Moonlit Mountain (Caleb and Sarah)

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"Amy!" Silas woke with a start, her name on his lips.

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His grandfather stood over him, his face grim."Silas, from now on, you focus

on your work and your health. You leave Amelia alone."

"Why?" Silas coughed, his voice raspy."She's my wife. I didn't sign those

papers. We're still married. If I just keep trying...she'll forgive me. She's kind. I just have to..."

"Enough!" His grandfather played the recording of his conversation with Amelia.

Her words, clear and resolute, echoed in the room, shattering Silas's illusions.

The recording ended. The room fell silent.

"No...no...it's not true! I have to see her! Tell her she's the only one! I only ever loved her!" He ripped the IV from his arm, trying to get out of bed, his body weak and trembling.

His grandfather didn't stop him. Silas stumbled, collapsing to the floor. The barely healed wounds on his back reopened, blood blooming on his hospital gown.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with a desperate resolve, and tried to

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get up. He collapsed again.

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"Get him back in bed," his grandfather ordered, his voice weary."And keep

him there." He swallowed a handful of pills. His own health was failing. He'd gone to the Berkshires to recover, not to deal with his grandson's mess. far.

Three days later, Silas, slightly recovered, tried to escape again. He didn't get "Silas, let it go." His grandfather sat in a nearby chair, his face pale.

Silas stopped, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Silas, I don't have much time left. Grant me this one last wish. Leave Amelia

alone. Let her go. For her sake, and for your own."

Silas's eyes

filled with unshed tears. It took him a long time to answer, his

voice barely a whisper."Okay. I won't contact her again."

His grandfather seemed to deflate, the fight going out of him. A sense of

peace settled over his features.

Silas sat by his bedside, holding his hand."Grandpa, I'll take care of

everything. I won't...I won't see Amy again."

After his grandfather's passing, Silas became even more withdrawn. The playful, affectionate man Amelia had fallen in love with was gone, replaced by a

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< (The Unkept Promise....

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cold, efficient CEO, He poured himself into his work, rarely leaving the office except for medical checkups, Under his leadership, Diamond Empire slowly began to recover,

The once celebrated love story faded from public memory, Silas continued

to wear his wedding ring, and if anyone asked, he'd smile sadly and say, "I'm married. We're very much in love. She's waiting for me at home. I need to get back to her."

But he rarely went home. Without Amelia, it was just a house. Those who knew the truth thought he'd lost his mind. Those who didn't envied his devotion. Women threw themselves at him, but he rejected them all.

To silence the rumors, he adopted a bright young boy, becoming a devoted

father figure.

Twenty years passed. The boy grew into a capable young man. Silas

entrusted him with the company and quietly left for France.

Standing outside Amelia's guesthouse, he thought, Grandpa, I kept my

promise. I haven't seen her in twenty years. Now, he wanted to fulfill his own

final wish.

He heard the familiar chime of the wind chimes. The guesthouse door was open. The sign read: Open for Business. Welcome!

He knocked.

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(The Unkept Promise...

'Do you have any vacancies?"

A young girl with Amelia's eyes and a cascade of golden curls called

out, "Mom, someone's here for a room!"

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As Amelia stepped out, Silas turned and fled. He couldn't face her. She had a

new life, a new family. She wasn't his anymore.

He bought a small shop down the street and opened a post office,

specializing in letters to the past. Even though the recipients would never receive

them, people still came to write. He wrote one himself, a short, simple message: Be good to Amelia.

Their shops were only two blocks apart, but they never met. Even after he

learned that the girl was adopted, he never tried to contact Amelia. He watched

from afar, content to hear snippets of her life from others.

Every turn of the page is a new beginning.

I look forward to meeting you again in the next story!