Chapter 25
I didn’t even look at Bradley again after I said my piece. I just walked away.
Bradley seemed to have lost his mind. He started banging his head against the ground. He hit something hard, and soon, blood began to seep from his forehead.
On the desolate beach, Bradley looked terrifying with blood covering his face. But I felt no sympathy for him.
Considering the things he had done, this was nothing.
I couldn’t deny that at one point, I had entertained the thought of going down with him.
At that moment, I had felt as though I had no one left to care about and nothing to live for. Perhaps death wouldn’t be so bad. It might even be a form of relief.
But eventually, I realized that I shouldn’t sacrifice my own life because of him. It wouldn’t be fair.
Now, I didn’t harbor any such absurd thoughts because I had someone important in my life again.
Simon leaned against the car, waiting for me. He didn’t ask anything. He simply held me silently.
I felt a surge of gratitude inside, as this was exactly what I needed.
Three years later, during my wedding to Simon, I heard the news that Bradley had killed himself.
Simon was worried that I might have some concerns, but I didn’t think much of it. If anything, I was just a bit surprised.
Bradley, someone so proud and arrogant, had ended his own life. I heard that when his body was discovered, it had already decomposed beyond recognition.
It was something I never expected.
What Simon didn’t know was that, compared to Bradley’s death, what I cared about most was my wedding.
Simon had been planning for it for so long. Not only did he get me the wedding dress I had always wanted, but he also had the wedding carpets custom–made exactly how I imagined.
The giant painting displayed at the reception was a painting he created based on our wedding photo. Almost every day, he would slowly add a brushstroke. Some days he would spend an hour on it, while other days, just two minutes.
As I watched him every day, I couldn’t help but feel my hands itching to paint too. When he wasn’t looking, I would secretly add a few strokes to the canvas.
He had always encouraged me to do rehabilitation exercises because he had researched and found that I could still paint with my hand.
But I just couldn’t bring myself to take that step. Every time I looked at the scar on my hand, I hesitated, so I would always make excuses to avoid rehabilitation.
I could see the pain in Simon’s eyes, but I ignored it.
However, when the painting was finally finished, I was shocked to realize that my hand had started to heal.
I suddenly understood why he had worked so hard to finish this painting.
Simon’s love had healed me. His care had smoothed my scar.
Everyone loved the painting and gathered around to praise it.
**This is amazing! At first, I thought it was a photo! It’s so lifelike!”
“I thought so too! I can’t believe it’s a painting by the newlyweds. That’s so meaningful, way more valuable as a memento than a photo!”
“I have to take a picture! I love this style. I’ll definitely do something like this for my own wedding!”
As I watched Simon standing quietly while everyone admired the painting, a smile crept onto my face.
He saw me smile and immediately walked over. “As my co–creator, don’t you feel a sense of accomplishment, Serena?”
Since we became a couple, Simon stopped calling me by my name and only referred to me as “babe“.
I hooked my arm around his and teased, “Oh yes, I’m so proud of this painting. It’s the best piece I’ve ever made, Simon.”
I emphasized his name on purpose.
Simon pretended to be angry.
I gently filled hun down and kissed his lips.
For some reason, his ears still turned red so easily. Sunon was still the same man I first met.
He wrapped his arm around my waist. “Don’t call the by my name. I’m your husband. Call me honey.”
His tone was sightly domineering, but I liked it.
Hkissed him again and whispered, “Okay”
That was enough to completely calm him down.
“But I have one lopetant question for you. When did you first start talling for me?” he asked.
I went’t ready for this question.
Troved may arias and deliberately didn’t answer, but be kept pressing me for an answer.
1 tell you beat finis”
“Next time! When
“At my wedding sext time ”
“Are Campbell! Who are you going to marry next?”
I couldn’t help but logh at his expression
1/2
Chapter 25
If only he had seen the journal by my bed, he would have known the answer right away.
In my journal, on the 33rd page, there was a photo and a sentence.
That photo was one of the pictures in the album he gave me. It was an image of my back as I stared at a painting while he focused on capturing the moment.
The glass wall at the art exhibition perfectly captured that magical moment, which marked our first photo together.
It was June 28, 2012. That was the first time we went to an art exhibition together.
The sentence next to it read, “I never imagined that even a heart as unyielding as mine could be shaken by you.”
