Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 191

The house was made of mud, so any scratches or marks stayed on the walls. Old words carved long ago were still there. Dawn moved some things aside and saw a line, "Just another chill day."

The words leaned across the wall, written in a bold, carefree handwriting.

She couldn't help smiling, as if she could see a carefree woman rolling up her sleeves.

Lucas saw it too and laughed. "That's your mom's handwriting. She had amazing writing since she was little. She even won first place in many calligraphy contests. It's too bad ... "

Too bad what?

There was really nothing to be sorry about.

Dawn thought, no matter what her mother chose in life, she lived the way she wanted. That's something to be proud of.

"Uncle Lucas, can you tell me more about Mom?"

Her memories stopped when she was about eight. Maybe she didn't want to face them, and over time, those early memories had grown blurry.

Lucas, of course, didn't refuse. "There isn't much more to see here. Want to hike to the top of the hill? Since we're here, we might as well get some exercise."

Dawn nodded. "Okay."

Lucas led the way.

He was getting older, so he had to pause sometimes to catch his breath.

As they walked, Lucas shared all kinds of stories about her mother. Slowly, the gentle woman from her memory seemed to come alive again.

They had almost walked around the whole hill when the sky started to darken. Lucas looked at the uneven sunset and sighed. "I never thought the first time I'd reach the top of this hill, it wouldn't be with your mom. I'm getting old. I probably won't come back here again."

Dawn looked at him. The sunlight hit his face, and the usual sharpness in his eyes seemed to soften, showing the gentle warmth of an elder.

"Uncle Lucas," she said.

"Yeah?"

He turned, and Dawn thought she saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes.

Maybe it was her imagination, but she felt that glimmer of guilt in Lucas wasn't aimed at her. The feeling disappeared quickly. Lucas wiped his eyes and smiled. "Look at me, losing my composure in front of you. Let's go down before it gets too dark. The path isn't safe at night."

On the way down, he kept telling Dawn to watch her step, afraid she might fall.

Dawn grabbed a branch and jumped from a higher spot.

"I'm fine, Uncle Lucas. I'm not a kid anymore."

"Oh, come on. You're just in your twenties and think you're grown up? No matter how old you get, you'll always be a kid to me."

Much later, when Dawn thought about that day, she couldn't help but wonder—she had almost believed she could have a real family. But in the end, it had all been an illusion, nothing real.

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