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When Emma hung up,sending me their wedding photos,my hard-won courage scattered like sand in the wind.
Typing,deleting,retyping,I sent:
"Okay,I wish you all the happiness."
"But your husband might not like me there.For everyone's sake,I'll pack and leave."
No reply.A full day later,she sent one word:"Good."
Tears fell uncontrollably,I squatted,buried my head in my knees,and cried quietly.
Dad,where are you?
Your son needs you,we’re both fallen souls now!
Done crying,after three hours,forty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds,I managed to take my mind off my love for Emma for a while.
I packed my bags,glanced at the mansion,closed my eyes,and left without lingering.
A few steps out,I saw smoke rising from a nearby woods.
Sensing trouble,I sprinted over.
There was Sophia Turner,clapping gleefully,hopping into a car,and galloping away from the scene.
Before fleeing,she said:
"Heh,Emma,vanish for good!If you're dead,who else will ges your parents'fortune but me?Haha!"
Emma?She's trapped inside?
Limbs numb,I grabbed a nearby log and charged in without hesitation.
Smoke choked the air.I found Emma curled up in a corner,frail and frightened.
Braving flames,I hoisted her onto my shoulder.Near the exit,a branch fell onto my left leg.
"Ethan!"
Emma's face paled,her weak eyes snapping wide.
Tears streamed as she shoved me,screaming:
"Go,leave me!"
"It’s enough for me seeing your come and save me!"
"Live well,I love you..."
I locked eyes with her,no time to hesitate.Hopping twice,I limped her toward the door.
"Silly talk.It's a prosthetic—no pain.Move!"
Emma was stunned.
She glanced at the prosthetic pinned under the branch,back at my practiced hops,back at the prosthetic,then back at me...
"Stop staring."
I turned her face,gently setting her on a nearby trike's back seat.Meeting her tearful eyes,pity rippled through me.
Before I could ask what"I love you"meant—didn't she have a fiancé?—Emma gripped my hand tight,voice shaking:
"What happened?Why didn't you tell me?"
"Ethan,everything.Now."
I glanced at my empty left leg,smiled,sat beside her,and recounted it all.
As the sun set, I turned my head and saw Emma’s face bathed in the golden light,she was sobbing.
"Don't cry,it's okay now..."
Emma's small fist punched my chest in a controlled manner.
She wrapped her arms around me.
"If that's the case,be with me!I've got looks,money—no one'll bully you.Even if you're fully disabled,you've got nothing to fear,got it?"
Feeling tears welling up again,I nodded,then recalled her wedding.
"Your fiancé..."
"Fake,to piss you off."
"The wedding photos..."
"Photoshopped,waiting for you to chase me."
"Oh,the contract about me and my descendents..."
"Your next thirty generations are mine.Now?We'll be their ancestors."
Emma's words stunned me,my face flushing.
She leaned in,kissing me boldly.
I instinctively held her tight.
I think we'll be happy forever,till the end of time.
