Chapter 126
288 Vouchers
Watching his car disappear, Lucille felt an abrupt hollowness inside.
After her acupuncture therapy at the holistic health clinic around noon, Lucille grabbed a quick bite outside before returning for rehabilitation.
The rehab room had beds for resting. At two o’clock, nurses assisted her through exercises- less painful than yesterday though still exhausting. She completed the session well.
Post–rehab, she showered, changed into fresh clothes, and sent the dirty ones home via courier service before meeting Emma.
Emma had just flown in. Years apart had tanned her skin–likely from frequent construction site visits–but she radiated health and energy, unlike Lucille’s sickly pale complexion.
“Check these guns!” Emma flexed her biceps and triceps. “Perks of hauling bricks!”
Lucille chuckled.
Over dinner, Emma hesitated. “Lucille… promise you won’t get mad?”
“What? Go ahead!”
“Well… I got so excited about tonight that I told our old classmates yesterday. They all want to see you–begged to join dinner, but I refused. Then they suggested karaoke after. I said I’d ask you first. Would you… meet them?”
“Absolutely!” Lucille beamed. “I’ve missed everyone! Do they know about my…”
She gestured to her leg.
“That’s the apology part. I told them without asking.” Emma winced.
Lucille understood. Years apart meant catching up–her injury was unavoidable truth.
“It’s fine,” she smiled. She needed to step out of the world Cedrick had confined her to, facing all kinds of gazes.
“Great! I’ll text them!” Emma typed excitedly.
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Chapter 126
288 Vouchers
The classmates had already booked a venue–cancellable if Lucille declined.
“Let’s go!” Emma announced. “They’re heading over now.”
The spot was nearby. When they arrived, the group erupted in cheers–warmer than Lucille expected. They mentioned her leg, even circled her for a look, but without malice. Just… like checking a common cold.
She loved this. No awkward pity–just treating her as normal.
They burst into old high school tunes for hours until voices grew hoarse. Settling with drinks and nostalgia, some laughed while others sighed–regret began to creep in.
Someone said, “If I’d known how things would turn out, I’d have studied harder in high school instead of skipping so many classes.”
Another said, “If I’d known he liked me back then, I wouldn’t have chickened out at graduation–I’d have confessed. All these years wasted…”
Emma murmured, “If I could start over, I’d never live under someone else’s roof.”
Truths spilled with the liquor, alcohol tugging at heartstrings until glistening eyes mirrored shared regrets–youth fading into adulthood, leaving trails of what–ifs.
“Lucille, what about you?
What’s your biggest regret?
If you could start over, what would you do?”
Lucille swirled her glass, amber liquid catching dim light like liquid gold.
Memories surfaced: flowering blossoms under a Thanksgiving moon, twinkling like scattered
stars.
Her lips curved faintly. “If I could start over…”
The private room door swung open. Cedrick stood framed in the doorway.
“…I’d eat that Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie all by myself!
I wouldn’t share a single bite!”
Was it the alcohol talking?
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Chapter 126
A sour ache ballooned in her chest, swelling until cach breath scraped raw.
She lifted her gaze–and froze.
Cedrick.
Someone chuckled at her odd wish. “Lucille, what mooncake was so special?
Make us jealous!”
“Yeah, from some old bakery?
Gone now?”
They imagined some lost artisan recipe, a flavor vanished forever.
Lucille stared at Cedrick. Liquor burned behind her eyes, blurring his outline. “Just… homemade. From childhood.”
Nostalgia rippled through the group:
“Honestly? Modern mooncakes are all style, no soul. Nothing beats the simple ones.”
“Totally agree. Give me the old–school Pumpkin Pie any day.”
“Hey! Cedrick!”
Finally, someone spotted him.
“Get in here, Cedrick!
You’re late!”
The person beside Lucille scrambled to offer a seat.