Chapter 13
Celia sat quiedy on a bench by the lake, staring blankly at the water. The small boats on the lake rocked gently with the waves, slowly settling into stillness. It was just like her wandering heart, which would always eventually find its calm
Without realizing it, the sun began to set. The evening glow stretched across the horizon like a brilliant painting (
Celia walked along the edge of Millstone Beach, where the sand beneath her feet had turned a golden hue under the sunset. Her shadow stretched long in the fading light, as if this chapter was a new story fate had begun writing for her
The matter with Mason and Brooklyn was already behind her. The memories nos
Eventually, Celis arrived at the ancient town of Lindow.
now seemed veiled in a light mist–faint, distant, and unclear ||
The central square was bustling with life, and both sides of the street were lined with all kinds of ornaments and trinkets. She strolled along the charming. old fashioned streets, admiring the intricate handmade crafts and soaking in the rich ethnic atmosphere.
Elderly locals, dressed in festive attire, danced joyfully in a circle, their faces lit with smiles of contentment. The joy was contagious as swaying gently to the rhythm ||
Celia found herself
By nightfall, the ancient town gleamed under the lights. The glow reflected off the narrow r
river, casting a a shimmering, dreamlike scene]
By
She sat in a small riverside pub, listening to the soft, lingering melody while sipping the local wine. Her heart was just brimming with contentment and joy
It had been a long time since she last thought about Mason and Brooklyn, and that, in itself, was a good thing.]
Slightly tipsy from the drinks, Cells felt light and unanchored she decided to step outside and walk it off. As she reached the entrance of a small cottage, a light rain began to fal
The drizzle swept diagonally past the dark–tiled caves as Celia leaned against a weathered wooden doorframe. The alcohol coursed through her veins, turning the flickering lanterns along the stone–paved street into a blur of glowing halos
She reached out to catch a droplet hanging from the edge of the roof. The cold sensation jolted her fingertips, sobering g the warmth that still lingered from the wine. Suddenly, a soft orange wall lamp lit up in the corner. The cottage gate, wrapped in rose vines, was left slightly dar. A plaque above the entrance was Inscribed in delicate gold script with the words “Rainwatch Haven,” glistening under the rain.]
Celia st
stumbled forward and pushed the door open. From behind a bush of hydrangeas came the faint clink of porcelain.]
“Celia? Do you need a towel?” A low, husky male voice started her into stepping back as a strikingly beautiful hand reached out toward her.
Under the soft glow of the porch light, a man lounged in a weathered armchair, dressed in a cream–colored linen shirt. His pole fingers rested casually on the rim of a cerande mug
The mist
st and rain softened the edges of his face, blurring his features like watercolor on thump paper. He reminded Cella of a sculpture she once saw in a quiet corner of an old gallery serene, refined, and somehow achingly breakable.||
“How do you know my name?” she asked, tightly during the drenched cashmere shawl around her.
A gentle breeze stirred his hair as Ethan Sinclair pushed himself up, coughing softly. His wrist, exposed where the sleeve had slipped, was so slender that the faint blue veins beneath the skin were visible.
saw you dancing at the freshman welcome party in college,” he said, his fingers nervously tightening around the hem of his clothing.
-You were so full of life. It was hard to forget.” His ears flushed red as he finished speaking.
A crack of thunder for through the clouds, and only i
dy then did Cella notice that his ears were already bright red[
Raindrops dripped from the wisteria trellis onto the inkstone, the wet ink swirling into deep gray topples. Framed by the night. Ethan looked like some otherworldly creature meant to lure que inin desire.[]
Celia found herself drawn to him almost Involuntarily. She took the towel from his hand and followed him into the house
Only after sitting inside did she ralize that she was alone, in an unfamiliar roun, in an unfamiliar ancient town, with a man
was essentially a stranger.||
The silence between them carried a suble undercurrent of latinary Flustered, Celin hastily blurted out a question to break the tension. You’re a student at Vista College Ino?”
man who
He hummed in confirmation before saying “I got into a car accident in my junior year. since then, I came here around this time every year to rest and remover. Noticing her discomfort, than instinctively talked more, trying to put her at ease.||
“A car accident?“]
Ethan was so happy when he saw how interested people were in his story. She might not remember him, but he had never forgotten her.
All these years, she had stayed in his heart.
He only stopped following her life after he learned the had fallen in love, been proposed to, and eventually gotten married ||
