Chapter 18
“Is there really no chance for us to get back together?” Ezra didn’t want to give up just yet.
Gianna didn’t answer, but her silence was enough. It wasn’t that she couldn’t reject him–she just didn’t know how to say goodbye without hurting him. This silence was her last act of kindness toward him.
“I understand.” Ezra lowered his head, finally letting go.
Gianna helped him up, then reached into the pocket of her white coat and took out a cassette tape. The moment Ezra saw it, he recognized it instantly–it was the first gift Gianna had ever given him. Inside was a collection of his favorite songs.
Back then, when he’d fallen for Maya and wanted to sever all ties with Gianna, he had returned this tape along with the recorder, trying to erase everything they once shared. It was the biggest regret of his life.
Later, when he searched for the old recorder, he couldn’t find the tape. He had assumed Gianna had burned it along with everything else from their past. But now, he realized she had kept it with her all along.
“I should have burned it. But if I did, there would be nothing left to prove that I once loved you.”
Gianna tucked the cassette into his pocket. “This time, don’t lose it again.”
Ezra pulled her into a tight embrace while nodding frantically. His voice trembled as he said, “Thank you… for keeping it…”
Gianna hugged him back one last time. In the quiet rain, two drenched souls finally learned to bury the past in silence.
The next day, Ezra gazed out at the vast expanse of sky as he sat on the plane, his fingers repeatedly tracing the edges of the old cassette in his pocket. It was the most precious thing he had ever owned.
As the morning sun pierced through the clouds and bathed his face in golden light, he finally–for the first time in a long while–slept in peace.
After returning, Ezra never told Christopher about Giannas’s whereabouts, no matter how many times the man came asking.
Although Maya had been beaten within an inch of her life and thrown out of the Ramsey family, she was still Christophers adopted daughter on paper. Like a parasite, she was impossible to shake off.
One night, desperate to repay her gambling debts, Maya sneaked back into the Ramsey residence by climbing through a window. She tried to steal the property deed to sell it, but before she could escape, Christopher caught her in the act.
In the struggle, Maya accidentally pushed Christopher, sending him crashing into the sharp edge of the table. He collapsed instantly and never got back up.
Realizing he had stopped breathing, Maya panicked. She stole the Ramsey family’s car, planning to flee into the night, but her nerves got the better of her. Distracted and frantic, she lost control of the vehicle and plunged into a river.
Her body wasn’t discovered until two days later–dragged out of the water by a local fisherman.
When Gabriel found out his father was dead and Maya had vanished, something inside him finally snapped. He walked into the street without a word and threw himself in front of a speeding truck, ending his own life.
Three years later, the new drug that Gianna and her team had been developing was finally a success. It was a breakthrough treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, sending shockwaves through the medical world.
Even so, Gianna didn’t attend the press conference.
By now, she had become the youngest–ever academician at the medical academy. She had built her own research team, received national awards, and gained global recognition for her contributions.
And on that same day, she and Adam were getting married.
Beneath the open sky, amid the cheers and blessings of their guests, they kissed and embraced as they were bathed in a shower of flower petals.
Not far from the wedding, a lone figure stood silently, watching Gianna from a distance. He lingered for a long time before finally turning away, fading into the crowd.
Two years later, Glanna gave birth to twins–a boy and a girl. At their one–month–old celebration, an unexpected gift arrived. Inside the box were two solid gold longevity lack pendants and a pair of flawless emerald bracelets, gleaming in the light.
“It’s from the CFO of Moonridge Group.” Adam looked at the name card in astonishment.
“Moonridge is a rising star in the business world. The company only took off last year, but I heard their CEO is a young man he built his brand from scratch in just a few years
“When did we ever get to know someone like that?”
Leaning into her husband’s arms, Gianna gently responded, “Send a message back for me thank him on muy behalf.”
She was truly happy now, and she hoped that the boy from her past was too
