Chapter 19
on that long, sleepless night, every sheep Maddox once imagined leaping through his thoughts had suddenly taken on Priscilla’s face.
When he woke from his dream, the memory of the night before–when they had finally confessed their feelings–brought a wide, unshakable smile to his face.
He couldn’t wait to get out of bed and see her. But when he opened the door, he was stunned to find Priscilla already standing there, holding a bouquet of gardenias in het hands,
Gardenias were the flower of eternal love and a lifetime of devotion. The moment the door opened, the fragrance of the blossoms swept in. Yet even the most vibrant bloom paled in comparison to the smile on Priscilla’s face..
“Maddox, good moming. I thought about everything last night, I know I can’t retum your love as fully or as quickly as you feel it for me, but now that I’ve decided to be with you, I’m going to give you all of myself–heart and soul.
“I’ll do my best to make you feel that same kind of love. I hope that in the days ahead, we can
un walk hand in hand through
ough the rest of our lives.”
our lives,” she said to him
Priscilla had rehearsed the words over and over. The moment Maddox opened the door, she blurted everything she had been preparing since moming all out in a single breath.
When she finished, she looked down, growing shy and flustered as she waited for his response. But nothing came.
After a moment, she lifted her head to look at him. That was when she saw that Maddox, who was usually calm and composed, now had red–rimmed eyes. It seemed like he was on the verge of tears.
“I…” Priscilla was startled and tried to comfort him, but suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Before she could say more, Maddox pulled her into his arms and muttered in a low, choked voice, “Giving
ng flowers is supposed to be my job..
“You did everything I wanted to do for you… What am I supposed to do now?”
“Because I like you,” she whispered, “I wanted to give you flowers. It doesn’t matter who gives them to whom.”
Standing there, seeing Priscilla holding fresh flowers just for him, Maddox felt like the moment wasn’t real. Only when he held her tightly in his arms did the feeling finally begin to sink in
Priscilla had come to the end of her journey and decided to stay with Maddox as he recovered. By the time they returned to Vistaville, winter had already arrived, and a heavy snowfall blanketed the city.
This ancient, bustling city had already begun to hint at winter’s chill even before the snow began to fall The sky looked like it had been draped in a giant gray curtain, dim and oppressive, cloalding everything in silence.
Trees lining the streets trembled in the biting wind, their bare branches stark against the gloomy sky. Every now and then, a few withered leaves were swept up, spinning helplessly through the air before drifting slowly to the ground.
As soon as Priscilla stepped out of the airport, the cold northem wind hit her full–on, sending goosebumps racing across her skin. Fortunately, it was only a short walk through the snow to reach shelter.
In truth, Priscilla had always enjoyed the snow. Growing up in the south, she still remembered the thrill of seeing her first snowfall during her freshman year in Vistavile.
felt like the world suddenly fell into a hush, like someone had pressed a mute button, leaving only the soft whisper of snowflakes falling. Each flake had its own unique shape, dancing and swirling through the air, weaving together into a dreamy white curtain
Snow covered the ground like a thick white blanket; it wrapped tree branches in shimmering silver, tuning them into icy works of art; it dusted rooftops, giving old buildings a solemn beauty, as if time itself had slipped into the past.
Pedestrians ou the street tugged their coats tighter, hurrying along as if trying to outrun the bitter bold. Only those who had never seen snow before serined delighted by it–and Priscilla was still one of the
