Chosen
Chapter 7
Trabbed my sore eyes and waved my hand.
“Tos time, really.”
The shopkeeper, perceptive as always, handed me a pack of tissues and brew a cup of oral tea before turning away to tend to the flowers.
I sat quietly in the shop for a long time, letting my emotions settle. Eventually chose a bouquet of daisies and prepared to leave.
Just as I was about to pay, the shopkeeper stopped i
“This bouquet is on the house.”
I was taken aback and looked at her in confusion
She smiled Exintly, as though lost in memory.
“Miss, I just remembered something joseph told me back then. He said somente might come to inquire about this order one day.
“If she comes alone, give her a bouquet of flowers.
Tell her. Keep moving forward, the starlight will illuminate your path.”
That day. I broke down completely in front of my mother’s grave.
Thever thought he would appear beside me in such a way.
And I never expected that even now, I would still rely on him for comfort
What kind of mental preparation did he go through to leave those words with the shopkeeper?
I was the only one who understood the meaning of “if she comes alone,”
I meant he was no longer by my side.
In the evening, my colleague called me.
“Zoey, the flight’s hooked for next
week
“Who do you want to let as the beneficiary for the insurance this time? Your husband?”
I shook my head.
“Please put down Doctors Without Borders”
“Doctors Without Burders?”
“Yes”
“Why them?”
Taffed and answered softly.
“Because he was a doctor with Doctors Without Borders”
Ast staggered out of the cemetery gate, 1saw an unexpected figure–Jackson
He looked unkempt, with stubble on his face and a weary expression.
Without saying a word, he handed me a box.
Trade was a camera, the same model as my mother’s
Mina Chance to Benale a Heart: The Love That Never Been Chose
17.9%
Chapter 7
The old one couldn’t be repaired.
We stood there m silence, staring at each other.
dilat take the bes
Thad no idea how he found me, nor where he managed to get this camera from–one that was released in 1994.
Tut what I cherished had already been broken.
Even if he found an identical replacesem. what difference would it make?
Seeing that I wouldn’t take it, he rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
“Come back with me.
“The wedding is next week. The invitations have been sent out. If you keep ring trouble, there will be no way to fix this
I let out a mocking laugh.
“To you. I’m the one causing trouble?
He sighed and grabbed my hand.
“Zoey, I know you’re doing this because you love me.
“You think I favor her, giving her your belongings. But that’s because she demanded an apology from you
I saw that old camera lying around and gave it to her so she’d stop bothering you
You embarrassed her in front of so many people–1.couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.”
Looking at him, I suddenly felt a hint of pity.
“Jackson, I don’t love you.”
He froze, then his expression turned cold.
“Don’t be.
“If you didn’t love me, why would you look at me like that?”
I chuckled softly, palled my hand back, and gently touched his face.
“What a pity. I’ll never see this face again”
His expression shifted as if he realized something
You
But before he could finish, his phone ring.
It was Sara
He hesitated for a few seconds before answering
On the other end, her voice was fraught with despair.
“Jackson, I’m leaving
“I’m sorry for causing trouble again.
“It’s just. I couldn’t help but feel jealous of her.”
“Sara, where are you?”
Chapter 7
“Don’t come. Go find her. She‘
The call ended
une you’ll spend the rest of your life with
Jackson hurriedly shoed the box in my arms and took off running, disappeling at the end of the street.
I watched his figure vanish and surered,
Lafting the box. I towed the camera into a nearby trash can
– was about to leave too
The following week, I was incredibly by–training my body, bushing up one language, finalizing story ideas, and coordinating with local guides
Meanwhile, Jackson kept testing me from different numbers,
[Toey, what did you mean that day?]
[Don’t we have more to talk about?]
11 apologize on Sara’s behalf for what happened that day l
[Where are you now?
I didn’t reply to a single one.
The day before I left, he messaged again:
The wedding’s tomorrow Will you come?”
I snapped my SIM card in half, dragged my suitcase, and resolutely headed to the airport
As sunlight poured through the airplane window, the plane lifted off.
From A Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, there we no direct flights
I had to transfer in Cairo. The entire journey would take almost twenty hours.
Enough time to revis old memories.
Palling on the sleep mask handed out by the fight attendant, I murmured softly
Joseph, I’m coming back
“I miss you so muri
——- Mask Hari Theme That Never De Chosen
