Tabitha's POV
I gently traced my fingertips over the glass of lime water, feeling its cool chill.
Tiny beads of ice clung to the packaging, the cold seeping through my palm.
Instead of answering Wilmot's question directly, I threw the question back at him, "What about you? You're not young anymore, there must be someone in your heart, right?"
Wilmot's face lit up with a simple, honest smile.
"Well, a long time ago, I met a little girl. I was dirt poor and badly injured, but she didn't look down on me at all. She even saved me. I was deeply attracted to her from the first moment I saw her. It was love at first sight."
"What happened next?" I pressed on.
Other people's stories always carried a sense of beauty. Listening to them didn't make my heart ache.
"There was no 'next.' She was born into a great family, while I was just a poor kid willing to do anything for money. How could I be worthy of her? She was like the moon hanging high in the sky. It was enough for her to keep shining in my heart."
"Did you never express your feelings to her?" I asked out of curiosity.
Wilmot looked up at the crescent moon peeking through the clouds, his expression inscrutable.
After a while, he slowly said, "No. She was so beautiful. She should shine like a star in the sky, for people to admire from afar. I was afraid that if I got too close, I would bring her bad things."
I gave a faint smile, "Even you understand this, but some people just never get it."
"Actually, I didn't understand it either, not until I watched those puppies die right before my eyes. I suddenly realized how wrong I was. Sometimes, too much love can turn into a kind of harm, so I think it's better for me to just guard her from a distance."
"How about that girl now? Is she doing well?" For some reason, I couldn't help but relate her story to my own situation.
Wilmot looked at me deeply. I thought I saw a profound light in his usually simple eyes.
"Well, she's doing fine. Ms. Hartley, the person you mentioned earlier, was he your lover?"
He skillfully changed the subject.
I didn't want to hide it, so I told him the truth, "He was, once upon a time. I loved him very much."
"What about now?" he continued.
"I don't anymore," I replied succinctly.
"Woof!"
Wilmot, who was scratching Tucker's belly, suddenly used too much force. Tucker yelped in displeasure.
Wilmot quickly looked down. Tucker seemed to be sulking, biting his finger, but he didn't resist.
Tucker, though small, had sharp teeth and quickly bit two tiny holes in his finger.
Blood slowly seeped out, but he seemed not to feel it at all.
He continued to ask, "If he was so important once, why stop loving him all of a sudden?"
"There's no need to love him anymore," I said, not wanting to continue the topic. I stood up, preparing to go back to my room.
At that moment, a series of crackling sounds came from above.
I stopped in my tracks, seeing fireworks blooming not far away.
It then hit me that those were the fireworks for Orson's engagement celebration at the venue nearby.
I stood quietly under the plum tree, watching the fireworks in the distance.
"Do you like fireworks?" Wilmot asked softly.
My tone was calm as I said, "Who wouldn't like something beautiful? But no matter how beautiful fireworks are, they eventually fade. The night sky will return to its original state, as if nothing happened."
"Even so, that brilliant moment will always stay in your mind," he said.
I shook my head helplessly, giving a wry smile, "That's true, but I might not get to see my own fireworks."
Derek had arranged a firework display for both Daphne and Kyrian with great care.
But never for me.
I wasn't angry, but there was inevitably a hint of regret in my heart.
Wilmot put down Tucker. He picked up the coat he had prepared nearby and gently draped it over my shoulders.
He said softly, "The fireworks will be going on for a while. Be careful not to catch a cold."
"Thanks," I said.
It suddenly occurred to me, "What day is it today?"