Chapter 49: Give Her Time
1258 Words
The moment Willow truly set foot on the airplane, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief and excitement.
Watching the plane take off and the scenery outside the window gradually shrink away, Willow let out a deep breath.
It was as if the dutiful student she had always been suddenly became rebellious.
Facing a brand new beginning.
Willow thought - actually, she should have taken this step a long time ago. But she had always been a coward, afraid to step out of familiar places, out of her comfort zone.
But now it was different. The baby was her motivation and her source of courage.
Before the plane took off, she decided to text Sophie to let her know she was safe.
"Sophie, are you awake?"
"Xiao Wan... why so early?"
Listening to Sophie's still groggy voice.
"Sophie, I wanted to tell you I'm safe. I'm going to Greece for a while to vacation and change my mood. The plane is about to take off. I have to go now, talk later," Willow said and hung up.
Sophie was still half asleep. By the time Sophie woke up fully, it was already afternoon.
She rubbed her messy hair.
She vaguely remembered dreaming something. What was it again? Oh right, she dreamed that Xiao Wan called her saying she was going to vacation abroad alone.
Sophie shook her head. How ridiculous - how could she, pregnant and all, go vacation abroad alone in a strange land?
Half-asleep, she took out her phone and checked the call log.
7:20 Xiao Wan, call duration 10 seconds
Sophie rubbed her eyes.
Looked again.
So it wasn't a dream?!!!
Sophie jumped out of bed in shock. Checking the time, Willow had probably arrived in Greece by now??
Indeed, among the unread messages, she found Willow's message.
[Sophie, I've landed! Don't worry, everything went smoothly.]
[Xiao Wan, take care of yourself! TAT]
Sophie: Not worried, my foot.
After replying to Willow, Sophie rushed to the company to find Adrian.
Seeing Sophie rush into his office in a panic, Adrian frowned.
Assistant Yan behind her looked embarrassed, hesitating as if to say something. Adrian nodded, signaling Yan to close the door.
"What's so urgent?" Adrian only glanced at Sophie before continuing to review documents.
"Brother! Xiao Wan left!" Sophie said breathlessly.
Adrian paused. He didn't look up - but his frozen pen revealed Adrian's true feelings.
"Where did she go?" Adrian asked.
"She went to Greece alone," Sophie sat down and drank some water.
"Greece?" Adrian finally looked up.
"Huh? What's wrong with your face? Did you get into another fight? With who? Lucas?" Sophie looked curiously at her brother's colorful face.
Ever since Xiao Wan wanted a divorce from her brother, could she say it? Her brother actually started showing human emotions - even getting into fights!
Adrian turned away.
"Get to the point," Adrian changed the subject.
"The point is Xiao Wan went to Greece alone. She said she's going on vacation," Sophie said.
Greece. Adrian remembered - when they had just gotten married, she had said she wanted to go to Greece to see the Aegean Sea for their honeymoon. But in the end, they never went...
There were so many things he hadn't done with her. So many regrets.
Thinking about yesterday - it must have been him being too impatient, scaring her, which made her rush to leave.
He should give her enough space and time. He promised to let go, but...
Thinking of this, Adrian's hand holding the pen turned slightly white.
"Mn," Adrian said.
"That's it? Just 'mn'?" Sophie stared at Adrian's deadpan face.
How was she supposed to compete with someone like Lucas?
"Give her some time," Adrian continued working.
Sophie looked at her brother's impenetrable demeanor and shook her head.
"I'm out of here," Sophie said dismissively, leaving in a huff.
Adrian stared at the document in his hands, unable to refocus. He sighed softly.
On the other side.
After landing, Willow couldn't wait to check into a guesthouse on the Aegean Sea in Santorini. She had booked it for a full month.
She wanted to give herself a month to sort out her feelings and thoughts.
The guesthouses in Santorini were all little white houses with blue roofs, set against the azure sea. The colors complemented each other beautifully, lifting one's spirits.
The landlords were a Chinese immigrant couple who lived in the house next door. Learning that Willow was from the same hometown, they were very friendly. And since Willow was pregnant and alone, the elderly couple was especially warm and attentive.
Willow breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't as difficult as she had imagined. On the contrary, everything here was good.
The weather in Greece was nice too, with gentle breezes. She liked it very much.
By the time Willow finished unpacking and lay down on the bed, it was near dusk. But she wasn't tired at all. Instead, she excitedly walked toward the Aegean Sea.
At sunset, the beach along the Aegean Sea was filled with couples strolling hand in hand, young people playing and laughing, or elderly couples growing old together. Looking at them, one's mood couldn't help but become calm and beautiful.
Santorini's romance is woven into the gentleness of the sea breeze and light and shadow. Every scene feels like stepping into a fairy tale.
This was the place Willow had once wanted to come for her honeymoon with Adrian.
The sun was setting, dying the sea in gradients from gold to orange. Here, even the sea breeze seemed to slow down, afraid to scatter the romance. The romance of the Aegean Sea isn't about grand gestures - it's about making people instinctively slow down. Slowing down to watch the waves kiss the rocks, to smell the ocean and flowers in the air. Here, it feels like every second spent with a loved one can be brewed into something so sweet that you don't have to try to remember it, yet you'll never forget it.
During their honeymoon, Adrian and Willow hadn't been able to come together.
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed. Willow came alone.
Everything was as romantic and beautiful as she had imagined.
This regret, Willow made up for herself. At this moment, Willow was extremely glad she came.
Willow also realized - for everything, you have to take that first step before there can be a future.
Her belly received a light kick. Willow still wasn't used to the sudden fetal movement. She gasped and covered her lower abdomen, looking at her belly in wonder. She gently poked the spot that had kicked - and the baby gave another light kick right where her finger was.
Was this interaction with the baby? Willow laughed out loud.
"Do you like it here too?" Willow asked with a smile.
The sunset shone on her, warm sunlight. Willow breathed out contentedly. No worries here. How nice.
More than taking photos, Willow wanted to personally paint this scenery...
Adrian got home in the evening. Coming back to this dark, lifeless house - no matter how many times, Adrian couldn't get used to it.
He checked the time. It should be evening in Greece too. Wan Wan should be asleep by now...
A glass of spirits burned down his throat, making Adrian's voice go hoarse and his eyes slightly red.
Through countless nights of sleeping alone, Adrian missed Willow so badly his heart ached...
And now, Willow was getting further and further away from him.
- Writer
