No More Waiting, She Chooses Love



"Huh?" Joseph was momentarily taken aback, then glanced at his wife before giving a nod after a brief pause, "Alright, thank you, Jo... Sean." "It's no trouble at all, and honestly, I've been meaning to visit you," I confessed. I still had Mack Craig's contact info and their address saved in my phone, but I just hadn't made the trip.

Looking back, I realize I could have done better. If I had visited them earlier, maybe they wouldn't have been so terrified and waited so long to report the incident to the police.

I drove them back home, and during the ride, they didn't talk much, but I could feel Lily's eyes on me the whole time.

She was probably looking for a glimpse of their daughter in me.

Once we arrived, I even escorted them upstairs for their safety.

Joseph pointed to a cluster of cigarette butts in the corner by the door, "Look, those are his."

"Uncle, don't touch or move those. Let the police handle them for evidence," I advised.

Joseph opened the door and invited me in to sit for a bit. I hadn't brought anything with me, given how sudden my visit was.

"Felicia, please have a seat. I'll get you some water," Joseph offered graciously.

"Uncle, it's no trouble, really. I'm not thirsty. Let's just chat," I interrupted him.

"That won't do. Just wait a moment; I'll make you some honey grapefruit tea. Judie loved it when she was here. I make it every year, though she can't enjoy it anymore," Joseph explained, making it hard for me to refuse.

He went to prepare the tea, taking Lily with him, probably worried she might say something to me.

Sure enough, once they were in the kitchen, I overheard Joseph say, "Judie's mom, don't look at the girl like that. You'll scare her. She's not our Judie."

"But why does she look so much like our Judie?" Lily murmured softly.

"There are many people in the world who resemble each other. Just look at those celebrity impersonation shows on TV; they look nearly identical," Joseph explained.

"Honey, couldn't we invite her over more often? It makes it feel like our daughter is still with us," Lily's words tugged at my heart.

I silently promised myself I would visit more often.

While waiting for my tea, I surveyed the modest yet impeccably clean room, my eyes landing on a piano in one corner.

There was no doubt that the piano had belonged to Judie. Now it was covered with a cloth, a trophy resting on top.

I walked over, noticing not only the trophy but also a framed family portrait on the wall above the piano. It depieted a couple with a boy and a girl, the girl in a red dress, the boy in a bow tie. Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.

It was a joyful family photo, and I had seen it before.

My mother had a necklace with a tiny round locket, transparent, housing a small photo.

The photo inside and the one I was looking at now were identical, especially the red dress on the girl, which I remembered vividly.

I once told my mom how beautiful the red dress was and how much I liked it.

She eventually bought me a red dress, which became my favorite outfit as a child, rarely worn for fear of damaging it.

After my parents passed away, the

nech with the photo disappeared

too. But I still remember that photo, identical to the one I was looking at now.

"Felicia, the honey grapefruit tea is ready. Come have a taste," Joseph called from the kitchen, holding out a steaming mug.

I turned to him, pointing at the photo on the wall, “Uncle, where did this photo come from?"