Silas Sutton.
Three years had passed, and she thought his name had faded with time.
But the moment she saw him today, all the memories she had deliberately suppressed flooded back, threatening to drown her.
She remembered the last look he had given her.
His eyes, once full of roguish amusement and tenderness, held too many emotions she couldn’t understand.
Pain, struggle, and…
despair.
She wondered why he hadn’t chased after her, why he had just watched her walk away.
“Zoe?
Zoe?” Zachary Sinclair’s voice pulled her back to reality.
Zoe snapped to attention.
“Ah?
What?”
“I asked how the wedding dress fitting went.
Does it need any alterations?” Zachary repeated patiently.
“Oh, no, it fits perfectly,” Zoe murmured.
“That’s good.” Zachary nodded, then turned to Mr.
and Mrs.
Quinn.
“Don’t worry, I will definitely give Zoe a perfect wedding.”
“We know you will.” Mr.
Quinn smiled and nodded repeatedly, pouring Zachary another glass of his drink.
“Here, have some more.”
After dinner, Mr.
Quinn invited Zachary to the living room for tea while Mrs.
Quinn cleared the table.
Zoe was about to help, but Mrs.
Quinn nudged her away.
“Go keep Zachary company.
I’ve got things handled here.” Suppressing a sigh, Zoe headed for the living room.
Zachary and Mr.
Quinn were sitting on the sofa, a pot of premium Dragon Well tea steeping on the coffee table.
“Zoe, come sit.” Zachary patted the empty space beside him.
Zoe sat down, and Zachary naturally draped an arm over her shoulder.
Seeing this, the smile on Mr.
Quinn’s face grew even brighter.
“Zachary,” Mr.
Quinn began carefully after taking a sip of tea.
“As you know, my wife and I never had biological children.
Zoe was adopted from the orphanage, but we’ve always treated her as our own.
We never let her suffer, rarely even making her do chores.
We just wanted her to focus on her studies and have a bright future, unlike us—running a small factory and just scraping by.”
Zachary nodded.
“I understand how much you care for her.
Zoe is wonderful, and that’s all thanks to you.”
“We don’t ask for much,” Mr.
“We only hope she finds a good family and lives a happy life.
You are young, successful, come from a good background, and most importantly, you treat her well.
We feel very reassured.
Zoe is blessed to be marrying you,” he added, his eyes growing slightly damp.
“You flatter me, Mr.
Quinn,” Zachary replied modestly.
“I’m the blessed one for being able to marry Zoe.”
Mr.
Quinn nodded, deeply moved.
After chatting for a little while longer, Zachary checked his watch.
“Mr.
Quinn, I have a meeting back at the bank this afternoon, so I shouldn’t overstay my welcome.”
“Leaving so soon?” Mr.
Quinn stood up.
“Stay a bit longer.”
“I can’t, it’s for work.” Zachary stood up as well and straightened his suit.
“Zoe, walk me downstairs?”
Zoe nodded and followed him to the door.
Mr.
and Mrs.
Quinn saw them off at the staircase, only returning inside when the couple disappeared around the corner.
The stairwell was quiet, filled only with the sound of their footsteps.
When they reached the third floor, Zachary suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.
“Zoe, you’ve been a bit distracted today.”
Zoe paused, caught off guard.
“Hm?
Have I?”
“You have.” Zachary reached out and cupped her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.
“From lunch until now, you’ve barely looked at me.
What’s wrong?
Are you not feeling well?”
“No, I’m just a little tired.” She turned her head, evading his touch.
Zachary’s hand froze mid-air.
A few seconds later, he withdrew it and slipped it into his pocket.
“Zoe,” his voice dropped lower, “I know this marriage might feel a bit sudden to you.
But I’m serious about this.
I will treat you well and give you the best life possible.”
Zoe looked up at him.
His face wasn’t breathtakingly handsome, but his family background, his education, his career—everything was as perfect as a fairy tale.
She wondered why she couldn’t feel even a sliver of joy in her heart.
“I know,” she said softly.
Zachary watched her, seemingly waiting for something more, but eventually he just sighed.
“Never mind, go back upstairs and rest.
Prepare yourself over the next few days.
The wedding is next week.”
“Okay,” Zoe nodded.
Zachary turned to head downstairs, but halfway down, he glanced back at her and said something baffling: “Zoe, I hope you understand that some things in the past should be left in the past.”
Zoe’s heart gave a violent lurch.
She wondered if he knew something.
Zachary didn’t say anything else before turning to leave.
His footsteps gradually faded until they disappeared at the end of the stairwell.
Zoe stood rooted to the spot for a long time before slowly turning around to head back upstairs.
Back inside the apartment, Mr.
Quinn stopped Zoe just as she was about to return to her room. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Zoe, come sit.
Let me talk to you for a minute.”
Zoe sat on the sofa, and Mr.
Quinn looked at her with a gentle expression.
“Zoe, the wedding is just a few days away.
Why don’t you take some time off and rest at home?
You can go back to your classes after you’re married.”
“That’s not necessary, Dad.
It won’t get in the way,” Zoe shook her head.
Mr.
Quinn sighed.
“I know you and Sinclair don’t have deep feelings for each other yet, but he really is a good man.
He’s your senior from school, so you two will definitely grow to love each other over time.
You need to cherish him.” He paused, lowering his voice.
“You also know that his father is the manager of the bank.
Our factory’s loan approval completely depends on their help.
If we can secure those two million, the factory will survive this crisis and maybe even expand…”
“Dad, I know,” Zoe interrupted.
“You don’t need to say any more.
I understand everything.”
Mr.
Quinn looked at her, his eyes filled with guilt and helplessness.
“Zoe, I know this is unfair to you.
But your mother and I have no other choice…”
Zoe nodded and stood up.
“I’m a little tired.
I’m going to my room to rest.”
“Go rest if you’re tired!
And stop working those part-time jobs for now.
Take a break.
We absolutely cannot let anything interfere with the wedding,” Mr.
Quinn said, waving her off.
Returning to her bedroom, Zoe closed the door and lay down on her bed.
Sunlight poured through the window, casting bright patches of light across the floor.
The room wasn’t large, but it was cozy and inviting.
She had pale purple curtains and a white desk.
The bookshelf was crammed with books and a few handmade crafts.
Pinned to the walls were her own sketches, along with one of her embroidery pieces—a cluster of blooming purple irises.
She had originally planned to take a nap and then finish her half-completed embroidery of a ginkgo leaf.
But now, she wasn’t sleepy at all.
Rolling over, Zoe pulled a small wooden box from the drawer of her nightstand.
The box was old.
She opened it gently, revealing a yellowed photograph inside.
In the photo, two young figures sat side-by-side by a river, their backs to the camera, their shadows stretched long by the setting sun.
The girl had her hair in a ponytail, and the boy wore a short-sleeved T-shirt that revealed a faded tattoo near the cuff.
Their hands were tightly clasped together.
On the back, a line of familiar, slightly blurred handwriting read, “To my Sprout, together forever.
—Your Big Hooligan.”
Tears fell without warning, splashing onto the photograph and blurring the ink.