Chapter 26
“Lena, will you marry me?” Caleb knelt before Lena and held out a ring, his eyes alight with love.
Surrounded by Robert and their friends, Lena looked at him and nodded, her heart full.
Caleb’s face broke into a radiant smile as he slid the ring onto her finger with trembling hands. Lena took his hand and helped him to his feet.
As cheers erupted around them, he leaned in close and whispered, “Can I kiss you?“!
Lena nodded again.
From a distance, Micah watched them from behind a tree. After a moment’s pause, he stepped forward as the crowd began to thin.
Caleb spotted him and stiffened, stepping in front of Lena. “What do you want?”
Micah didn’t waver under Caleb’s glare. Silently, he held out a small box to Lena.
She didn’t take it, so he took the initiative and opened it himself. Inside was a key. He said, “I set aside money for you in a bank account. It’s what you’re owed from the divorce.”
Lena glanced at the key but didn’t move. “I don’t need it.”
Micah closed the box without pushing. “If you’re sure, I’ll have my assistant donate it to a children’s charity in your name.”
Lena stayed silent–her answer was clear.
Lena
Micah hesitated, then said, “Everview Cemetery, plot 176.”
She frowned, puzzled by the sudden mention.
“That’s where our child is buried. If you want to visit,” Micah added, his voice hoarse.
Lena’s breath hitched. Despite everything, the mention of their child stirred her. No matter what had happened, the child was blameless. Losing him had shattered her.
After a long pause, she softly said, “I will.”
Micah looked at her and Caleb. Then, he said, “I hope you find happiness.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Lena watched him go, words failing her. Finally, she turned to Caleb. “I want to see the child.” The memory of that child still lingered. It was a quiet ache that haunted her through sleepless nights.
“We’ll go together.” Caleb didn’t care about Lena’s past, and whatever had passed between her and Micah didn’t touch their child. An unborn child bore no blame.
When they returned from abroad, Caleb accompanied Lena to Everview Cemetery. There, they crossed paths with Micah descending the hill.
He said nothing and merely stepped aside. However, as he passed by Lena, she heard him murmur, “I’m sorry.”
Her steps faltered, but the words she might have spoken caught in her throat. She couldn’t forgive Micah, not for herself nor their child. And Micah didn’t expect her to either.
At the plot, she saw the polished headstone adorned with small snacks and toys. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Caleb stood beside her, his gaze heavy on the blank headstone–no name, no photo. He turned away, unable to bear it. He simply stayed by Lena’s side for hours, leaving only when the cemetery was about to close.
Caleb and Lena married soon after.
One evening, as Lena scrolled through news on her phone, a headline caught her eye. It read, “Shaw Group CEO Dies by Suicide.”
Her finger paused, then swiped past.
It was over. The wounds, the grudges–all of it was behind her.
Lena glanced at Caleb, absorbed in a book beside her, and a quiet smile spread across her face. She had found her happiness.
