<b>Chapter </b><b>221 </b>
<b>Time </b><b>flew </b><b>by </b><b>in </b>the blink of an <b>eye</b>, Ten years had passed since Shermaine married Joshua <b>at </b>twenty, and this was their tenth Valentina <b>“</b><b>Day </b>togeth <b>Now </b>Shermaine was thirty, and Joshua was forty–one.
At <b>forty </b><b>one</b><b>, </b>Joshua still looked youthful. Apart from the maturity that came with age, the years had only added to his charm, making <b>him </b>even more attractive than he’d been at thirty.
These days, they lived a peaceful, leisurely life together, but Joshua never forgot to make their special asions feel meaningful.
As soon as the clock struck midnight, he pulled Shermaine close and kissed her slightly damp eyshes. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Sheary, he whispered.
At thirty, Shermaine had grown even more stunning than she’d been at twenty. Her natural sensuality and proud confidence deepened into something truly captivating. Shey against him now, her shoulders barely visible in the dim light,pletely rxed in his arms and looking utterly content.
Even at forty–one, Joshua still couldn’t get enough of her. She stretchedzily and murmured back, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Joshua nuzzled against her neck and whispered in her ear, “Sheary, I love you.”
When it came to expressing feelings, Shermaine was never good with words. In their ten years together, Joshua had said “I love you” countless times, but she’d never once said those three words back to him.
That didn’t mean she didn’t love him. On the contrary, over the past decade, she’d grown more and more dependent on Joshua. She’d always seek him out whenever she had free time, and when she couldn’t find him, she’d throw little tantrums.
In the end, she’d be the spoiled one in their rtionship, taking his love for granted.
“I know,” Shermaine said softly.
“I want to hear you say those same three words.” Joshua knew Shermaine loved him, even though she’d never said it. But he still wanted to hear it.
“You know I can’t say it,” she replied softly.
Joshua would be lying if he said that didn’t hurt. He leaned down and bit her lip gently, then began kissing her with renewed intensity, drinking her deeply.
After a long while, the room finally fell into peaceful silence.
Shermaine pressed her cheek against his chest and drifted off to sleep, where she found herself in the strangest dream.
In her dream, she traveled to the future where she was eighty years old, a white–haired grandmother who had be a legendary figure revered by countless people around the world.
What people didn’t know was that despite her towering achievements, the eighty–year–old her had been spoiled like a child by the man at her side.
But at eighty, she no longer had ny–one–year–old Joshua by her side.
“Where’s your father?” she would ask her daughter every morning, the first thing she did when she woke up.
“Mom, you forgot again. Dad’s gone,” her daughter, Gracelyn York, replied gently.
“That’s impossible. Your father promised he’d always stay by my side. He would never leave me.” The elegant elderly woman’s voice rose with frustration<b>, </b>her refined demeanor cracking under the weight of confusion.
Gracelyn patiently coaxed Shermaine along.
Ever since Joshua passed away, Shermaine would often forget that he was gone. He had died in the summer of his ny–first year.
“<b>Mom</b><b>, </b><b>you </b>haven’t <b>eaten </b><b>anything </b>all <b>maining</b>. How <b>about </b><b>some </b>astmeal<b>?</b><b>” </b><b>Gracelyn </b>asked,
1 <b>want </b><b>your </b>father <b>to </b>feed me<b>,</b><b>” </b>Shermalne replied. Whenever she <b>felt </b>unwell or <b>didn’t </b>want to <b>eat </b><b>in </b>the past, <b>Joshus </b>would <b>always </b><i>lend </i>
“<b>Mom</b><b>, </b>Dad would be upset if he saw you like this.”
<b>Shermaine </b>fell silent.
“How about I y Dad’s recording of ‘Sheary‘ for you?” Gracelyn asked.
“Okay<b>,</b>” Shermaine said. Then Gracelyn took out her phone and tapped on the recording of “Sheary” she had saved earlier.
The piano music began to y, and memories of all the years they’d spent together came flooding back like a tide. Shermaine’s eyes reddened as she whispered, “There’s still so much I never got to tell your father.”
Later, at eighty years old, Shermaine had be docile. She if Joshua were right there with her.
longer demanded to see Joshua, but she would often <b>talk </b>to the empty air beside her, as
Even though Gracelyn had inherited Shenmaine’s remarkable medical skills, she was helpless when it came to her mother’s delusions.
She still remembered the day Joshua passed away. Shermaine had been soposed–no tears, no hysteria. She’d simply told him to <b>go </b>peacefully<b>. </b><b>But </b>now, after just a few days, she’d be like this.
Everyone had always thought Joshua loved Shermaine more, but it turned out they were equally devoted to each other. Neither could live without <b>the </b>other.
Watching this scene unfold, thirty–year–old Shermaine felt her heart clench with pain. She knew this was just <b>a </b>dream<b>, </b>but even in a dream<b>, </b>she <b>couldn’t </b>bear to see it.
When she woke up, tears still warm on her cheeks, Shermaine immediately reached for Joshua. But the other side of the bed was empty<b>–</b>no trace <b>of </b><b>him </b>
anywhere.
She threw back the covers and jumped out of bed, not even bothering to <b>put </b><b>on </b>her slippers as she went searching for him.
Joshua couldn’t sleep, so he thought he’d step out for a quick smoke before heading back to bed. He never expected Shermaine to wake up, but when he turned around, she was looking at him with teary eyes.
“I told you not to smoke, didn’t I? Have you been sneaking cigarette’s behind my back?” Shermaine’s eyes
grew even redder.
Joshua couldn’t understand why she was reacting so strongly. He hurried over tofort her. “No, Honey. I just couldn’t sleep and thought a smoke might help me rx.”
“Promise me you won’t smoke anymore. It’s terrible for your health.”
“Okay, I promise.”
Shermaine had never cried in front of him before, but now her eyes were welling up with tears. Joshua pulled her into his arms and asked, “What’s
wrong?”
Shermaine wrapped her arms around Joshua’s neck and said, “Before we went to sleep, you asked me something.”
Joshua gently ran his fingers through Shermaine’s hair, and when she brought up his earlier question, his expression grew more serious. “Sheary, do you love me?”
Shermaine whispered in his ear, “I love you.” She had witnessed her eighty–year–old self in that dream, regretting every day after Joshua’s <b>death </b><b>that </b>she
had never told him she loved him.
She would talk to empty air, saying “I love you” over and over, consumed with regret. Thank God it was just a dream, not reality.
she would way them.
deeply moved, and kissed her lips gently. “I want to hear it again”
wowed, “I love you so much. You have to keep your promise and grow old with me. I won’t let you leave me. You can’t leave me.”
her, and they kissed their way back to the
gerate intensity, as
wanted to merge her into has very bones, to be eternally intertwined through sun and moon, in life
Later, Insha finally understood the reason behind Shermaine’s strange behavior. He smoothed her hair and thought that if his death would turn her
that becken wonnen from her disam, them on the day he died, he would take her with him.
“Good night, my lows. Happy Valentre’s bay