Returning the Ten Years I Stole Chapter 09
While Gwyneth’s colleagues were celebrating in the meeting room, she decided to come out for some fresh air.
Her phone rang just then. It was a call from Leanna.
“Gwyn! Congratulations! I just saw you on the news!”
Gwyneth grinned and replied, “Thanks, Leanna.”
“Hey, I told you to stop calling me that. Call me Anna,” she said in a light and cheerful tone, “By the way, are you free this weekend? I want to grab coffee with you.”
“I’m free. Are you bringing your boyfriend too?”
Leanna was stunned. Then, she chuckled and asked, “How did you know?”
“That bouquet in your story didn’t look like one you’d buy for yourself.”
“Sharp eyes,” Leanna said with a laugh. “Alright. I’ll bring him with me. You can be the judge of him on my behalf.”
The weekend arrived bright and sunny.
Leanna was already at the cafe by the time Gwyneth arrived. She was sitting next to an elegant-looking man.
“Gwyn!” Leanna exclaimed, waving at her. “This is Matthew Humphrey. Matt, this is Gwyneth Rowland. She’s like a sister to
me.”
Matthew stood up and offered his hand. “Hi, it’s nice to finally meet you in person. Anna has told me a lot about you.”
Gwyneth shook his hand and smiled back at him, giving him a quick once-over. “Nice to meet you too. I’ve also heard a lot about you from Anna. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”
Leanna blushed at once, glaring playfully at her. “Stop that.”
The three of them chatted away for the entire afternoon, the atmosphere pleasant.
Matthew was very gentle and considerate, and he was also very kind to Leanna. He would look at her subconsciously while speaking, his eyes sparkling with affection each time.
Gwyneth felt relieved. Leanna deserved every bit of happiness.
As evening approached, Matthew went to get his car while Leanna and Gwyneth waited at the door.
“Gwyn,” Leanna suddenly said, “Are you still single?”
Gwyneth smiled. “It’s nice being single.”
“What about that Dean-”
“We’re just friends,” Gwyneth said immediately, looking at the setting sun on the horizon. “We’ve always been just friends. He has a crush on someone else, and it’s not me.”
Leanna was quiet for a moment. “But Gwyn, have you never thought about -”
“Nope,” she answered calmly, interrupting Leanna again. “I’m not looking back, but I’m not willing to compromise either. I’m fine with being single if I don’t meet the right person.”
Leanna stared at Gwyneth for a while, her eyes reddening. Still, she smiled and said, “Okay. As long as you’re happy.”
Matthew’s car soon arrived. Before getting in, Leanna turned back and looked at Gwyneth once more.
“Thank you, Gwyn.”
“What for?”
“For saving my life. And for giving me the chance to meet Matt,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for finally living for yourself.
Gwyneth smiled back at her in return as the setting sun shone down on her.
The car soon left, and Gwyneth turned, walking down the path in the opposite direction.
She walked past a bookstore and caught her reflection in the glass display windows. Her hair was cut short, her clothes were neat, and her eyes were bright and twinkling.
She looked completely different from the timid and submissive Gwyneth in her past life.
Her phone buzzed with a new message just then. It was from Dean.
“The press conference was a great success. Congrats! Let’s hang out sometime. Dinner’s on me.”
Gwyneth chuckled and replied, “Sure!”
Then, she slipped her phone into her pocket and continued walking forward.
The lights of a thousand homes were behind her, but the road ahead was big and wide.
She never turned back.
In the distance, a disheveled middle-aged man crouched over on a corner of the street, watching her retreating figure with reddened eyes.
He wanted to stand up, but his legs turned to jelly, so he could only crouch in the corner and watch helplessly as she disappeared into the crowd.
The evening wind was strong, and it made him shiver.
He opened his mouth, wanted to call out her name, but no sound came out.
In the end, he just remained there, burying his face in his hands as he cried silently.
Nobody spared him a glance, Nobody in this world cared about him anymore.
Gwyneth and Leanna clinked glasses with each other again in the cafe, the aroma of coffee hanging in the air as cars streamed by outside the windows. Everywhere was pulsating with a lively, energetic air.
“Cheers!” Leanna said with a big smile on her face. “To our new lives!”
“To our new lives,” Gwyneth echoed, a smile playing on her lips.
Sunlight fell on her face, warin and bright.
She had finally become the person she’d wanted to be. As for Graham, memories of him had long since faded away, like dust in the wind.
