07
The moment he heard that sentence, Julian’s eyes lit up instantly. He had never considered this possibility before because Hillary’s parents were still in the country. Hillary was a very filial person and this had limited his thinking. He felt she wouldn’t run off abroad.
1:30 PM
Jo Longer Your Love My Hand
He’d even resorted to talking about her parents online to force Hillary to show herself, but with technology so advanced these days, they could quickly contact each other with a quick phone call. Video calls made it possible to see each other without needing to meet in person, so his efforts to have people watch the Joneses‘ residence had yielded no results.
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he began posting missing person notices on international websites. Once the posts were sent out, exhaustion washed over him and he shut his eyes with a weary sigh. “Hillary, as long as you’re alive, there will always be traces of you, I will find you, even if it takes decades. You can’t escape me. Even if
you die, you’ll die in my arms.”
Another two years passed in this relentless search. By now, Hillary had been gone for a total of three years.
During this time, Julian’s father had utterly lost faith in him and brought his illegitimate son into the family.
His mother came to him in tears every day to complain, becoming increasingly bitter and resentful. “If your weren’t so useless, do you think your father would’ve let that woman’s bastard into this house?”
Julian was mentally and physically exhausted. He didn’t pay any mind to the illegitimate son because his father had long ago given him control of the entire company. Even if a hundred more illegitimate children appeared, he
wouldn’t be afraid.
He drank heavily every day, developing serious stomach problems, but he ignored them. It was his self–inflicted punishment. Over the years, seeing his father being affectionate with other women made him think of Hillary and
that realization crushed him.
The more he thought about how he had neglected Hillary in the past, the more unbearable the pain became. He frantically searched for videos of her online and discovered a charity project called Eden
Back when she first mentioned her plans, he had dismissed them as laughable. Hillary had once cried
uncontrollably over a video of an elderly homeless person. Still, there were millions of homeless people in the world and this kind of suffering happened every day. She couldn’t possibly save them all.
He’d never taken it seriously, but now, when he investigated, he found that she hadn’t acted alone and had even rallied netizens to the cause. Her parents had invested heavily to support their daughter and now Eden existed all
over the country. Eden which meant peace and happiness.
Hillary had hoped for a world without suffering, without war, without violence. A place where everyone could
live in safety and joy. However, Julian had once cruelly told her. “As long as there are people, there will always be conflict. What you’re trying to achieve is impossible.”
Hillary’s voice had been soft yet unwavering. “That’s why I’m trying to make the world better. Things one person can’t achieve alone can create a beautiful world if someone takes the lead. It is the power of inspiration. Just
because something seems impossible doesn’t mean we should do nothing. At the very least, we must do what we can in the present”
She had succeeded. With everyone’s help, she launched a nationwide effort to help all homeless people. The more Julian learned, the more he realized how little he had understood her in the past.
His heart was full of bitterness. He invested vast sums of money but unexpectedly learned that Hillary had been continuously pouring large amounts of funds into the project over the past three years without a single month’s
break
