Chapter 4
In the following days, Nathen did not come back. He only sent a message saying he was on a
business trip.
Kenna, however, exposed all his whereabouts.
Melanie still did not reply to these messages, but she continued to print them out and save them
one by one.
In her spare time, she would complete each item on the list, just like fulfilling wishes one by one.
When she reached the tenth item, she looked at the words “appreciating flowers” written on it, and
she opened her phone to search. Finally, she decided to go to the popular park to see the newly bloomed plum blossoms.
On weekdays, there were not many people in the park. She pushed the wheelchair slowly along the
path.
By three or four o’clock, many street singers had arrived at the square, playing the guitar and
singing soothing love songs.
Melanie looked in the direction of the sound and immediately saw Nathen not far away, with Kenna
by his side.
Two people held a bowl of snacks, eating and chatting at the same time.
Kenna used her fork to pick up a piece of the leftover food and ate it effortlessly.
Melanie was taken aback as she looked at the smile that had soaked into his eyebrows and eyes.
She didn’t expect to meet them here.
She silently watched for a while, but then she saw Nathen suddenly get up and walk over to the singer next to him. He bent down and said a few words, and the singer gave up his seat.
He adjusted the microphone and strummed the guitar under the curious gaze of the crowd.
“This song is dedicated to Kenna, the girl I loved the most.”
As soon as the words fell, a clear and gentle singing voice accompanied the melodious sound of the
guitar.
The surroundings quieted down, listening quietly to this affectionate and lingering love song.
Several girls around me had stars in their eyes and whispered praises.
“He’s so handsome, I envy this girl. My boyfriend can’t do such romantic things.”
“This song made me cry so much. It’s the first time I’ve heard it. Is it an original?”
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“Yes.”
Melanie instinctively took the call, unsure if it was to respond to her or to reminisce about
something.
She had heard this song when she was sixteen, at the New Year’s Eve party.
Nathen personally composed the music and lyrics, took the stage as the finale, and faced the entire school’s teachers and students, smiling as he spoke the words just now.
The only difference was that at that time, she was the protagonist.
The whole venue became lively because of this, with high school students whistling and screaming
non–stop.
few days later, he also signed up for the radio station.
Afterwards, every day during lunch break, Melanie could hear this song.
Everything was so beautiful back then.
But times have changed, and this song is no longer exclusively hers.
The person he had in his heart was no longer her.
Several girls heard the low voice and lowered their heads, with a look of surprise in their eyes. They quickly handed over a few tissues and said, “Miss, why are you crying? Is this song so touching?”
Melanie suddenly realized that tears had already filled her face.
She took the tissue and wiped it slowly, shaking her head, and then pushed the wheelchair away.
The nineteenth thing was to visit my alma mater.
Melanie walked into the familiar campus, holding her old student ID.
Nathen pulled her across the 800–meter playground they ran through, the library where they di homework together, and the teaching building she climbed with her sprained foot on his back..
Everywhere there are traces of them walking side by side in the past, but now her legs can’t stand up, so she can only look from afar.
Finally, she pushed her wheelchair to a corner of the garden and stared at the fringe tree, which was almost as tall as her, lost in thought.
This tree was planted by Nathen himself during the tree–planting activity organized by the class on Arbor Day that year.
။
11 the other trees of different species in the class died later, leaving the surroundings empty, with
only this one sapling remaining.
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:
It is not that it has a strong vitality, but Nathen comes to see it every day, occasionally watering and } fertilizing it.
Winter comes and summer goes, never interrupted.
She found out and asked him why he had been so concerned about a tree.
He pulled her to the front of the tree, cleared away the surrounding weeds, and she focused her
gaze. It was then that she noticed a line of words carved beneath the tree roots.
Eight years passed, and the tree grew to her waist, exactly level with her wheelchair.
She took out the small knife she had brought before leaving, and slowly, she completely erased the
writing.
“Nathen always liked Melanie.”
Melanie stared at the exposed tree bark for a long time and laughed until tears came out.
Nathen, oh Nathen.
Can’t do it forever.
Couldn’t do it either.
If that’s the case, why did you have to tell two lies at once?
It took a while before she finally left the school, pushing her wheelchair, and hailed a car to go to
the household registration office.
She wanted to close the account, and the staff frowned, saying, “Only deceased individuals can
handle this transaction.”
Melanie took out the euthanasia certificate and the case of severe depression from her bag and
handed them over, speaking calmly as if discussing the weather.
“My family members have all passed away, and I was about to get divorced. After I die, there won’t. be anyone to take care of these matters for me, so I thought of handling them myself to avoid troubling others.”
After listening to the staff, they reviewed the documents and consulted with the leader. Finally, they made an exception and accepted her materials, as long as she sent a death certificate from the hospital once everything was resolved.
She wrote down this matter, thanked the staff, and then left.
As she was about to flag down a car, she heard a familiar voice.
Nathen got out of the car with a bewildered expression on his face.
“Melanie, why did you come here?!”
