A Toast To A Love That Never Was Chapter 13
Jane wiped her tears and turned to flee. Dustin wanted to stop her out of sheer instinct, but the moment he reached out, he froze.
What was he doing?
Watching Jane’s figure fade into the distance, he pursed his lips together. In the end, he said nothing.
Forget it. He should just let it be. Dustin thought that he probably needed to truly figure out what he wanted.
Three years quickly passed by.
At Captorn International Airport, a plane drew a white trail across the sky before circling down to land. In the noisy, crowded terminal hall, Melanie stood out in her thin blouse and skirt among the heavily wrapped travelers around her.
Dragging a heavy suitcase through the crowd, she muttered under her breath, “It’s summer in Captorn right now, but it’s still so ridiculously cold. I’d better find somewhere to change soon…”
The man beside her overheard her and couldn’t hold back his laughter. He slipped off his own coat and draped it over her shoulders as he said, “I told you it was unusually cold this year, but you wouldn’t believe me. I guess you’ve learned your lesson now.”
The coat carried his warmth and wrapped around her completely. She wanted to say something in response, but remained silent in the end.
Since he had helped her, she decided to swallow her pride and put up with him for now.
Zachary Carter took the suitcase from Melanie’s hands and walked ahead.
However, after just a few steps, Melanie suddenly stopped. “I’m going to the bathroom. Wait for me.
Then, she turned around and walked away.
When she came back out, she noticed someone outside. Dressed in a black trench coat, he leaned against the wall, looking like he was waiting for someone.
She didn’t think much of it and only gave him a brief glance before preparing to walk past him. But just as she moved, the man stirred.
He turned around, revealing an incredibly familiar face. It was Dustin.
“So, it really is you.” Emotions flickered in Dustin’s eyes that Melanie couldn’t quite read. He didn’t move closer but stood firmly in her way, making it impossible for her to leave.
After a long silence, he said, “I saw someone rushing by who looked familiar, so I came to check. How have you been all these years?”
Melanie didn’t understand why he was blocking her way, but she hesitated after hearing his question. Then, she nodded. “I’ve been quite good.”
That, at least, wasn’t a lie.
Back then, she left for Amora alone. She was unfamiliar with everything and short on money, so life had been hard in the beginning.
Fortunately, she met Zachary. He was first her landlord, then a close friend, and eventually her boyfriend.
It was quite the coincidence. Just when she was worrying about work and housing, Zachary had appeared.
Zachary was from their country and had gone to Amora with his father years earlier. After years of effort, he even owned his own clinic.
At first, Melanie had only intended to rent a place from him temporarily, promising over and over that she’d move out as soon as she found a job. But a few days later, they chatted about their hometowns and discovered that they were from the same place.
Even more coincidentally, he was actually three years her senior in school. The only reason they hadn’t met before was that Zachary had gone abroad with his father, while Melanie stayed behind to look after Dustin, giving up the chance to continue her studies.
Otherwise, they might have already crossed paths back home.
But fate worked in mysterious ways. They missed their first chance at meeting, only to cross paths again in Amora. He had also been the one to lend her a hand at her most difficult time, giving her a place to stay.
Later, Melanie became a psychologist at Zachary’s clinic.
Thanks to Zachary, she had a lot of power and freedom. After losing confidence in herself after years of social isolation while caring for Dustin, it was Zahcary who encouraged her to bravely start over, step by step.
In time, they came to know and understand each other before falling in love.
