Chapter 9 — Seven Years Later
1340 Words
Seven years had passed since Ellie left San Aurelio.
Time had changed almost everything.
The city had grown larger.
New buildings stood where old stores had once been. Roads had been widened, businesses had expanded, and Rosewood Apartments had become surrounded by newer developments.
But in Mabini Valley, life remained quieter.
And inside a modest house at the edge of town, a seven-year-old boy sat at a wooden table surrounded by books.
His name was Ethan Smith
"Mom."
Ellie looked up from the kitchen.
"Yes?"
"Can I ask you something?"
She smiled.
"Of course."
Ethan pointed at the book in front of him.
"Why does the moon appear to change shape?"
Ellie laughed softly.
"Because of how sunlight reaches it."
Ethan thought about the answer.
"So the moon doesn't actually change?"
"Not really."
He nodded seriously.
"That's interesting."
Ellie watched him return to his book.
Sometimes, she still couldn't believe how quickly he had grown.
Seven years.
Seven years since she had held him for the first time.
Seven years since she had promised herself that he would never feel unwanted.
Ethan had inherited her dark eyes and gentle smile.
But there was something else about him.
Something Ellie couldn't explain.
A quiet confidence.
A sharp intelligence.
And whenever he became serious, his expression reminded her of Lucas.
She quickly pushed the thought away.
Lucas was part of her past.
Ethan was her future.
---
"Mom?"
Ellie turned again.
"Yes?"
"Can I join the competition?"
She walked toward him.
"What competition?"
He handed her a printed announcement.
It was for the National Young Scholars Challenge**, a prestigious academic competition held in San Aurelio.
Ellie read the details.
Students from different schools across the country would compete in mathematics, science, language, and general knowledge.
The winner would receive a full educational scholarship.
Ellie's eyes widened.
"Where did you get this?"
"Teacher gave it to me."
"You want to join?"
Ethan nodded.
"I think I can."
Ellie smiled.
"You think?"
"I know."
She laughed.
"That's confidence."
"I studied."
"That's better."
Ethan smiled.
"Can I?"
Ellie looked at the application form.
The competition would require them to travel to San Aurelio.
The city brought back memories she had spent years trying to bury.
She looked at Ethan.
He was waiting patiently.
Finally, she nodded.
"Yes."
His face immediately brightened.
"Really?"
"Really."
He hugged her.
"Thank you, Mom!"
Ellie smiled as she hugged him back.
She didn't know it yet, but that decision would change their lives.
---
Several weeks later, Ethan's teacher called Ellie.
"Mrs. Smith?"
"Yes?"
"Ethan has qualified for the national round."
Ellie's heart filled with pride.
"That's wonderful."
"He scored among the highest students in the province."
Ellie smiled.
"I knew he could do it."
"There is one important detail."
"What is it?"
"The national competition will be held in San Aurelio."
Ellie's smile faded.
San Aurelio.
The city she had left seven years ago.
The city where she had fallen in love.
The city where Lucas had disappeared from her life.
She looked toward Ethan.
"Is there a problem?"
"No."
The teacher continued.
"The organizers will cover the accommodation and transportation for qualifying students."
Ellie breathed slowly.
"Then we'll go."
---
Across the country, Lucas Valmont stood in front of a conference table.
Seven years had transformed him.
He was no longer the young man who rented a room in a rundown apartment building.
He was now one of the most recognized young executives in the country.
His father's company had expanded significantly.
Lucas had become its chief executive.
But despite all his success, one part of his life remained unfinished.
Ellie.
He had never stopped searching.
Over the years, he had learned that she had returned to her province.
But every lead had ended nowhere.
Sometimes, he wondered whether she had chosen to disappear from him deliberately.
Perhaps she had built another life.
Perhaps she had married.
Perhaps she no longer wanted anything to do with him.
He had tried to accept that possibility.
He never truly succeeded.
His assistant entered the room.
"Mr. Valmont."
Lucas looked up.
"Yes?"
"The foundation has finalized the academic competition."
"Good."
"The scholarship will cover the winner's education through university."
Lucas nodded.
"Excellent."
"There will be students coming from several provinces."
"How many?"
"About fifty finalists."
Lucas glanced through the documents.
He barely paid attention to the names.
Until one caught his eye.
**Ethan Smith.**
He paused.
Something about the name felt strangely familiar.
"Is this student from Mabini Valley?"
"Yes."
Lucas looked at the file.
"Do we have a photograph?"
His assistant handed him the student profile.
Lucas looked down.
A seven-year-old boy stared back at him.
Dark hair.
Dark eyes.
A small, serious smile.
Lucas stopped breathing for a moment.
He couldn't explain why.
There was something about the child's face.
Something familiar.
Something that stirred a memory he had spent years trying to bury.
"Where did you get this?"
"It's from the student's school records."
Lucas continued staring.
"Is the mother listed?"
"Yes."
His assistant checked the file.
"Eloisa Smith."
Lucas's fingers tightened around the paper.
The room seemed to disappear.
"Eloisa..."
He whispered the name.
Seven years.
Seven years of searching.
Seven years of wondering.
And suddenly, her name was right in front of him.
His assistant looked confused.
"Sir?"
Lucas stood.
"When is the competition?"
"Next month."
"I'll attend."
"You normally don't attend the student events personally."
"I will this time."
His assistant nodded.
"Understood."
Lucas looked again at Ethan's photograph.
He didn't know why the boy seemed familiar.
He didn't know why seeing Ellie's name beside his had made his heart race.
He didn't know that the child in the photograph was his son.
Not yet.
---
In Mabini Valley, Ellie packed Ethan's clothes.
The boy sat on the bed reading.
"Mom."
"Yes?"
"What's San Aurelio like?"
Ellie paused.
"Busy."
"Have you been there before?"
She looked at him.
"Yes."
"When?"
"A long time ago."
"Did you like it?"
Ellie smiled faintly.
"There were good things about it."
"Will you show me?"
She hesitated.
There were places she didn't want to remember.
But she couldn't let the past control Ethan's future.
"Maybe."
Ethan smiled.
"Okay."
Ellie folded another shirt.
Then she found an old photograph inside her drawer.
She stared at it.
Lucas.
She hadn't looked at it in years.
She almost threw it away several times.
But she never could.
She placed it back inside the drawer.
This time, however, she wondered whether returning to San Aurelio would reopen wounds she had finally learned to live with.
She looked at Ethan.
Perhaps she could handle it.
Perhaps seven years was enough.
Perhaps she was finally ready.
---
The day before they left, Ethan sat beside Ellie on the porch.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Do I have a dad?"
Ellie's heart stopped.
She looked at him.
"Why are you asking?"
"Because everyone at school has a father."
She took a slow breath.
Ethan wasn't asking because he was angry.
He was simply curious.
Ellie reached for his hand.
"You do."
"Where is he?"
She looked toward the fields.
"He lives far away."
"Does he know about me?"
Ellie couldn't answer immediately.
Finally, she whispered,
"I don't know."
Ethan looked at her.
"Do you know his name?"
Ellie closed her eyes.
"Lucas."
Ethan repeated it quietly.
"Lucas."
Ellie nodded.
"One day, when you're older, I'll tell you everything."
"Okay."
He didn't push her.
Instead, he leaned against her shoulder.
Ellie wrapped her arm around him.
She had spent seven years protecting him from the pain of the past.
Now, she was taking him directly toward it.
She just didn't know that the man she had once loved would be waiting for them at the end of the journey.
Lucas didn't know that the boy whose photograph had unsettled him was not simply another gifted student.
He was the child Ellie had carried away from Room Ten.
His child.
Their son.
In just a few weeks, the three lives that had been separated for seven years would finally collide again.
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