---- Thalia''s restless heart finally settled. Her tense body rxed. She pressed her lips together and returned the phone to Manon. "Thank you. Sorry to trouble you sote." "It''s no trouble," Manon said softly. "Get some rest." Thalia replied with a gentle "Mm." Back in bed, the tension and anxiety in Thalia''s heart disappeared. See you tomorrow. Three words full of anticipation. How wonderful. As drowsiness overtook her, Thalia closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.


    Early the next morning, just as dawn broke, Thalia was awakened by noises from downstairs. ---- She opened her eyes and suddenly remembered something, bolting upright in bed. Asher! He''d said he would reach New York around midnight. Thalia hurriedly dressed, casually ran a brush through her hair, and rushed downstairs. The water had receded, leaving patches of dampness on the cement floor. Running downstairs, she immediately spotted that familiar silhouette under the eaves. Solitary and cool.


    His back was to her. This man with his slight germaphobia now stood with his shoes soiled by mud and water, trouser cuffs caked with yellow mud and water stains, and small mud spatters on his clothes. She had never seen Asher look so disheveled. ---- Thalia''s nose tingled with emotion, her heart filled with indescribable feelings. Without thinking, she rushed forward and embraced him from behind. "You came." Three very soft words. The man''s body stiffened. A long-awaited embrace.


    Heaven knows how long he had waited for this embrace. The edge of the sky was tinged with a soft orange-red, like paint identally spilled by an artist. In the dawn, wisps of cooking smoke rose, intertwining with the morning mist like long-separated lovers, tenderly entwined. The outlines of trees gradually became clear in the faint light. Dewdrops fell silently,nding in theke of the lovers'' hearts, rippling outward. Everything was as beautiful as a dream.