She took a deep breath and continued, “I believed everything you said.
That’s why I waited for you for almost three years.
Do you know?
On the day of our high school graduation, I wore my prettiest dress and waited from morning till night.
I thought you would suddenly appear, smile at me like you always did, call me Sprout, and say you were here to marry me.”
Her tone carried a wronged, accusatory edge.
Tears fell again, but this time she didn’t make a sound, simply letting them roll down her cheeks.
“But you never came.
You vanished into thin air.
A month went by, and you didn’t show up.
A year went by, and still, you didn’t come.” Her voice was soft, yet every word stabbed into Silas Sutton’s heart like a knife.
“Three years, you big punk.
That’s over a thousand days and nights.
What could have been so urgent that you couldn’t even find the time to make a phone call or send a message?”
Silas opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
What was he supposed to say?
That he had spent the last three years in prison?
That he hadn’t wanted her to know he was behind bars, unwilling to saddle her with such a heavy psychological burden?
That even though he was locked up, he had thought about her every single moment of those three years?
The words churned in his throat, but he swallowed them back down.
What was the point of saying any of it now?
She was already going to be someone else’s bride.
Besides, Sprout was so perfect.
As an ex-convict, he was no longer good enough for her.
“I…
I really had reasons I couldn’t explain.” Ultimately, this pale, feeble excuse was all he could muster.
“Sprout, believe me, I have never forgotten you.
Every day I was away, I thought of you.
I counted the days until I could come back and see you.”
As he spoke, Zoe Quinn’s gaze landed on a tear in his sleeve.
Her expression suddenly turned anxious.
“Did you…
did you get into another fight?
Are you hurt?”
She instinctively grabbed his arm to inspect it.
This habitual gesture caused both of them to freeze.
Silas felt as if something warm had enveloped his heart.
His Sprout was still worried about him—even after three years, even when she was about to marry someone else.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t get into a fight,” he said, holding her hand.
His voice softened.
“I deliberately wore these clothes to see you because I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize me.”
He gently guided her hand to his chest.
“Look.
I’m still wearing this.”
From his collar, he pulled out a thin silver chain.
Hanging from it was a tiny pendant shaped like a sprout.
The silver was slightly tarnished, clearly from being rubbed and held frequently.
Zoe’s fingers brushed gently against the pendant.
“You still kept it…”
“I’ve never taken it off.” Silas looked at her earnestly.
“Sprout, I know I owe you an explanation.
I owe you three years of time.
Give me a chance to make it up to you, okay?
We made a promise.
I’m going to marry you.”
Hearing this, Zoe jerked her hand back from the pendant as if she had been burned.
“It’s too late, you big punk.” She shook her head, taking a step back.
“I’m getting married next week.
I love my fiancé.
He is young, successful, and he keeps his promises…”
Zoe’s words exploded in his head like a clap of thunder.
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he barely managed to stay on his feet.
“Tell me who he is.” His pupils contracted sharply.
His voice dropped to a low, dangerous register, carrying the characteristic ruthlessness of an underworld thug.
“I’ll go find him right now.
I’ll make him give you up.
No matter the cost, I have to take you back.
You are mine.”
“No!” Zoe grabbed his arm in terror, tears surging anew.
“Don’t do this, you big punk!
I won’t allow you to hurt him!”
She gripped him so tightly that her nails nearly dug into his flesh.
Silas looked at the fear and urgency in her eyes.
It wasn’t for him; it was for another man.
At that moment, the realization hit him with agonizing clarity: he might have truly lost her.
Silas’s entire body went cold.
Like a deflated balloon, all of his aggression and domineering presence vanished, leaving behind only profound exhaustion and agony.
“Okay, okay, okay, don’t panic.
I won’t go looking for him.” As if startled, he suddenly released her arms and held his hands up in surrender, his voice hoarse.
“If you really love him, if being with him truly makes you happy, I…”
Silas tilted his head back and took a deep breath, forcing back his uncontrollable tears.
“…I’ll back out.”
Only he knew just how much it hurt to say those words.
He gritted his teeth, then clumsily but gently wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs.
“But please don’t cry.
Don’t cry,” he said tenderly.
“I’ve always been terrified of seeing you cry.
Back then, and even now.
If marrying someone else makes you happy, I would rather bow out than see you shed a single tear.”
He wanted to snatch his Sprout back, but faced with her tears, he felt nothing but heartache and helplessness.
All other thoughts evaporated.
He couldn’t bear to see her cry.
He just wanted to yield to her every wish, so long as she was happy.
Zoe’s tears flowed even harder.
She grabbed the hand he was using to wipe her face and pressed it against her cheek.
“I’m sorry, you big punk, I’m sorry…” she choked out.
Three years is just too long.
It’s long enough for a person to wait from hope all the way to despair.”
She lifted her teary eyes to look at him.
“Now, the one I love…
is him.”
That single word, “him,” plunged straight into Silas’s heart like a dagger.
“Don’t cry.
It’s my fault, it’s all my fault.” Even though his teeth were grinding together, he could only repeat those words with absolute gentleness.
He fought to suppress the excruciating pain in his chest, trying to wipe away her endless tears.
“I’m the one who missed out on you, Sprout.
Please don’t be sad, okay?
As long as you’re happy, I’ll do anything.
I’ll fucking…
I’ll accept whatever comes.”
Right then, Zoe’s phone suddenly rang.
She glanced at the caller ID, and a flicker of panic crossed her face.
She instinctively looked at Silas before turning her back to answer the call.
“Hello, Zachary…
Yeah, class is over…
I’ll be right out…
You don’t need to come in, just wait for me at the main gate!
I’m heading out now…”
After the brief conversation, she hung up.
When she turned back to Silas, her tear tracks remained, but any lingering reluctance on her face had rapidly vanished, replaced by an expression of aloof detachment.
“My fiancé is here to pick me up,” she said.
“He’s waiting at the main gate.”
Silas’s heart sank to rock bottom.
He looked at her, desperate to find even a trace of reluctance or hesitation on her face.
But all he saw was panic and urgency—
His Sprout was frantic to get away from him and return to that man’s side.
He could fight.
He could vie for her.
With his capabilities and temper, he didn’t believe for a second that he couldn’t defeat that man.
But she had made it completely clear—she loved that man.
What was the point of fighting for her then?
To forcefully steal her away?
Even if he won, even if Sprout stayed by his side, she would no longer love him.
“Give me your phone number,” he finally pleaded after a moment of thought.
“At least…
we can keep in touch.
Let me know if you’re doing well.”
“Keep in touch?
No!” Thinking he was going to badger her, Zoe quickly bit her lip and shook her head.
“You big punk, I’ll have my own family after I get married.
You should go find your own happiness, too.
Let’s just…
end it here.
There’s no need for us to see each other again.”
She spoke with absolute finality.