Chapter 21
After not seeing each other for a long time, Kenyon had clearly lost a lot of weight. Always attentive to details, he now had a noticeable stubble on his chin.
This time, Marlene no longer showed the resistance and reluctance she once had, and she invited Kenyon into the house without hesitation.
But Kenyon, who was always eloquent and persuasive, now found himself at a loss for words.
Marlene turned and went inside, placing a bank card on the table.
“My father had surgery a while ago, and I don’t have much money left. Here is thirty thousand dollars. It’s not much, but it’s a token of my gratitude.”
Back when Marlene had just graduated, her father was in a car accident. The whole family scraped together what they could, humbly borrowing and pleading with everyone they knew, but they were still fifty thousand dollars short of the surgery fee.
When Marlene first arrived in New York, unfamiliar with everything, she could only cry helplessly in secret.
Later, when Kenyon found out about it, he transferred eighty thousand dollars to her without a second thought. Although he said she could pay it back with her future salary, he never actually deducted anything over the
years.
Kenyon stared at the bank card on the table, tears shimmering in his eyes. He looked up and met Marlene’s gaze.
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Chapter 21
“Do you hate me?”
Marlene, on the contrary, smiled with relief. “I wouldn’t say I hate you. After all, I’ve been quite happy these past five years.”
In five years, Kenyon had taught Marlene a lot and changed her in many ways. Without Kenyon’s guidance and help, she wouldn’t have grown so quickly in her career.
Thinking about it, it had been a long time since the two of them had such a calm and peaceful conversation.
Kenyon gripped the bank card tightly, its four corners pressing into his palm, causing a faint pain.
“I don’t know what my mother said to you, but I apologize on her behalf.”
Marlene smiled. “There’s no need to apologize. It’s understandable for a mother to be protective of her son. Just remember to consider your mother more before making decisions in the future.”
Marlene turned her head to look out the window. There were signs that it was about to rain.
“Mr. Burt, it’s going to rain outside. You should go.”
Kenyon held the bank card tightly as he stood up, turned around, and walked downstairs in disappointment. He looked up at the sky, which was covered in dark clouds, the muffled sound of thunder rolling closer.
A raindrop landed on his face, damp and tinged with a chill.
Kenyon raised his hand to wipe the rain from his face, as a thought began to grow wildly in his mind.
The next second, he turned around and rushed back.
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Chapter 21
Marlene was about to close the door when a pair of hands suddenly blocked the doorway.
“Come with me somewhere.”
Marlene didn’t even have time to change her slippers before Kenyon pulled her into the car.
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The car drove straight ahead and stopped at the entrance of an amusement park.
The amusement park had long since closed, not a single person in sight. With the rain threatening to fall, the place felt even more deserted.
“Can you stay with me for an hour? Just one hour, that’s all I ask.”
The pleading look in Kenyon’s eyes was something Marlene had never seen before. The always decisive Kenyon now spoke with a tone full of humility.
“Just let me make up for one regret, okay?”
The Ferris wheel started up again, its lights shining brightly. As it slowly rose to the highest point, the entire cityscape unfolded before their eyes.
“You once told me that if two people kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel, they’ll be together forever.”
There was an indescribable emotion in Kenyon’s eyes, a faint joy hidden beneath his quiet anticipation.
“I’ve forgotten,” Marlene turned her head away, smiling gently. “But Mr. Burt, I hope one day you’ll bring a girl you love, and who loves you, here.”
Kenyon lowered his eyes, masking his answer with a soft laugh, but in his heart, he answered the question in silence.
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Chapter 21
Never again, Marlene. Never again.
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At the very moment the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, Marlene’s phone rang in her pocket. It was Alaric.
“Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.‘
It was a brief call, lasting only thirty seconds, and by then the Ferris wheel was slowly descending from its peak.
Marlene smiled, unlocked the door from inside, and waved goodbye to
Kenyon.
“Mr. Burt, my boyfriend is here to pick me up. I’m heading home now.”
Kenyon watched Marlene’s figure as she walked away–slender and delicate, yet light and buoyant.
He watched her walk toward Alaric, throw herself into his arms with a genuine smile, and never once look back.
At that moment, Kenyon smiled with relief.
He knew that they would never go back to the way things were.
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Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
