Eight Years Lost A Love Unclaimed (Ariella) novel Chapter 48

BOOK4 Chapter9

Ethan Harris – Epilogue

We returned to Maplewood at sunset. The first thing we did was visit my parents‘

graves. As I looked at their pictures, 1 finally understood where I got my features

from-

the gentle eyes from my mother, the stern expression from my father. After lighting

incense, I asked everyone else to leave, wanting some time alone with my parents.

I

spoke to them about the past five years.

By the time I descended the hill, the traces of tears had long dried on my face,

leaving only the smell of incense smoke on my clothes.

But as I took in the increasingly familiar surroundings, my heart still felt empty, as

if

something was missing.

It felt like I had forgotten something really important.

Detective Parker drove us to my parents‘ house, an old–fashioned neighborhood

with

all the amenities. The moment we opened the door, a cloud of dust rose into the

air.

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“Wow, it’s really dusty in here,” I said, coughing.

I made my way to the living room wall, where a large family portrait hung. Something

inside me struggled as I looked at it. In the photo, I was in my police uniform,

arms

around my parents, all of us smiling contentedly. It was a picture of a happy.

family.

But something felt off, like I was missing a crucial detail.

Jessica and I spent some time cleaning up the house. When I saw the old mountain.

bike on the balcony, a memory flashed in my mind–blue skies, a boy riding a bike

with a girl fast asleep on the backseat, her softness making my heart ache.

The image was fleeting, but it lingered.

We found many old photos from my childhood. Jessica was fascinated by them,

but I

felt nothing. When we were nearly done cleaning, Jessica asked me to go buy

some

essentials at the store. I had no idea where the store was, but as soon as I stepped

outside, I instinctively turned right and lifted my right hand as if I were supposed

to

be holding onto something.

As if on autopilot, I walked to the end of the alley and found a small grocery store.

Eight Years Lost: A Love Unclaimed

BOOK4 Chapter 9

The store owner’s wife looked surprised to see me. “Ethan, you’re finally back. You

have no idea how long Sienna waited for you.”

She kept talking, saying how, after I left, she often saw Sienna sitting alone outside

her little store. Whenever she asked why I wasn’t with her, Sienna would just

smile

and say, “Next time.”

But each time, she was alone.

Sometimes, as she spoke, her eyes would well up with tears.

The store owner’s wife told me she had never seen such a heart–wrenching girl

and

urged me not to fight with her anymore, to take good care of her.

I listened to her, but I didn’t know how to respond.

Images of Sienna kept flashing through my mind–her holding my hand, chatting

endlessly about what our future life together should be like, the way she looked at

me, love shining in her eyes.

But I had Jessica now, and Sienna had moved on. Whatever we had… it should be

in

the past by now.

Almost in a panic, I quickly bought some essentials and left the store.

I couldn’t understand why, but the thought of Sienna disappearing from my life

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Eight Years Lost: A Love Unfaimed

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for

good made my chest ache.

I lit a cigarette, standing on the street corner, looking at this familiar yet strange.

town. An indescribable feeling washed over me–I just wanted to leave, to go back.

to

the island.

When the cigarette was done, a bus pulled up in front of me. The doors opened,

and

I inexplicably got on. The bus was filled with students in blue and white uniforms,

and in the hazy fragments of my memory, I saw someone dressed like that, sitting

by

the window.

It was as if I could see eighteen–year–old Sienna waving at me, asking me to sit

down

and explain a problem to her.

The bus had thirteen stops, but I got off at a crossroads. Just ahead was a new

community, Maple Grove Estates. It felt strangely familiar.

Just as I was about to walk in, Jessica called me. I hailed a cab to head back home,

watching the community fade away in the rearview mirror. But as I drove away, it

didn’t feel like I was getting closer to home. Instead, it felt like I was moving

farther

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away.

Jessica and 1 had been in town for three days, meeting old friends and colleagues.

Their faces were unfamiliar, but their enthusiasm was overwhelming. I felt guilty.

They patted my shoulder, often crying, “It’s just good to have you back. It’s just…

good to have you back!”

They were clearly happy I was alive, but there was something else in their eyes,

something they weren’t saying. It was as if they expected me to ask them something,

as if I shouldn’t be the way I was now.

On the third day, Grace found me. She said I had another apartment, and

suddenly, a

place came to mind. When she brought us to Maple Grove Estates, it matched

exactly with the image in my head.

It was Unit 302 on the third floor. When Jessica asked, “Which one?” I was already

standing at the door on the left. Grace, holding the key, looked at me in surprise.

“Yes, it’s 302.”

It was around eight or nine in the morning, and the sunlight flooded the

apartment.

It was a three–bedroom, two–bathroom place, and every room was bathed in

warm

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light.

“The sunlight is amazing here. Is that why you bought this place, Ethan?”

I wasn’t sure, but a more perfect reason seemed to exist somewhere in my

memory.

The whole apartment was filled with shades of orange–orange curtains, an

orange

sofa cover, orange bed sheets, giving the place a warm, cozy feeling. There were

marks on the walls, as if picture frames had once hung there.

In the living room, there was a large bar counter, but strangely, no alcohol–just

an

assortment of herbal teas, at least a dozen varieties. Jessica laughed, “Now I know

why you like herbal tea so much.”

“Ethan, I have a surprise for you.”

W

As soon as she said that, an orange cat dashed out of the bedroom, his fur

completely orange except for a white patch around his neck. Strangely, the cat ran

straight to me, circling my legs and rubbing against me desperately, meowing

insistently. I finally bent down, and he jumped into my arms as if he had been

waiting

for me all along.

“Oh, what a friendly kitty! Let me hold him.”

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Jessica reached out to pick him up, but Buddy swatted at her twice.

“He’s actually your cat, Ethan. His name’s Buddy. You adopted him, and he’s been

keeping me busy these past few days.”

No wonder he was so affectionate toward me.

I carried him into the bedroom and took a can of food from the bedside cabinet.

The

little one pounced before I could even open the lid, as if he was starving.

Grace laughed, “It has to be you. He won’t eat when anyone else feeds him.”

“Well, I have to go now. If you need anything, just call me.”

After Grace left, Jessica suddenly let out a yelp–Buddy had scratched her. I quickly

pulled out the first–aid kit from under the TV cabinet and found some iodine to

disinfect the wound.

“Ethan, how did you know there was iodine there?”

I… didn’t know. It just felt natural.

Jessica looked at Buddy, who was eating contentedly. “I guess he doesn’t like me

very

much!”

We had planned to stay a few more days, but something came up at the

restaurant,

so Jessica had to leave to handle it. She asked me to stay behind and finish seeing

the

people 1 needed to see. I had met a lot of people, but it still felt like I hadn’t seen

the

one who mattered most.

That night, I came down with a fever, my whole body burning up, lost in a deep

sleep.

I dreamed of a boy being born in this apartment, attending the nearby

elementary…

and middle schools, eventually going to the best high school in the community. He

rode his bike to school every day, always leaving the back seat empty for someone

special, always carrying two bottles of milk in his backpack….

Years passed, and he went to college–police academy. Everyone was so proud of

him. At the celebration, he wrapped his arm around a girl and made an

exaggerated

promise, “The next time we all get together, it’ll be for our wedding.” The girl

blushed, but he took the promise seriously,

The gi

girl was gentle and kind to him. She even tied a red string around his wrist,

wishing for his safety. He gave her one in return, hoping she’d stop teasing him about

the mole under his eye.

Year after year, he meticulously planned his proposal. He was a bit of a

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troublemaker,

so he devised an elaborate scheme, turning the proposal into a car crash scene.

The

car burst through the setup, revealing his proposal. The girl cried, and he thought

it

was because she was moved. After all, the whole scene was filled with her favorite

flowers, an orange backdrop, and all their closest friends and family. He gently

held

her, reassuring her, “It’s time.” He knew she would marry him, so he dared to plan

such an outrageous proposal.

Everything went according to plan–taking wedding photos, designing the

invitations,

booking the hotel. They even tested the menu four times. He was only going to get

married once, so he couldn’t afford to mess it up.

Everything was ready. On the night of the rehearsal, even though he knew it was

just.

a rehearsal, he was incredibly nervous, his movements awkward and stiff. When

it

finally ended, he received orders from the police department. The girl reassured

him

that it was okay to go, and he promised her he’d be back in a week to marry her.

But

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the mission was tough, and they were ambushed. Gravely injured, he was thrown

into the ocean. The saltwater flooded his lungs, his organs felt like they were.

being

crushed, his face turned red from lack of air, his lungs were about to burst–bam!

I woke up drenched in cold sweat, gasping for air. The suffocating pressure slowly

eased as I came to, and I saw the open photo album on the table. The boy in my

dream and the young man in the pictures slowly merged into one.

In the dead of night, I rushed out of the house, heading back to Maple Grove

Estates.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard a voice. “The sunlight feels so warm, and

Buddy loves it too!”

“Ethan, Ethan, can we live here from now on?”

“With you, Buddy, and a daughter someday, we’ll have a perfect, happy family.”

“Okay, then let’s buy this place.”

So that was the real reason.

“Don’t drink soda, it’ll hurt your throat. Let me make you some tea. Would you like

rose or chamomile?”

“I’m being stubborn–I want chrysanthemum.”

Looking at the dozen types of herbal tea, I suddenly realized–it wasn’t me who

loved herbal tea.

Every piece of furniture in the house, we had picked out together. The large wooden

bed–I scheduled the wedding for the late afternoon because I was afraid she’d

throw a fit and refuse to marry me if she woke up too early. But in the end, I was

the

one who missed the wedding.

The brown couch–I once slept on it for two nights after saying something wrong

and

wrote a thousand–word apology, all while planning my proposal vows.

Staring at the nails on the wall, I walked into the bedroom and knelt by the bed.

Reaching underneath, I found a large box–the hidden photos were all there.