and early-morning plans.A brass lamp cast a warm, amber glow over the room, softening the edges of the world outside. The windows were open just a crack, letting in the faint hum of crickets and the scent of night-blooming jasmine. Two armchairs — deep brown, cracked in places, softened by time — faced the desk. One for Robert. One for Margaret.Daniel sat in the third — the guest chair, slightly lower, slightly smaller — hands folded in his lap, spine stra

Daniel took a slow step forward, hands raised, voice low and steady.“Mr. and Mrs. Thomas… I understand you’re upset. I do. But please—let me explain. This isn’t some fling. This isn’t me taking advantage. I love Sophia. I’ve always loved her. It just took me too long to realize it.”Robert didn’t move.His voice was cold. Final.“You don’t get to stand in my house and tell me what you feel for my daughter. You don’t get to decide when it’s time to be honest. She’s been back for days. Quiet. Distant. Barely eating. And now I know why.”Margaret’s eyes burned with tears — not of sadness.Of rage.“You let her carry this alone,” she said, voice trembling. “You let her love you in silence while you said nothing. You came into our home tonight like a guest, but you’ve been stealing moments with our daughter like a thief.”Daniel’s chest tightened. “I never meant to hurt her. I never meant to hide—”“Then why did you?” Margaret cut in. “If it was real, why didn’t she tell us? Why didn’t yo

Sophia stood in the hallway, tears streaming down her face, her chest rising and falling like she couldn’t get enough air.The front door had closed behind Daniel.He was gone.And the silence that followed wasn’t peace.It was devastation.Her mother wiped her eyes, voice trembling. “We did the right thing. She needs to focus on her future.”Sophia turned to her, voice breaking. “You didn’t do anything right. You just destroyed the only good thing I’ve ever had.”Margaret flinched. “Sophia—”“No.” She stepped forward, trembling not from fear — from fury. “You don’t get to pretend this was for me. You didn’t protect me. You punished me. For loving someone. For finally being happy.”Robert stepped in, voice firm. “You’re grounded.”Sophia stared at him. “What?”“You heard me,” he said, jaw tight. “No phone. No going out. No contact with him. You’ll stay here, focus on yourself, and when summer ends, you’ll go back to school and start fresh.”Sophia laughed — sharp, broken. “Is that it?