Love's Redemption

I chuckled. "Brandon, I've made myself clear. Since we have different goals, let's call it off, then."

"But don't you need a boyfriend?" Brandon pressed.

"Yes, I do, but I can't handle a military guy like you. I'll figure something else out."

My response seemed to darken his gaze even more.

I half-expected him to protest or compromise, but he surprised me by saying nothing at all. I had overestimated myself.

"Well, then, I'm sorry for overstepping," I said.

Turning away, I hurried into my car as though eager to escape the scene.

It wasn't until I was sure Brandon couldn't see me that I finally stopped the car. After taking a deep breath, I regretted the reckless impulsiveness of last night's drinks.

I should have asked Derick to pretend to be my boyfriend instead of getting involved with Brandon.

But it was too late for regrets now.

After calming my nerves, I drove to a flower shop, bought a bouquet, and headed to my parents' grave.

Apart from occasions like their birthdays and the anniversaries of their passing, I rarely visited this place anymore.

But lately, I'd been dreaming of my childhood and my parents. So, I wanted to visit them as I felt their longing for me.

Arriving at the cemetery, I noticed a bouquet by the tombstone. Its wilted petals suggested it had been there for less than two weeks.

But it had been over a decade since my parents' passing, and besides Zack and Bree, no one else remembered them.

Had Zack and Bree come to pay their respects? If they had, why hadn't Bree mentioned it?

I was puzzled, but with everything going on with Chris now, perhaps Bree had simply forgotten to bring it up.

I set aside the withered flowers and placed my own offering.

As I looked at the youthful faces on the tombstone, my heart ached, yet I managed to smile. "Mom, Dad, have you missed me? I've been dreaming of you a lot lately.

"Mom, Dad, Chris and I broke up. I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill your and his parents' wishes for us to marry. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Mom, Dad, more than fulfilling the promise you arranged, I think you just wanted me to be happy, right?"

...

Sitting before their grave, I poured out my heart for over an hour.

I had only realized how much time had passed when the sun was high, and I finally left.

Before leaving, I picked up the withered flowers to throw them away. I noticed they weren't lilies. They were daisies.

For all these years that I had been living with the Gildon family, whenever Zack, Bree, Chris, and I came to mourn my parents, we always brought lilies because Mom loved them.

But these were daisies, not lilies. Clearly, they weren't from them.

So, who had left them here?

I grew even more perplexed. Could it have been my parents' old friends paying their respects?

I dismissed the idea quickly.

Zack and Bree had chosen this resting place for my parents, and there were no other relatives or friends present at their burial.

Even Mom's and Dad's friends wouldn't have known about this place.

But who could it have been?

A strange, inexplicable feeling tugged at my heart, leading me to finally call Bree.

"Maddie," Bree exclaimed joyfully as she answered the phone. "I was just about to call you."

I suppressed my questions and asked, "Bree, is there something you need from me?"