BOOK4 Chapter9
Ethan Harris – Epilogue
We returned to Maplewood at sunset. The first thing we did was visit my parents‘
graves. As I looked at their pictures, 1 finally understood where I got my features
from-
the gentle eyes from my mother, the stern expression from my father. After lighting
incense, I asked everyone else to leave, wanting some time alone with my parents.
I
spoke to them about the past five years.
By the time I descended the hill, the traces of tears had long dried on my face,
leaving only the smell of incense smoke on my clothes.
But as I took in the increasingly familiar surroundings, my heart still felt empty, as
if
something was missing.
It felt like I had forgotten something really important.
Detective Parker drove us to my parents‘ house, an old–fashioned neighborhood
with
all the amenities. The moment we opened the door, a cloud of dust rose into the
air.
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Light Years Lost A Love Unclaimed
BOOK4 Chapter9
“Wow, it’s really dusty in here,” I said, coughing.
I made my way to the living room wall, where a large family portrait hung. Something
inside me struggled as I looked at it. In the photo, I was in my police uniform,
arms
around my parents, all of us smiling contentedly. It was a picture of a happy.
family.
But something felt off, like I was missing a crucial detail.
Jessica and I spent some time cleaning up the house. When I saw the old mountain.
bike on the balcony, a memory flashed in my mind–blue skies, a boy riding a bike
with a girl fast asleep on the backseat, her softness making my heart ache.
The image was fleeting, but it lingered.
We found many old photos from my childhood. Jessica was fascinated by them,
but I
felt nothing. When we were nearly done cleaning, Jessica asked me to go buy
some
essentials at the store. I had no idea where the store was, but as soon as I stepped
outside, I instinctively turned right and lifted my right hand as if I were supposed
to
be holding onto something.
As if on autopilot, I walked to the end of the alley and found a small grocery store.
Eight Years Lost: A Love Unclaimed
BOOK4 Chapter 9
The store owner’s wife looked surprised to see me. “Ethan, you’re finally back. You
have no idea how long Sienna waited for you.”
She kept talking, saying how, after I left, she often saw Sienna sitting alone outside
her little store. Whenever she asked why I wasn’t with her, Sienna would just
smile
and say, “Next time.”
But each time, she was alone.
Sometimes, as she spoke, her eyes would well up with tears.
The store owner’s wife told me she had never seen such a heart–wrenching girl
and
urged me not to fight with her anymore, to take good care of her.
I listened to her, but I didn’t know how to respond.
Images of Sienna kept flashing through my mind–her holding my hand, chatting
endlessly about what our future life together should be like, the way she looked at
me, love shining in her eyes.
But I had Jessica now, and Sienna had moved on. Whatever we had… it should be
in
the past by now.
Almost in a panic, I quickly bought some essentials and left the store.
I couldn’t understand why, but the thought of Sienna disappearing from my life
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Eight Years Lost: A Love Unfaimed
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Book Chapter
for
good made my chest ache.
I lit a cigarette, standing on the street corner, looking at this familiar yet strange.
town. An indescribable feeling washed over me–I just wanted to leave, to go back.
to
the island.
When the cigarette was done, a bus pulled up in front of me. The doors opened,
and
I inexplicably got on. The bus was filled with students in blue and white uniforms,
and in the hazy fragments of my memory, I saw someone dressed like that, sitting
by
the window.
It was as if I could see eighteen–year–old Sienna waving at me, asking me to sit
down
and explain a problem to her.
The bus had thirteen stops, but I got off at a crossroads. Just ahead was a new
community, Maple Grove Estates. It felt strangely familiar.
Just as I was about to walk in, Jessica called me. I hailed a cab to head back home,
watching the community fade away in the rearview mirror. But as I drove away, it
didn’t feel like I was getting closer to home. Instead, it felt like I was moving
farther
BOOKA Chapter)
away.
Jessica and 1 had been in town for three days, meeting old friends and colleagues.
Their faces were unfamiliar, but their enthusiasm was overwhelming. I felt guilty.
They patted my shoulder, often crying, “It’s just good to have you back. It’s just…
good to have you back!”
They were clearly happy I was alive, but there was something else in their eyes,
something they weren’t saying. It was as if they expected me to ask them something,
as if I shouldn’t be the way I was now.
On the third day, Grace found me. She said I had another apartment, and
suddenly, a
place came to mind. When she brought us to Maple Grove Estates, it matched
exactly with the image in my head.
It was Unit 302 on the third floor. When Jessica asked, “Which one?” I was already
standing at the door on the left. Grace, holding the key, looked at me in surprise.
“Yes, it’s 302.”
It was around eight or nine in the morning, and the sunlight flooded the
apartment.
It was a three–bedroom, two–bathroom place, and every room was bathed in
warm
BOOR4 Chapter
light.
“The sunlight is amazing here. Is that why you bought this place, Ethan?”
I wasn’t sure, but a more perfect reason seemed to exist somewhere in my
memory.
The whole apartment was filled with shades of orange–orange curtains, an
orange
sofa cover, orange bed sheets, giving the place a warm, cozy feeling. There were
marks on the walls, as if picture frames had once hung there.
In the living room, there was a large bar counter, but strangely, no alcohol–just
an
assortment of herbal teas, at least a dozen varieties. Jessica laughed, “Now I know
why you like herbal tea so much.”
“Ethan, I have a surprise for you.”
W
As soon as she said that, an orange cat dashed out of the bedroom, his fur
completely orange except for a white patch around his neck. Strangely, the cat ran
straight to me, circling my legs and rubbing against me desperately, meowing
insistently. I finally bent down, and he jumped into my arms as if he had been
waiting
for me all along.
“Oh, what a friendly kitty! Let me hold him.”
BOOK4 Chapter9
Jessica reached out to pick him up, but Buddy swatted at her twice.
“He’s actually your cat, Ethan. His name’s Buddy. You adopted him, and he’s been
keeping me busy these past few days.”
No wonder he was so affectionate toward me.
I carried him into the bedroom and took a can of food from the bedside cabinet.
The
little one pounced before I could even open the lid, as if he was starving.
Grace laughed, “It has to be you. He won’t eat when anyone else feeds him.”
“Well, I have to go now. If you need anything, just call me.”
After Grace left, Jessica suddenly let out a yelp–Buddy had scratched her. I quickly
pulled out the first–aid kit from under the TV cabinet and found some iodine to
disinfect the wound.
“Ethan, how did you know there was iodine there?”
I… didn’t know. It just felt natural.
Jessica looked at Buddy, who was eating contentedly. “I guess he doesn’t like me
very
much!”
We had planned to stay a few more days, but something came up at the
restaurant,
so Jessica had to leave to handle it. She asked me to stay behind and finish seeing
the
people 1 needed to see. I had met a lot of people, but it still felt like I hadn’t seen
the
one who mattered most.
That night, I came down with a fever, my whole body burning up, lost in a deep
sleep.
I dreamed of a boy being born in this apartment, attending the nearby
elementary…
and middle schools, eventually going to the best high school in the community. He
rode his bike to school every day, always leaving the back seat empty for someone
special, always carrying two bottles of milk in his backpack….
Years passed, and he went to college–police academy. Everyone was so proud of
him. At the celebration, he wrapped his arm around a girl and made an
exaggerated
promise, “The next time we all get together, it’ll be for our wedding.” The girl
blushed, but he took the promise seriously,
The gi
girl was gentle and kind to him. She even tied a red string around his wrist,
wishing for his safety. He gave her one in return, hoping she’d stop teasing him about
the mole under his eye.
Year after year, he meticulously planned his proposal. He was a bit of a
BOOK4 Chapter
troublemaker,
so he devised an elaborate scheme, turning the proposal into a car crash scene.
The
car burst through the setup, revealing his proposal. The girl cried, and he thought
it
was because she was moved. After all, the whole scene was filled with her favorite
flowers, an orange backdrop, and all their closest friends and family. He gently
held
her, reassuring her, “It’s time.” He knew she would marry him, so he dared to plan
such an outrageous proposal.
Everything went according to plan–taking wedding photos, designing the
invitations,
booking the hotel. They even tested the menu four times. He was only going to get
married once, so he couldn’t afford to mess it up.
Everything was ready. On the night of the rehearsal, even though he knew it was
just.
a rehearsal, he was incredibly nervous, his movements awkward and stiff. When
it
finally ended, he received orders from the police department. The girl reassured
him
that it was okay to go, and he promised her he’d be back in a week to marry her.
But
BOOK Chapter9
the mission was tough, and they were ambushed. Gravely injured, he was thrown
into the ocean. The saltwater flooded his lungs, his organs felt like they were.
being
crushed, his face turned red from lack of air, his lungs were about to burst–bam!
I woke up drenched in cold sweat, gasping for air. The suffocating pressure slowly
eased as I came to, and I saw the open photo album on the table. The boy in my
dream and the young man in the pictures slowly merged into one.
In the dead of night, I rushed out of the house, heading back to Maple Grove
Estates.
As soon as I opened the door, I heard a voice. “The sunlight feels so warm, and
Buddy loves it too!”
“Ethan, Ethan, can we live here from now on?”
“With you, Buddy, and a daughter someday, we’ll have a perfect, happy family.”
“Okay, then let’s buy this place.”
So that was the real reason.
“Don’t drink soda, it’ll hurt your throat. Let me make you some tea. Would you like
rose or chamomile?”
“I’m being stubborn–I want chrysanthemum.”
Looking at the dozen types of herbal tea, I suddenly realized–it wasn’t me who
loved herbal tea.
Every piece of furniture in the house, we had picked out together. The large wooden
bed–I scheduled the wedding for the late afternoon because I was afraid she’d
throw a fit and refuse to marry me if she woke up too early. But in the end, I was
the
one who missed the wedding.
The brown couch–I once slept on it for two nights after saying something wrong
and
wrote a thousand–word apology, all while planning my proposal vows.
Staring at the nails on the wall, I walked into the bedroom and knelt by the bed.
Reaching underneath, I found a large box–the hidden photos were all there.
From our first photo together as teenagers to our wedding photos–she was
wearing
an orange wedding dress, standing in the sunset, smiling as beautifully as the
freesias
in her arms. She accepted my proposal without hesitation, fully believing in me,
trusting that I would give her all my love.
Inside the box was also a stuffed toy, the one she won on the day I proposed. She
called it her good luck charm. It was just an ordinary toy, but because it was from
that day, she had given it special meaning.
Chapters
Finally, I found two bottles, one blue and one pink. Back then, I cherished every
breath she took, wishing I could preserve her milk bottles like treasures. I was so
deeply in love with her…
Those were Ethan Harris’s treasures, and fam Ethan Harris! How could I forget
who I am?
How could I forget that I am Ethan Harris!!!
I completely broke down, tears streaming uncontrollably. “Sienna!”
“I’ve seen you before–why didn’t I recognize you? Why!?” I pounded the floor in rage, my fists bleeding as I vented my fury.
When the outburst ended, I lay on the floor like a deflated balloon, staring blankly
at
the ceiling. I saw my Sienna getting up from bed in the late afternoon, bragging
about.
making fish stew for me and Buddy. I slowly reached out, wanting to hold her one
more time.
“You go rest. By the time you wake up, the fish stew will be ready!” I couldn’t help
but get closer.
“Buddy, get down from there. Don’t bother Daddy. Mommy’s making you some
food-
Daddy’s finally home.” She turned away with Buddy in her arms. “Don’t go, don’t
leave me!” I lunged forward, crashing to the floor again, the pain snapping me
back
to reality.
This is the life of Ethan Harris! A life with Sienna is the life of Ethan Harris!
I disappeared for three days. Detective Parker and Grace found me at Maple
Grove
Estates. When they did, I was lying on the floor, clutching our wedding photo,
completely lifeless.
“Where’s Sienna? Please, tell me where Sienna is… please.”
Grace and Detective Parker exchanged a glance, and I saw the pity in their eyes.
The girl on the tombstone looked exactly as I remembered her. I knelt in front of
her,
trembling as I reached out to touch her face. “Sienna, I’m back. Sienna, I’m back…”
But there was no one left to jump into my arms, no one waiting for me to come
home.
“What have I done? What have I done?”
“Ethan, Sienna left you a letter.”
I tore it open desperately, recognizing the familiar handwriting.
Ethan.
I hope this letter finds you well.
When we were young, you often wrote me letters, but I rarely wrote back. I never
thought my first letter to you would be my last.
Don’t feel guilty. I understand. You survived a near–death experience–that’s not
easy.
As for everything else, follow your heart. To me, my Ethan Harris loved me until
the
end, and that’s enough.
I loved you in the best years of my life, and every year of being loved by you was filled
with happiness. Even though we didn’t get to have our wedding, in my heart, I’ve
married you a thousand times over. We are family for life, and I truly feel content
with
that.
From now on, live as Ethan. Don’t be bitter about what happened. We simply
weren’t
meant to be. Please, don’t think of me anymore. Let me rest in peace.
My Ethan, I hope you find peace in your heart and live a safe, happy life.
With love, Sienna.
When I finished reading, it felt like my insides had been ripped out. I collapsed
onto
the ground, the letter in my hands soaked with tears.
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Eight Years Lost: A Love Unclaimed
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book4 Chapte
I stumbled out of the cemetery, now knowing what it truly meant to be living a life
worse than death.
