A moment later, she laughed, “You’re right, we are quite similar. But she doesn’t seem to like them anymore.“
The man sucked in a breath. “People change, she’s completely different now from the woman she used to be.“
Luna raided her eyes and looked at him. “Then what about you? Are you the same man you are now as you were back then?“
Joshua paused, then laughed, “You didn’t know me back then.“
Luna lifted her lips in a smile. “That’s true.“
She knew the man he used to be, better than anyone else.
The atmosphere in the restaurant turned quiet again. By the time the both of them finished their meal, each occupied with their own thoughts, the downpour outside had stopped. The fresh, earthy scent of wet soil permeated the air.
Maybe because he had spent the day having fun with the children, Joshua felt particularly relaxed. That was why after dinner, he invited Luna up to the roof for moon gazing.
In the night sky that was just washed by the rain, the moon was nowhere to be seen, with only tiny specks of golden stars shining brightly in the distance.
On such a beautiful night, he felt as if his soul had been cleansed too.
The man beside her downed the red wine in his glass, and started asking about the past few years, about her life, raising Neil and Nellie alone.
After spending the whole day together, he saw how she opened her heart to the children, and truly understood he could never make up for the six years that he was absent from the children’s lives.
But just because he could not make up for it, did not mean he could not try to understand.
In the beginning, Luna was reluctant to discuss the children. He was too sharp and perceptive; she was worried she would accidentally expose the fact that she actually had three children. But…
When he had downed five to six glasses of wine, his voice started to grow vague and indistinct, his words slurring together. She finally felt at ease and quietly started to tell him about the children’s past.
”Since he was a kid, Neil has been very sensible, because Nellie was always sick, and I was busy all the time. He even learned how to cook for sister. Once, I came home from work and immediately smelled the fragrance of scrambled eggs wafting through the whole house. I opened the door and saw Neil standing on a little stool, frying eggs in the kitchen, his entire body covered in oil… ”
She looked up at the night sky as she said this, gentle affection swimming through her eyes.
Joshua looked at her nearly-perfect side profile, and the glow in her eyes, and he started beating violently, as if it had been hit by an object.
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