Chapter 141 Our Story Would Be Different (End Of Book 1)
Chapter 141 Our Story Would Be Different (End Of Book 1).
ARDEN
Cade stared at me for a moment, his eyes lingering in a way that made my heart beat harder. Then, without a word, he took my hand gently and guided me to sit down beside him. The cool sea air brushed against my skin, but his touch was warm. He reached for my hand again, fixing the ring properly on my finger.
“This stone…” he began, “it’s rare these days–well, actually, it’s always been rare. But I looked for it. Another one of my works.”
I couldn’t breathe properly.
“I knew you didn’t want to use your mom’s necklace in case it got damaged,” he continued, glancing at me with a faint smile, “so I got this for you instead. It’s called Distoz.”
“Distoz?” I repeated quietly.
He nodded. “It can detect emotions of anyone with the blood that’s been inputted into it… and anything that has the DNA from that blood, even from a distance.”
I gasped softly as I stared at the ring again. My fingertips brushed the stone, and I felt an odd warmth radiating from it.
“I know it’s too early for me to ask you to marry me,” Cade said, hesitant in a way I rarely ever heard from him. “I feel like I still have so much to prove to you. So this isn’t about that. This is just to show my dedication to you.”
My chest tightened, though not in pain.
“I actually planned to give it to you on our last day,” he admitted with a soft laugh, “but when you looked so fondly at those children earlier, I thought, maybe I should give you something now.”
“Cade…” My voice faltered because there was no way to gather all the things I wanted to say into one
sentence.
But before I could speak again, he stood up and walked a few steps away, disappearing for a moment into the shadows.
“There’s more?” I called after him. I couldn’t believe how he could prepare so many things for me during his busy week.
When he came back, my breath caught. In his hands was a small white chest, almost identical to my mother’s, and a Polaroid camera dangling from his wrist.
“What’s that?” I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly, though my heart was already pounding from its familiar shape.
He didn’t answer immediately Instead, he lifted the camera, pointed it at me, and–click–captured the moment. The sound startled me.
“Hey!” I laughed, embarrassed. “What was that for?”
173
Chapter 141 Our Story Would Be Different (End Of Book 1)
Still saying nothing, he took my hand again. He slid the ring from my finger, just for a moment, and turned the chest over in his palm. At the bottom was a tiny slot. He placed the ring’s stone into the slot, and there was a soft click as it opened.
Inside, there was an empty space. Cade gently placed the Polaroid inside, and then… it hit me. My lips parted in shock.
“This…” My voice trembled. “This is just like my mom’s.”
“Mmh,” he hummed, finally meeting my gaze again. “A place to keep memories.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes stinging.
Still, Cade wasn’t finished. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another ring–his ring. It was simpler than mine, but still beautiful, with a smaller Distoz stone embedded in it.
My heart swelled at the sight of it.
“So,” he said quietly, shyly for once, “if we ever have future children…” His eyes softened, and there was a small smile playing on his lips. “…we can leave them letters.”
The wind stirred between us, carrying his scent. I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears. My fingers curled protectively around the chest.
I wanted to tell him that no gift could mean more than this because it was the kind of love that didn’t just exist in the present. It was love that reached forward, into futures we hadn’t even lived yet. Futures where we’d still be side by side.
My eyes stung, and before I could think better of it, I threw my arms around Cade. I buried my face in his shoulder, breathing him in.
=
“How can you be so thoughtful?” I whispered.
He let out a soft chuckle. “Because I was pretty/thoughtless when we first met. Only wanting to do everything for my own benefit and Honey’s.” His hand stroked my back gently. “You make me want to do these things.” His voice dropped to a murmur, so tender it made my heart twist.
I pulled back just enough to see his face.
“I know how special your mom is to you,” he continued, “even when you’ve only met for a short time. With this chest, I hope we can change your parents‘ history. And only give it to our children when our time on Earth is truly up.”
My lips trembled. I wanted to tell him that no one had ever understood me like this, that I didn’t even know love could be so quiet and so loud at the same time. But no words came. I just nodded, because anything else would’ve shattered me completely.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered, brushing his thumb under my eye before leaning in to kiss me softly.
When he pulled back, there was the faintest smirk playing at his lips. “Want to write the first letter?”
I laughed through my tears, shaking my head at its absurdity. “We don’t even have a child yet,” I muttered, still smiling.
2/3
21:44 Tue, 12 Aug C
Chapter 141 Our Story Would Be Different (End Of Book 1)
“It doesn’t matter. I’m thinking ahead,” he said, teasing but sincere.
I rolled my eyes and nodded. “Alright. Let’s do it.”
We sat cross–legged on the bed, the little white chest between us, and Cade pulled out a pen and paper. He started first, the scratch of the pen steady in the quiet room. Then he slid it toward me, and I read the first few lines, smiling widely before I added my
own words.
Dear little one,
You’re not on this Earth yet, or even in your mom’s stomach, but we’re advanced thinkers, and we want you to know that you already matter to us.
We have something beautiful together, and one day, we’ll give you something even more beautiful–a home filled with laughter, safety, and love. You’ll be born not out of duty or chance, but because we chose to bring you into this world. You will be born out of love..
We can’t promise the world will always be kind, but we can promise that in our arms, you’ll always find peace. You’ll know the sound of your mom’s laugh when she can’t stop, the way she hums without realizing, the warmth of her hugs that can chase away any nightmare.
You’ll know the way your dad tells bad jokes to make you smile, how he never lets go of your hand in a crowd, and how he’d move mountains just to see you happy.
We hope you’ll grow to be brave, but gentle. Strong, but kind. Curious enough to make mistakes and wise enough to learn from them. We hope you’ll find people who love you for exactly who you are–though we already know we will be at the top of that list.
Until the day we get to meet you, we’ll keep living, laughing, and collecting little pieces of our life together so that one day you can see how your story began–long before you even took your first breath.
Until the day comes.
Love, Mom and Dad.
Arden and Cade.
END
