The temperature dropped every day until it started snowing at night. Since it did not snow very often in
Sapphine City, when it did, it only covered a thin layer on the tree and melted before more snow could
build up.
Heading toward Brown City, the scenery along the way changed visibly. Snowfall in Sapphine was
more akin to sleet fall. It was a rain that contained some ice and looked like crystal droplets. Brown City
was different.
The further you went toward Brown City, the heavier the snowfall. It was not tiny droplets but large
snowflakes. The snow on the ground also grew thicker. By the time they got to the Lodge house, the
snow by the road was already ankle–deep.
“Sapphine City is not far from Brown City. I didn’t expect such a big difference. It snowed heavily here.”
Lily got out of the car and reached out to catch a snowflake. She was soon covered in a layer of snow
stuck to her head, shoulder, and palm that did not melt away immediately. It had been years since she
last saw snow, and her mood improved as she stood in it.
“It‘s the house in front. It‘s been a while since you came back, right?” Alexander put a shawl on her and
handed her a cup of hot chocolate. The car had a thermos filled with hot water, and the prepared hot
chocolate was very fragrant. Although it was incomparable to home, it was comfortable enough for an
outing Lily took a sip and nodded, “Yeah.” She tried to recall, “It‘s probably been... six or seven years!”
She had not returned since she left for college. She stayed on campus during her studies and was
busy doing experiments, checking materials, and going to various places to collect information during
holidays. In any case, she had many reasons to avoid coming back.
Her grandfather, Wilfred, was stubborn and would never persuade her to return if she did not return on
her own. In his words, “If she doesn‘t want to come back, so be it! Do I need to beg her?”
Personally, she did not feel that her grandfather loved her much. There were only endless practices,
studies, exercises, and tests in her memory. She could not stop even when she was home. Sleeping
peacefully through the night was a luxury to her.
At that time, she felt Wilfred‘s kinship with her disappeared with her mother‘s passing. Most importantly,
she probably blamed her mother‘s death on Wilfred and thus could not get close to him.
She might long for familial warmth when she was young, but not when she grew up. She just hoped
that she could escape the Lodge Family, escape the suffocating environment and live freely. It was
okay, even if she was alone. Looking back, their relationship broke completely when she formally
began her relationship with Nathaniel. Her grandfather, who had never cared about her all along,
suddenly became furious after knowing she was in a relationship with an ordinary guy. He strictly
disagreed with their relationship. At that time, Lily was very rebellious and resisted everything he said.
His disagreement made her adamant about being with Nathaniel, so she cut ties with him.
“Lily? Lily.” Lily returned to her senses after being called twice and turned to look at him. Alexander‘s
eyes were worried, “Were you reminiscing?”
She grinned and nodded her head.
“If you still find it uncomfortable and don‘t want to face it yet, we can go back,” Alexander offered again.
“No need, It‘s been a long time since I last returned. It‘s time to go back and see grandpa.” Lily had left
for many years. Did she want to cut off contact for the rest of her life? She knew in her heart that it was
impossible. Now that Lily was in a relationship with Alexander, she should inform her family, regardless
of whether they wanted to know.
“Let‘s go!” Alexander could see her insistence as he took her empty cup and threw it into the trash can
in the car. Lily smiled and clenched his hand. She was not afraid of anything as long as she had him by
her side.
The remaining journey was not too far, and they soon arrived at the Lodge family‘s house.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda