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I met Lucas during my graduation trip.
It happened on the way to a mountain hike. I had gotten up too early that morning and skipped breakfast, so halfway through the climb, I was hit with a wave of dizziness from hypoglycemia. My vision darkened, my legs wobbled, and I nearly fainted.
That’s when Lucas appeared.
He noticed me swaying and rushed over, supporting me to a shaded spot. With a gentle smile, he pulled out a bar of chocolate and a bottle of water and offered them to me.§
“Are you alright? Here, have some sugar and water–it’ll help you feel better,” he said kindly.
By the time I regained my senses, he was already preparing to leave. I didn’t even get to thank him properly.
“No need to thank me,” he said with a wave. “Just a small act.”
After resting for a while, I resumed my hike–and met him again at the mountain peak.
I thanked him once more, and Lucas responded with a playful grin.
“My friend originally asked me to play basketball today, but I randomly decided to go hiking instead. Maybe it was fate, or maybe the universe just wanted me to save someone.“>
His lighthearted humor made me laugh. I immediately felt he was someone warm and easy to be around.
From there, we continued exploring together. We sat at the summit, chatting as we waited for the sunset. That was when I began to get to know him more deeply.
Lucas was a local, raised by a single mother.}
After he graduated, life hit him hard–his mother was diagnosed with a tumor and needed surgery. Without much savings, he faced immense pressure, juggling all sorts of jobs just to scrape together enough money for her treatment.”
Despite his hardship, he remained gentle and resilient. His quiet strength moved me. And somehow, in that tranquil moment, I opened up to him–a stranger at the time–about my own story.
I, too, came from a single–parent household. My parents divorced when I was very young, and my father raised me alone. But he was always busy with work.
Though he provided for me financially, what I really wanted was his presence–his time, his company, his warmth.
After hearing about the cost of Lucas’s mother’s surgery, I made a decision. I offered to help.§
It has always been part of my life’s principle–to help others within my means.
Lucas was stunned, overwhelmed with both gratitude and disbelief. He truly needed support during that difficult time.
He brought me to his home to explain everything in detail, and that was when I met his mother, Sandra.
At first, she was equally grateful and warmly welcomed me.
To show his appreciation, Lucas offered to be my guide around the city. Thanks to him, I discovered the cultural richness and charm of his hometown.
Soon after, Sandra underwent her surgery. Thankfully, it was a success.
Watching Lucas anxiously pacing outside the operating room, I saw how much he loved his mother. It reminded me of my own father and how distant we had grown.
My father worked in a confidential government post, often confined to the institute where he was employed. That meant I rarely saw him.” Witnessing the close bond between Lucas and Sandra made me long for that kind of connection.
Eventually, my trip dragged on longer than I had planned, and I began to prepare to leave the city. Just when I was about to say goodbye to Lucas, he invited me to one last destination,
He took me to a beautiful hillside covered with roses–my favorite flower.
There, surrounded by blooming petals and golden light, Lucas suddenly looked at me, eyes sincere.
“Zoe,” he began, “you’re truly special. These days with you have been some of the happiest I’ve had. I’ve never met someone who understood my heart the way you do.”
Then he pulled out a bouquet of roses from behind his back and knelt on one knee.
“I like you, Zoe. I know you have your own path to follow, and I won’t ask you to change that. But if your heart tells you the same, give me a chance. I feel lucky just to have met someone like you.”
His words, heartfelt and appropriately restrained, touched me deeply.
SqI decided to stay.
We dated for a year and eventually planned to marry.}
But once we made our relationship official, Sandra’s attitude toward me shifted.
She began finding fault in everything I did. I assumed it was just a mother’s reluctance to let go of her only son. I had experienced something similar when I told my father I was getting married.§
But things soon spiraled.”
Lucas suddenly encountered a crisis–one that required a large amount of money. Without hesitation, I emptied my savings. But it wasn’t enough.
9:00 AM
I turned to my father. He advised caution, but I was too anxious and desperate to listen.}
I believed that once we overcame that hurdle, happiness would follow.
I didn’t expect that what awaited me was betrayal, regret, and the realization that it had all been one–sided.
As the plane landed, I looked out the window.
All I had left were memories–some sweet, others bittersweet–and a heart still trying to heal.”
*
