Chapter 29
Since childhood, Rico had always been afraid of the dark. The emptiness of loneliness was something he had grown accustomed to over the years, but nothing had prepared him for the perpetual isolation that followed Maddie‘ s departure. Every day, he found himself clutching the photo album she had left behind, flipping through its pages, running his fingers over the familiar words written on the back of the photos. Those words. were memories–small fragments of a life that seemed so far away now. Each picture was a reminder of the warmth they once shared and each word written in her delicate handwriting felt like a piece of his soul slipping away.
Rico could never forget that one winter night when everything felt perfect. He had finished work in the early hours of the morning, his body numb from the cold, his steps heavy as he trudged through the
90% 15:55
1/7
Chapter 29
snow. When he finally pushed open the door to his house, a wave of warmth greeted him. The soft glow of the lights inside enveloped him and the scent of something comforting filled the air. On the dining table, carefully arranged, was a steaming bowl of wontons and a bouquet of lilies, their fragrance filling the room.
As the door creaked open, Maddie emerged from the kitchen, dressed in her pink plush pajamas, her face lit with a smile that made everything feel right in the world.
‘Rico, you’re back! Come, eat the wontons before they get cold,” she said, her voice sweet, full of warmth and affection.
That moment, that simple yet intimate gesture, was when Rico truly understood the meaning of home. It wasn’t the house that made it home–it was Maddie. It was the way she made everything feel so safe, so full of love. Rico had longed for that sense of belonging since he was a child, but now that he had it, he didn’t know
15%
Kod 15-55
217
Chapter 29
how to hold onto it.
He couldn’t remember the exact moment he lost her, but he did remember the sadness in her eyes on the day he brought another woman into their home. It was the day that everything began to unravel, the day Maddie’s eyes filled with silent pain as he ignored her feelings and prioritized someone else. He regretted it now–so much. If only he had taken her to the orphanage that day when she asked. If only he had stood up for her when she was bullied online, or when she suffered in silence after being hurt. If he had simply listened, if he had been there for her, perhaps she wouldn’t have left.
But life didn’t offer second chances and there were no “what–ifs.” Rico had lost
Maddie forever.
***
The next time Rico saw Maddie she was
walking down the aisle at her wedding to Andrew Cooper.
90 15:50
317
Chapter 29
He had traveled to New York secretly, using his new prosthetic leg to sneak into the ceremony. From his hidden vantage point, he watched as Maddie radiant in her wedding gown, looked every bit the woman he had once dreamed of. She was as beautiful as he had imagined her, but the sight only served to deepen the ache in his heart. His mind, still clouded by guilt and regret, couldn’t help but fixate on the fact that she was no longer his.
As the soft strains of the wedding march filled the air, Rico felt a wave of emotion. rise up in him. He couldn’t bear to watch any longer. The sadness, the grief, the love and the anger all mixed together in a storm that left him running for escape. He fled to a quiet alley, where he collapsed on the ground, his body wracked with sobs. The pain was overwhelming–the feeling of losing her was too much to bear.
Sweet and sour. Love and hate. It was the paradox of his emotions, the culmination. of everything he had done wrong. Since his
57 15:55
417
Chapter 29
accident, since losing his leg, Rico had been forced to confront the many flaws within himself–the selfishness, the arrogance, the ignorance. But none of that could bring Maddie back.
At the wedding, Maddie too, had felt something stir inside her. A fleeting
sensation that she had seen Rico‘ s shadow in the crowd. Her heart had skipped a beat, but when she looked closer, he was gone. It was only a brief moment, a whisper of the past that she could not hold
onto.
“Maddie, who are you looking at?” Andrew asked, his gentle voice pulling her back to the present.
Maddie smiled softly, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “No one,” she said, shaking her head. “I just got a little misty- eyed for a second.”
Looking at Andrew–his gentle smile, his understanding eyes–Maddie felt a quiet sense of peace settle within her. She
90 15:58
5/7
Chapter 29
realized how far she had come, how much
she had grown. The affection she once felt for Rico seemed so distant now, almost childish in its intensity. She had changed and she had learned.
There was a passage she had read somewhere that resonated deeply with her
now:
“Everyone has their own south wall to hit. People don’t say goodbye until they‘ ve exhausted all their expectations. When I was younger, I couldn’t just scratch out
‘thank you.‘ I had to scratch out ‘thank you for your patronage‘ before I could let go. It didn’t matter how much time it took. I waited for the scratching to be finished, for the south wall to be knocked
down and then I could bravely welcome a new life.”
Maddie had hit her south wall. She had let go of the past, of the man who had once been her world and now she was ready to embrace her future. With Andrew by her
90 15:56
6/7
Chapter 29
side, she could finally see the bright horizon ahead.
And as the wedding continued, surrounded by love and laughter, Rico’s shadow faded from her heart, replaced by the warmth of the life she had built for herself.
(The End)
You might also like
