<b>Chapter </b><b>280</b>
<b>Mark </b>reached out, gently ruffling my hair as he spoke in a calm, measured tone.
<b>“</b>The girl I wanted to ask to that concert… was you. The one I’ve been waiting to divorce… also <b>you</b>. And the one I’ve loved for twenty- <b>years</b>… <b>yes</b><b>, </b>you.”
His voice carried a quiet confidence, his amber eyes shining with unwavering certainty, “Jane, it’s always been you, nobody else.”
It felt like my heart was being pulled out of my chest. Suddenly, I was flustered, at a loss for words.
Tumed out, when faced with someone who genuinely cared for and loved me, my first instinct was to feel unworthy.
Mixed emotions swirled within me, and I instinctively wanted to deny it, “How could it be me? You’ve known her <i>for </i>so many years, and we’ve <b>only</b>…”
“Do you remember me telling you about moving back with the Larsons when I was eight?” Mark patiently exined, lifting his wrist to show me a bracelet, “Before I was taken back by the Larsons, I was in Southhaven. This bracelet, does it ring a <b>bell</b>?<b>”</b>
“No…” I shook my head in confusion.
My memories before moving in with my aunt were fragmented, consisting only of bits and pieces about my parents and being chased for debts.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.
My aunt, having to put up with Allen’s mood swings just to feed me, would never have taken me to a hospital.
Later, when <b>I </b>sought medical advice, the doctor said it was amnesia caused by severe trauma.
And it’d been too long; the chances of recovering those memories were slim.
“This was a birthday gift you gave me.”
Mark, clueless about the storm inside me, didn’t seem down at all. He spoke gently, “It’s okay. We have a long future ahead of us. It’s enough that I remember the past.”
<b>“</b><b>You</b>…” I hesitated before asking, “When did you recognize me?”
It was that time you fainted from low blood sugar.”
Mark looked at me with <b>a </b>tender gaze, “I heard someone call <b>your </b>name.”
He chuckled softly, “At first<b>, </b>I wondered if it was just a coincidence. But then, I noticed so many of your habits were the same as when you were little. They haven’t changed.”
I blinked, “Like what<b>?</b><b>”</b>
“Your love for spicy and sweet foods, the way <b>you </b>fidget with your hands when you’re nervous, your fear of anything squishy…”
Mark observed me, “So, <b>it </b>adds up, right?<b>”</b>
With each habit he listed, <b>my </b>certainty grew, and I had to admit, “Yes! It adds up.”
It really was me. Absolutely me.
But still…
Ifidgeted with my hands, saying, “Mark, I might…”
Not be <b>ready </b>to return your <b>feelings</b>.
Liking someone isn’t easy<b>, </b><b>and </b>before I can clear my own heart<b>, </b>epting another feels irresponsible.
<b>Both </b>to myself <b>and </b>to the other person.
“I don’t need an immediate response from you.”
Mark understood me too well<b>, </b><b>his </b>voice soothing, “Jane, you don’t have <b>to </b><b>feel </b>guilty or pressured because <b>of </b>this. I like you, and <b>I </b>helped <b>you </b>that time, because, as <b>a </b>kid, you protected me so many <b>times</b><b>.”</b>
“As a ‘bastard‘ with no father and a deceased mother, whenever I was mocked or bullied, you were there, <b>fists </b><b>ready</b>, like a little warrior, shielding me.”
“Was it <b>really </b>like <b>that</b><b>?</b><b>”</b>
I <b>asked</b><b>, </b>somewhat wistfully.
Had I been really like that as <b>a </b>child<b>? </b>Bold, brave, <b>fearless</b><b>, </b>standing tall like a sunflower.
How <b>did </b><b>I </b>be what I was <b>today</b><b>…</b>