Chapter 26
“Don’t bother. You and Kane should leave,” Elena rejected him without hesitation.
The moment a man grew curious about a woman, it marked the beginning of feelings. But in his heart, there would always be a place for the dead Evangeline–an irreplaceable place.
The living could never compete with the dead. She had already learned that once, and she was truly tired of trying.
Things were fine the way they were. She didn’t need them to live a good life.
Robin felt utterly powerless and said softly, “Elena, whether you believe it or not… I think I’ve started to like you. It may not compare to what I felt for Evangeline, but give me time.
“I know I’ll fall in love with you. This love has nothing to do with her–I know now that I need to let her go.
Elena recoiled like she’d been bitten by a snake when she heard this. She shoved Kane toward
him
in
panic. But Kane wrapped his arms tightly around her leg and refused to leave with
Robin.
“Mommy, you raised me for six years. You are my mom! I don’t want to go back to that cold, empty house. I only want to live where you are!”
His eyes, which were identical to Robin’s, were filled with stubbornness. He clung to her leg shamelessly and desperately for the first time, as if he’d throw a tantrum if he didn’t get what he wanted.
Robin pretended to be in a difficult position and suggested, “Why don’t we let Kane stay here‘ for a while, with the kids from the orphanage? Let him study with them.
“The Marsh family is in a mess right now. No one’s available to care for him, and it could be dangerous for him back there.
“It’s decided then, okay? I’ll assign someone to stay by his side. You won’t need to worry about a thing.
He didn’t give Elena a chance to refuse one bit. He just left after saying those words. Kane, as thick–skinned as ever, completely ignored Elena’s cold expression and followed her around like a shadow.
When she served guests, he would lower himself to help carry tea and snacks. When she played blocks or painted with Mollie, he would always find a way to insert himself.
However, whenever Mollie drew something–no matter how simple–Elena would praise her genuinely. Kane then looked down at his perfect pencil drawing sketch, but she didn’t even spare it a single glance.
His heart felt like it had been dunked in acid, the sourness creeping all the way up to his nose, making it sting with resentment. Yet Elena continued to ignore him, treating him like air from
start to finish.
She wasn’t going to forgive him. Even though he was just a child, he knew better.
She’d explained herself countless times back then, and still, he showed no softness toward her. He had been cruel and merciless.
She couldn’t teach him anymore. She could only leave that task to someone else.
Kane continued to study alongside the other children at the orphanage. During recess, he saw Elena smiling at every child after playing, gently helping them wipe their faces and hands. So he lined up too, holding out his hands, waiting for his turn.
But even after waiting a long time with his hands stretched out, she skipped over him and tended to the child behind him instead. Kane’s lips trembled as he fought back tears.
“Hmph, I don’t need your help anyway. I can do it myself.”
Eventually, he managed to follow the other children and made a flower crown on his own. He was thrilled, holding it out to give it to Elena. But she only shook her head.
“I don’t need it. Don’t waste time doing meaningless things like this again.” Her tone was icy cold and completely indifferent toward him.
After countless rejections, Kane finally realized that no matter what he did, she was never going to forgive him. That night, he gave Robin a call.
“Dad, I can’t do it. I really tried, but I can’t make Elena love me again… I want to give up, but… “He trailed off, the rest of his words stuck in his throat.
He wanted to say that he still loved her. Robin understood anyway. He stayed silent for a long moment before sighing deeply.
“Kaney, I feel the same way. I’ve sent her countless gifts these past few days, all the things she used to like. I went through so much just to get them… and still, she treats me the same. I’m afraid she’s never going to forgive us.”
His voice turned hoarse. The father and son sat quietly on both ends of the call, overcome by sorrow. They truly regretted everything.
If only they had treated Elena better from the beginning… if they had trusted her just a little more… would things have turned out differently?
Yet it was still too late. There was just no going back once she made up her mind.
They never truly knew her before–not her preferences, not her personality. They simply took
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the love she gave them for granted. Only when they completely lost her did they finally come to understand what regret really felt like.
After a long silence, Robin spoke in a hoarse voice, “Kaney, come back, okay? Stop disrupting her life. The more we cling to her, the more she’ll come to hate us.
“We still have time. There are other ways we can try to make things right with her. But we can’t make her unhappy anymore.
“Okay.” Kane choked on a sob and nodded.
The next day, the little boy with a sharp face and cold demeanor no longer appeared outside the guesthouse. Elena glanced toward the entrance once, then never gave it another thought.
It was good that he left. It felt like a heavy stone had finally been lifted from her chest.
But from then on, for every holiday–no matter how big or small–two anonymous gifts would quietly show up at her doorstep. One was from an adult, and one was clearly from a child. No gift was ever repeated.
Robin and Kane had started learning how to be good to someone. When someone maliciously tried to sabotage the guesthouse, Robin took care of it before Elena even found out. He never mentioned it or asked for any credit.
It wasn’t until much later that she happened to hear about it from a friend. When Mollie got bullied at school, Kane quietly took matters into his own hands and fought off the kids who
had hurt her.
Robin and Kane lived not far from Elena’s guesthouse, always staying out of sight, always silently doing what they could for her. Elena wasn’t a fool, so there was no way she wouldn’t notice eventually.
So, she followed Robin and Kane back to Saxondale to visit Evangeline’s grave on her death.
anniversary.
Standing in front of the tombstone, Elena spoke softly while staring at Evangeline’s picture, Stop trying so hard. I already told you, we can’t go back to how things were.‘
Robin and Kane responded at the same time, “We’re not trying to go back. We just want to stay near you and be good to you.”
“We don’t want to lose you again. Just being near you is enough.”
Elena gave up trying because there was no change in their minds.
“Do–whatever you want. Just don’t let me see you
“Okay,” they agreed.
And for the rest of their lives, Robin and Kane watched Elena from not too near, but not too far away–just enough to know she was happy.
