NovelEnglishOn the anniversary of Liana's passing, it was soon Caleb's, and the couple, along with their children, set off for Greenwood Cemetery.
No sooner had their black Lincoln pulled to a stop than Damian caught sight of a fawn darting out from the woods.
Whether it was the thrill of the chase or a bid to wriggle free from Bernard's watchful eye, the young boy pushed open the car door and bolted into the forest the moment the adults were distracted.
Eleanor, seeing her son's sudden dash, hurriedly exited the car and gave chase, while Bernard, seated inside, simply waved his hand. Aidyn and Scott immediately got out and followed Eleanor and Damian.
Bernard gazed toward the distant graveyard, lost in a silent reverie, before stepping out of the car. He opened the trunk, retrieved a bouquet of chrysanthemums, and made his way to Caleb's gravestone, where he bent down to place the flowers.
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"Caleb, I've brought the kids to see you again." The same opening words every year, followed by standing solemnly at the gravestone, staring at the now- yellowing photograph of Caleb, and imagining. Imagining if Caleb were still alive, would he dote on his son like Aidyn and Scott did, indulging him to no end? He thought Caleb would have been even more indulgent—scooping up his son, perching him on his shoulders, letting little rascal Damian climb all over him...
But Caleb was gone, and Bernard could only conjure up a blurry vision of how Caleb might have held his son's hand, strolling down a street bathed in the glow of a setting sun, their shadows stretching behind them. And even though it was just a vision, Bernard cherished it deeply, tinged with the regret that over time, one could truly forget a person's face...
It was as if the final credits of a movie had rolled; everything became ethereal, faces disappearing into the river of time...
As Bernard stood by the gravestone, lost in memories and lamenting his fading recollection of Caleb's face, a figure clad in a black coat and a beret, leading a boy and a girl, entered the cemetery from another gate...
Bernard recognized the newcomer at a glance. Fearing that his presence might stir Katharine Spencer's painful memories, he touched Caleb's gravestone one last time and swiftly left the cemetery by another path...
Meanwhile, Eleanor emerged from the woods with Damian and returned to the car, not seeing Bernard around, she assumed he had gone ahead. She asked Aidyn to bring the basket of chrysanthemums and, taking Damian by the hand, headed straight for the graveyard...
Upon entering, she did not find Bernard but brushed past a woman in a beret who was walking briskly with her head down...
At the time, Eleanor was too preoccupied with scolding Damian for running off to notice the woman leading a boy and a girl...
It was only when she arrived at Caleb's gravestone and saw two bouquets of chrysanthemums on the ground that she realized who the woman with the beret was.
Eleanor quickly turned, searching for Katharine's figure among the countless headstones, but her silhouette, like a fleeting visitor, had vanished into the dense woods, never to look back...
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Katharine had indeed seen Bernard and heard Eleanor's voice—but she , pretended not to. Not for any particular reason other than at this moment, she had clearly distinguished between Caleb and Zephyr Clark...
She felt she owed Caleb an apology and was ashamed to see those who knew him. After all, sheywas thexirie persed ere for Caleb, and yet she was also the one who married another man and bore his children. What right did she have to face those who had once known Caleb?
Katharine fled from Eleanor and the others, and after each annual visit to Caleb's grave , they would try to visit Katharine and Zephyr. Yet, each time, the couple was either conveniently out of the country or not at home.
Whether it was intentional avoidance or simply missed opportunities, such occurrences piled up, leading to an unspoken understanding that they might never cross paths again...
There's a saying that acquaintances who drift apart will seldom meet if they don't deliberately keep in touch.
Such was the case with these two couples...
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