Chapter 10
I traveled with my mentor through the war zones, tirelessly treating the wounded day and night.
Every time I saved a child from pain and they flashed me a grateful smile, I felt a sense of fulfillment deep in my heart.
I used to struggle with self–doubt, yearning for my parents‘ love and my boyfriend’s affection.
But now I understood that the most important love was the love for myself.
Unable to reach me, my parents started posting missing person notices online again.
They almost exhausted all their money, searching for me across the globe.
I happened to see their video one day when I had internet
access.
In the video, their hair was already graying, and they held up a sign: [Looking for our beloved daughter, Sophie.]
“Sophie, we know you don’t want to see us, but we just want to hear your voice.
“We miss you so much, and we know it was all our fault. We
Chapter 10
wronged you.
“You’ve always been our proudest daughter.
“Since you’ve chosen this path, we will silently support you. Saving lives is the most honorable thing. We will always love you, Sophie.”
Eddie somehow found out where I was.
But before he could say anything, he suddenly collapsed, running a high fever.
2/4
After being diagnosed, we discovered he had come into contact with children from an epidemic area and had contracted the
virus.
The vaccine was costly and scarce, and even if we borrowed one from the nearest emergency center, we had to wait at least two days.
Eddie knew his time was running out. He lay weakly in bed, breathing shallowly.
“Sophie, I’m already satisfied to see you again.
“Seeing you work, I remembered how energetic and cheerful you
once were.
“I regret it so much. How could I be so foolish and let you go?
“Oh, by the way…”
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3/4
He opened his palm, and the engagement ring lay quietly there.
“Look, the engagement ring. I found it again. It’s yours, my beloved Sophie.”
With that, his hand fell limply, and he breathed his last.
I gripped the ring tightly and couldn’t help but cry.
In the end, I couldn’t bear it. The person I once loved most had died right before my eyes.
I couldn’t forgive him for the pain he caused me, but I still felt sorrow for his death.
Just as I was heading to the next location with my mentor to provide support, my phone buzzed with a new message.
There had been a flood in my hometown, and dozens of people had perished.
Among the names on the death list were my parents.
I then noticed a text message in my inbox: [Sophie, there has been a flood at home. It doesn’t look good. We finally understand the pain you went through. You were all alone in a foreign country. How helpless you must have been. So now, it seems we’ve received our retribution. We’re sorry, Sophie. We don’t ask for your forgiveness. We just hope you can forget us and continue walking toward your bright future.]
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Reading the message, I felt no joy.
After all, they had given me life and raised me for eighteen years. I returned home to handle their funeral arrangements.
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They left behind a massive inheritance, but I only kept the one million dollars I had once returned to them, donating everything else to charity.
I would follow their advice and live my life as they had wished, moving forward on my own path.
