It wasn’t until Tom reacted that the assistant cautiously asked, “Mr. Howard, is this… from Ms. Lawson?”
“Yeah.”
Tom held the letter and photo in his hands very gently, as though afraid of breaking them.
The photo hung slightly downward, and from the assistant’s angle, he could clearly see the people in it–Jane, dressed as Santa Claus, and Sean standing closely to her. Both of them were making silly faces while posing with a Christmas tree.
Both of them were clearly making silly faces, but they were both quite cute.
‘Oh no.‘ The assistant thought to himself that Mr. Howard would definitely be greatly affected.
His gaze toward Tom became more cautious, and he didn’t even dare to offer any words of comfort, afraid of saying something that might make things worse.
However, Tom’s state was unexpectedly normal.
“Jane said that she is doing well now. She also said that she was once confused and desperate, almost not able to go on. But when she was at a loss, Sean appeared. He gave her hope and provided the strength for her to keep going.”
He was repeating Jane’s words to the assistant, but also telling himself–she was doing well, and the last thing she needed was his interference. But his voice gradually trembled.
A year had passed, and he had thought that he had really made it through.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 20
The assistant asked with concern, “Would you like to sit down and read it?”
Tom only then realized how long he had been standing. He reached out to lean on the edge of the desk and sat down with a posture that seemed almost stiff, his back pressing against the sofa as though all his strength had been drained in an instant.
“Jane also said that she hopes I can soon come out of the shadows of the past, find my own happiness, and not be trapped by the past. She really still sees me as her brother.
He looked at Jane’s photo, trying to smile at her, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t.
Finally, he lifted his hand to cover his face, hiding all the emotions he was feeling.
The assistant was afraid that he might fall into the same state as he had a year ago. After thinking for a moment, he came up with an idea. “Mr. Howard, give me the address. In just ten minutes, we can confirm Ms. Lawson’s location. Even if she has already left, at least we’ll know where she’s gone.”
This seemed like the best solution.
Tom was almost immediately tempted. He raised his hand, wanting to order the assistant to do something, but in the end, he just shook his head, then lowered his hand to pick up the photo again.
“No need. She’s already living the life she wants. I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”
After saying that, he looked up again at the assistant, who had been by his side for many years, and said, “You should go home and celebrate Christmas with your family. Consider it a break.”
The assistant didn’t insist. He put the things down and turned to leave the room, the one that held so many memories of Tom and Jane.
Tom sat there for a long time, and time gradually became blurry. It felt as though he could see Jane walking through the door, but everything was just an illusion.
His fingers gently traced the familiar handwriting on the letter.
She had written, “Merry Christmas, my dear brother.”
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but after a while, he took out a piece of paper and pen to write a simple reply. “I wish you all the best, my dear sister.”
The End
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