A tear rolled down Sarah's cheek, a mixture of sadness and a strange sense of peace. She felt a connection to this man, a respect for his wishes, a deep understanding of the legacy he sought to preserve. She knew, with a certainty that settled in her heart, that no matter how much she loved Damien, she must let him honor his grandfather's last wish.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with a quiet strength. "I won't interfere with Damien's marriage."
Don looked at her, his eyes filled with gratitude and a deep affection that even surprised him. He saw Rose in her—her spirit, her selflessness, her unwavering love. He reached out and gently tapped her head. "I know you won't," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. He then rose, the weight of his years suddenly more apparent, and left the office, leaving Sarah alone with her thoughts, her heart heavy but resolute.
I must leave, she said to herself. He's getting married to another woman. Whether he loves me or not, I will never be the other woman. Tears fell down her face.
A Familiar Comfort
Just then, her phone rang. She took it and saw a message from Matilda, asking her to come visit when she found time. Sarah readily agreed to come after work.
When Sarah arrived, she found Matilda cleaning the small yard. Upon seeing Sarah, Matilda urged her to come inside, saying, "I was cleaning Ethan's room and I found this box." Handing her the box, she urged her to open it. Sarah did. The box contained a lot of their mutual memories: pictures of her and Ethan smiling, concert tickets, but there was also a necklace. On the necklace, there was a letter J. Sarah took it and asked Matilda, "Do you know what this is?" Matilda took a diary from the box and said, "I don't know, but maybe you can find it here," and gave it to her. Sarah took the diary and started reading it. It was all Ethan's thoughts and moments with Sarah.
Sarah sat in the armchair and started reading. Matilda brought her a tea and kept cleaning the yard. Later, she and Sarah made dinner together. They ate while cheerfully chatting. They talked about Sarah's missing memories, the Walkers, Ethan's childhood, and Matilda's youth.
After that, Matilda asked her if she'd like to stay overnight. Sarah, looking at her sad, begging eyes, didn't have the heart to say no. Plus, this was a good idea since she didn't really want to go back to her current home with Damien. She didn't want to see him. She was afraid of bursting into tears when seeing him. She couldn't understand their current relationship. One minute he was there, the next he was gone. She could feel it—he loved her too—but he couldn't be with her openly. Today she met his grandfather. Damien would never have taken her to meet Don Sterling. Did that mean he never thought of her as important as this Penelope Wellington he was about to marry? If she had grandparents and parents, she would be proud to introduce them to a person she loves. She got lost in thought and didn't even notice Matilda calling her.
"What's troubling you, my dear?" Matilda asked.
"I was just thinking about something..." Sarah replied.
"No matter what it is that you're thinking so hard about, you just need to know that what's meant to happen will always happen."
Sarah was looking at her. "Sometimes, I feel so scared."
"The fear is normal when facing uncertainty," Matilda said. "You should stop fearing the future and embrace the present."
"What would Ethan say if he saw us now?"
"He would say, 'Look, Mom, I told you you'd like Sarah after spending some time with her.'" They started laughing.
Later, Sarah continued reading Ethan's diary.
"Today I've met the most beautiful girl in the world. I have asked a friend and he told me her name is Sarah Walker. I can't get that name out of my mind. I didn't know elementary school had such a beautiful girl in class. If I knew this earlier, I would've flunked so we could be in the same class."
Sarah started laughing through tears. "Oh, Ethan..." Then her phone rang. It was Mrs. Blue. "Sarah, my dear, where are you?"
"I'm at a friend's house, Mrs. Blue. I won't be going home tonight," Sarah said.
"But Mr. Damien said he'll be coming home tonight. I've prepared a big dinner for you two."
"Mrs. Blue, thank you, but I already had dinner. I'm tired now. Good night." And she hung up.