Chapter 19
“Yes.” I smiled and nodded. “Since I have nothing else to do in the hospital, I might as well keep myself busy.”
Sophia was very supportive of my decision. In her words, as long as I had something I was willing to work on, it meant I had the will to keep going.
During this time, Sophia had been taking wonderful care of me. She brought me my violin, along with homemade broth and stewed ribs.
I ate with genuine enjoyment, unable to hold back a few words of praise.
“Sophia, you are a multi–talented person. You’re ambitious and hardworking in your career, and your cooking is amazing too. Whoever marries you in the future is going to be one lucky guy.”
Sophia blushed at the compliment, lowering her head shyly.
After sitting with me for a while, she gathered the thermos and headed out.
Meanwhile, I picked up my pen and paper, diving back into writing lyrics and composing music, trying to recapture the feeling I once had.
Just then, the door to my hospital room swung open.
Thinking it was Sophia returning for something she’d forgotten, I kept my head down, focused on my work. But a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts with a tone of surprise.
“I always said you had a gift. Why did you abandon your career after getting married?”
The voice made me freeze.
I looked up quickly, locking eyes with the speaker.
It was my former boss, Zack Zimmerman. He was the owner of Catalyst Mediaworks and a well -known investor in the industry.
Every project he funded turned into a massive success.
Back in the day, I worked under him, writing songs and composing music for various artists. As long as I worked for the company and my songs were performed, I’d receive royalties.
Ever since I married Abigail, I hadn’t been in touch with Zack for years.
I never expected him to find out I was in the hospital, let alone come to visit me..
Despite being nearly 50, Zack looked as energetic and sharp as ever, showing no signs of aging. He was the kind of larger–than–life figure people talked about, someone who dominated the business world with ease and confidence.
And then there was me,
I wasn’t even 30 yet, but I was already looking worn–out and older than others my age. I was a shadow of the person I used to be.
Zack placed a bouquet of fresh flowers on my bedside table, pulled up a chair, and sighed as he looked me over.
“Seeing you like this, it’s obvious you’ve been through hell.”
I gave him a bitter smile and shook my head. “Yeah, Uncle Zack, I brought this on myself. It was my own blindness back then.”
If I had stayed at Catalyst Mediaworks, I’d probably be worth millions by now.
Maybe my choice back then was a mistake.
If I’d just stuck with my decision to break up with Abigail, I could have moved on with my life. She could have thrived in her world of business, and I could have climbed the ranks in my own
career.
But there are no second chances in life. Once a choice is made, all you can do is keep pushing forward, no matter how hard the road gets.
Zack chuckled, patting my shoulder gently. “Samuel, you’re still young. You still have the chance to start over. And seeing you like this… if your mother could see you now, she’d be heartbroken.”
A lump formed in my throat, and tears began to fall silently.
My parents had passed away when I was very young, I could barely even remember their faces. Zack had been my mother’s best friend, and he’d looked after me like his own son ever since.
He fixed me with a steady gaze and asked quietly, “Samuel, if you had the chance to start over, would you want to come back to work at my company?”
