I Was His Secret Genius, Now I’m His Biggest Regret Chapter 34

I Was His Secret Genius, Now I’m His Biggest Regret Chapter 34

“Ethan,” she said suddenly.

“Mm?”

“Thank you.”

Ethan looked at her. In the sunset, his eyes curved behind his glasses.

“For the jerky?”

“For everything,” Ava said with a sincere, light smile. “Thank you.”

The evening glow on the river slowly faded, and the sky darkened. In the distance, the first star appeared.

That night, Ava returned to her Nashville apartment and opened her computer.

The cold light of the screen reflected on her face as she clicked open a new email. The official emblem of the Scottish Government’s investment department sat at the top. The body of the email, carefully worded but unable to hide its enthusiasm, invited the founder of Angel’s Share to visit Islay to explore the possibility of building a distillery there.

She looked at words like “peat,” “terroir,” and “new chapter,” and remained silent for a long time.

Then she opened another window and began to type.

It was a reply to Beau and Daisy.

“Beau, Daisy,

I received both of your letters. I’m glad you’re facing your feelings honestly. That takes a great deal of courage.

It isn’t that Mom doesn’t miss you. But Mom also needs time to relearn how to be a whole person.

Daisy, I’ll send you the new recipe for the strawberry basil soda you wanted. This time, remember to use a little less sugar.

Live well and study hard.

Love,
Mom”

She stared at the last line, her finger hovering over the delete key for a long time without pressing it.

Because it was true.

No matter what had happened, her love for her children had never disappeared.

It was only that she would never again love by burning herself away.

She printed the letter, signed her name, placed it in an envelope, affixed a stamp, and set it on the table by the door.

She would mail it tomorrow.

Then she would pack her luggage and go to Scotland.

To her future.

The day she left Nashville was brilliantly clear.

The airport’s floor-to-ceiling windows cut the sunlight into golden diamonds that scattered across the polished floor. Ava stood in the bustling terminal with her suitcase.

All around her were young people with backpacks, fearless smiles on their faces and light in their eyes. They spoke different languages and were bound for different destinations, but the longing for the future in their eyes was the same.

Outside the window, an airplane roared into the clouds, drawing a straight white line across the blue sky. It stretched longer and longer, until it finally dissolved into the boundless blue.

This time, she would go farther and fly higher.

The weight in her hand suddenly lightened.

Surprised, she turned. Ethan stood beside her, having naturally taken the handle of her suitcase.

“I’ve got it,” he said with a smile. The sunlight fell across his face, and his eyes curved behind his glasses. “Let’s go smell Scotland’s peat together.”

Ava smiled, too. All the unspoken questions and patient waiting found their answer in that smile.

“All right.”

The two of them walked forward side by side, the wheels of the suitcase rolling across the polished floor with a light, steady sound.

Behind them lay the dust of Kentucky and the starlight of Nashville.

Before them lay the boundless future that belonged to them both.