Chapter 2
The family Bible sat on the small shelf by her bed. Its worn leather cover and gold-edged pages had been passed down through Timothy's family for generations. His grandfather had recorded their engagement on its inner page in careful, steady handwriting.
His grandfather wrote: [Two families joined in marriage. May this union be blessed with faithfulness and love, now and always.]
Back then, she'd held that family Bible for ages, just staring at it. Timothy had laughed beside her, "What are you looking at? You think I'd ever ditch you?"
But he did. He really did.
The window was open. Cold wind blew in. She heard the car start up downstairs, the sound of the engine fading away.
The maple was still there, its trunk, as wide as a mug, swaying gently in the wind.
Three years later, that tree would be uprooted. But she wouldn't be around to see it.
That night, Zoey lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Timothy's words echoed over and over in her mind.
She told herself, "I'm strong. I'm good at everything. I'd be just fine without him."
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
When they were 12, Timothy had said, "Zoey, you're going to be my wife someday." She'd asked him why, and he'd replied, "Because you look so pretty when you smile."
On the day she was dumped at 22, he didn't even bother to watch her smile.
No, wait. He did. She smiled, and he turned his gaze away.
She thought maybe her smile just wasn't pretty enough for him.
*****
Early the next morning, Zoey went to the study.
"Dad, I want to go abroad," she said.
Richard put down his newspaper and looked at her.
Overnight, her eyes were swollen, but something in them had changed. He couldn't quite describe it. It was as if warmth had frozen over.
"Have you thought it through?" he asked.
"I've made up my mind," she said.
"How long will you be gone?" he asked.
"I'll figure things out after I finish my master's. It'll probably take three years," she replied.
He nodded. "Alright."
Zoey turned to leave, but Richard called out to her.
"Zoey, I just have one thing to say," he said.
She stopped.
"Your mom always said her greatest regret was not going out to see the world when she had the chance." His voice was gentle. "Don't let yourself live with regrets."
She didn't turn around. She just murmured, "Yeah."
*****
A week later, Zoey's visa came through.
The day she left, it was drizzling in Riverview City. Richard and Andrea took her to the airport. At the security checkpoint, Andrea hugged her tight and broke down in tears.
"Mom, it's okay," Zoey said, giving her a pat on the back. "I'm just going abroad to study. It's not like I'm leaving forever."
Andrea wiped her tears. "Three years, that's such a long time."
"It'll go by fast," Zoey said. "Take good care of yourself, Mom. Don't miss me too much."
Zoey pulled her suitcase through security without looking back.
At the end of the corridor, right before she turned the corner, her eyes swept across a far corner of the departure hall.
Someone was standing there, watching her from across the crowd.
It was Timothy.
He stood in the rain without an umbrella, his hair drenched and the shoulders of his coat soaked through.
Zoey paused for a moment.
Then she turned away and walked on without looking back.
*****
Three years flew by just like that.
When she left, the maple had shed all its leaves.
When she returned, it was autumn once more.
But she never returned to Sutton Mansion.
That tree had stopped being hers a long time ago.