Noah stood silently in the corner, pale, his
injured hand still bleeding. He didn’t say
anything, turned, and left. I never saw him
again.
Chase and I continued our lives. I was
surprised to learn his parents were directors
<
of Changhe Industries.
“The self–made entrepreneurs who built a
business empire?”
Chase nodded. I’d read about them in
business magazines. They’d gone abroad
after their sons‘ accidents.
Chase stroked my hair. “They just returned; I’ll
take you to meet them.”
“They won’t dislike me, will they?”
“Of course not!”
They’d returned to transfer the company to Chase. They bought a villa in the suburbs.
They gardened, cooked, and rescued stray animals.
His mother kept putting food on my plate,
looking at me warmly.
“Ethan, eat more.”
L
“Consider this your home.”
My home. Chase held my hand under the
table, smiling.
Before graduation, I was still living in the
dorm. Chase drove me back. I saw a package
on the table. My roommates were chatting.
“Did you hear? Lily cheated on her exam and
got caught?”
“Really? I always thought she was fake.”
“It’s official! She’ll have to repeat the year.”
“And Noah, her rumored boyfriend, is going abroad.”
“Rumored boyfriend? They clarified it… they were never together.”
One roommate saw me. “Ethan? I saw your name on this package; I grabbed it for you.” I thanked her. The sender was just an ‘H‘. It
L
wasn’t dangerous, so I opened it. A letter fell
out.
The night was beautiful. The wind blew
through the window; the moon and stars
shone brightly. The first line said:
“I’m Noah.‘
11
The ink was smeared, as if he’d struggled to
write:
“Ethan.”
“I’m sorry for the past two years.
“I often wonder…
“If I’d been kinder, if I hadn’t made you do
those awful things…”
“If I hadn’t made you run errands or confess
for someone else…
3)
“Would you have hesitated before leaving?”
I looked out the window, remembering Noah
at the birthday party, leaning against the
cabinet, whispering:
“So, Ethan, what was I these past two years?”
I folded the letter and put it back. My phone
rang–Chase.
“Ethan, when are you coming over? My
parents miss you already.”
“Okay, tell me what they like. I’ll bring
something next time.”
The future is long. Everything will be better.
The copyright of this content belongs to “realnovel“.
