Chapter 111 Chapter 111

Chapter 111 Chapter 111
Maggie looked at Vince in surprise, as if she couldn't believe her ears. His gaze was empty, waiting to be filled.

"Did you hear what I said?" He repeated.

"Of course I do. I have always regretted abandoning you back then. Why couldn't I have endured that family a little longer to stay with you? If I had believed what your father said, perhaps we would be living happily together." Maggie reached out her hand. "Vince, can I hug you just once?"

Vince stepped forward, letting Maggie wrap her arms tightly around him. In that moment, the iron armor he had built around himself for ten years suddenly cracked.

A mother’s hug... when I was a child, I often dreamed of this. But when I woke up, I always brushed away my tears and felt angry at myself. Gradually, my heart and the dreams I sketched out chose to forget instead of feeling endless disappointment. To stop hoping for a happiness that I, like any other child, should have had—that was the only way I could grow up without going mad from loneliness.

Vince didn't respond with words, but the warmth of the hug spoke for a thousand apologies and acts of forgiveness. He realized that this powerful woman was actually just a large child trapped in a painful past, and his presence was the only medicine that could save her.

A few minutes later, Vince stepped out of his mother’s bedroom. Ashton was sitting restlessly on the sofa. Seeing his brother come out, he stood up quickly, his eyes searching Vince’s face for any sign of a truce.

Vince looked at his brother, his voice low as if afraid to break the softened atmosphere inside. "She is still crying. I’ll leave the rest to you."

Ashton understood that the hug was everything his brother could give after ten years apart. He took a step forward and asked, "So, will you come back here?"

Vince looked toward the half-closed door and let out a long breath. "I don't know yet. But maybe I’ll come back in a few days."

Ashton nodded, but there was another knot in his heart. He knew how much Vince loved Serenity. The fact that their mother wanted to take him to Japan was like a tsunami threatening to submerge that peaceful harbor.

"Vince, are you okay?" Ashton hesitated, then dared to ask what he truly feared. "I mean, about Serenity... will this affect your relationship with her?"

Vince stopped at the threshold and turned back to look at his brother with a deep, steady gaze. In his mind, the image of Serenity and the card with the words "We will always be together" appeared like a sacred vow. He didn't want his younger brother to carry the burden of guilt for the decisions of adults.

"It’s nothing." He replied briefly but with a surge of confidence. "True love isn't a fragile crystal that breaks before family turmoil; it’s the glue that helps us stand firm when the world around us collapses. No one can interfere with her and me."

He placed a hand on Ashton’s shoulder. "Go on, I’m heading back. You take care of her."

He turned and walked out. Ashton watched his brother’s back disappear down the long hotel hallway, sensing a massive change. Vince had become a man carrying the responsibility of forgiveness.

Stepping out onto the street, the night breeze hit his face, making him feel more alert. He took out his phone, his finger lingering over Serenity’s name. Today’s meeting was the beginning of a series of difficult choices ahead. But at least, he was no longer running away.

Ten years to forget a mother, but perhaps it only takes one hug to realize that blood is something that can never be severed. Now, the only thing I need to do is hold Serenity’s hand tightly so we can walk through this difficult journey together.
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As dusk fell, Serenity sat alone in the bleachers, her eyes gazing vacantly into the distance. Adele and Tony happened to walk by, and seeing their friend looking so profoundly lonely, they came over to sit beside her.

After hearing Serenity pour her heart out about Maggie’s proposal, Adele cried out in indignation. "I don't believe for a second that Vince could leave you for Japan. How could he do that? Haven't both your families finally accepted you? This journey has been so full of obstacles, and just like any other couple, you finally found true happiness. Why destroy a happiness that was so hard-won?"

Serenity tightly interlaced her fingers. "There were many times I thought we wouldn't make it. But Vince was always there to comfort me, making me believe that as long as we liked each other, as long as we loved each other, we could be together."

Tony nodded, placing an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "That’s right. The path he took to win your love was difficult, yet you stayed by each other's side and remained happy. That gave me a lot of courage to face Adele’s father and fight for our own happiness."

Serenity looked up at the couple before her, her eyes brimming with tears. "Tony, I’m so jealous of you and Adele."

"Because a person’s limits cannot be measured," Tony replied steadily. "But if I could do it, then Vince can too."

"But his mother’s time here is running out, and that is something my love cannot fill," Serenity sobbed. "He has always suppressed the longing to see her again. It’s the first time I’ve seen him so unsteady. I’m just afraid... his heart might waver once more."

Adele took her friend’s hand. "Serenity, don't be so pessimistic. I don't think things are quite that dire. You have to have faith in this love. Most importantly, you have to trust Vince."
The advice from her best friend was like a cool breeze blowing through Serenity’s soul. For a moment, she wondered why she had let fear take hold of her mind so easily.

Yes, she had to trust. Not only did she have to trust Vince, but she had to trust the love they had meticulously built through so many storms. Serenity managed a faint smile, the anxiety in her heart easing slightly. She thanked Adele with a tight embrace, a gesture that spoke louder than any words.