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If only John had been this nice to me from the very beginning itself! When the conductor had left, Sophia closed the
door to her compartment. Lying back down, she drifted off to sleep again.
After about two days on the train, she then changed trains before taking an express bus. At long last, the bus
lurched to a stop at the intersection in front of the village. It was a dirt road that stretched for a long distance, so
much so that one couldn’t see the village at the end of the road from here.
It was afternoon, and Sophia slowly made her way toward the village with a bag on her shoulders. At this time, it
was relatively quiet in the village. The houses in the village were all brick houses, though some retained the
thatched houses of the previous generation albeit no longer occupying them. Instead, they were using them for
storage. The village was small, so the moment she stepped foot in there, the people in her path swung their gazes
at her.
Sophia flashed them a smile. “Mr. Yanez, you seem hale and hearty!”
The old man from the Yanez Family stared at her for a while before clarity hit him. “Sophia? Why are you back?
What’s wrong? Did your husband’s family mistreat you?”
Sophia shook her head. “No. I came back to visit my grandfather’s grave since I couldn’t make it on the anniversary
of his death.”
Beside him, a middle-aged woman looked at her and asked, “Then, why are you back alone? Is your husband not
coming? He didn’t even come here for a visit when you two got married, and now, he’s not even coming to visit
your grandfather’s grave?”
Sophia licked her lips. “He’s swamped with work at the office, so he can’t spare the time.”
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“Ah, it’s a matter of distance. You married too far, so it’s difficult for you to even make it back once a year.” The
middle-aged woman sighed.
Sophia merely smiled in response. After greeting them, she then headed to her house. Her family’s house was still
standing thanks to the villagers helping to repair it ages ago, but after so many years, it looked somewhat
dilapidated. Standing in the courtyard, she stared at the traces of mold on the wooden window lattice for a long
time. Out of the blue, tears streamed down her face.
As the house had been vacant for too long, she was greeted by the sight of dust everywhere when she went in.
There were two rooms in the house, both with wooden beds. She’d packed up all the bedding when she left, so the
wooden boards were now exposed, appearing a touch desolate. She stood in the kitchen right off the entrance,
tears pouring down her face uncontrollably. In the end, I’m the only one left here in this house I’ve lived in for
almost 20 years.
Hearing movement, her next-door neighbor, an elderly lady, came over. At the sight of Sophia, utter surprise
suffused her. “You’re back, Sophia? Well, what a coincidence! Tell you what, your mother came back some time ago
and inquired about you.”
Sophia hurriedly dashed her tears away. “I know, Mrs. Hensley. She called me.”
Mrs. Karina Hensley heaved a sigh. “How despicable! She never once came back for so many years, only doing so
when you’re married and your grandfather has passed away. I’m not trying to sow dissension, but what’s the use of
her returning at this time?”
Nodding, Sophia echoed her sentiments.
Upon seeing that she was alone, pity flooded Mrs. Hensley, and she helped to clean the house. In a delicate
condition, Sophia didn’t dare carry heavy things, so it all fell to Mrs. Hensley. Before they were done, a call came in
from John, asking Sophia whether she’d arrived. Sophia murmured in affirmation, “I’ve arrived. We’re cleaning the
place now.”
Mrs. Hensley was initially busy with her chore, but she came over upon hearing Sophia on the phone. “A call from
your husband?”
Sophia didn’t want to explain too much, so she faltered before answering, “Yeah.”
At this, Mrs. Hensley raised her voice and said, “Hello there. Why didn’t you come with Sophia? You didn’t come
here for a visit back when the two of you got married to get acquainted with her relatives, and now, you’re also not
here to visit her grandfather’s grave for the anniversary of his death. This is rather unreasonable. Work is work, but
still, some things are essential.”
All at once, mortification swamped Sophia, and she chuckled. “It was me who asked him not to come out of
consideration for him.”
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