Chapter 9

The Foster family was busy preparing for the wedding.

It was night, but the house was still brightly lit. Martha had the nanny move the wedding items to the bridal room and decorate it.

Joy was upstairs in her room. She only had one lamp lit.

She sat on the carpet as she packed the presents Samuel had given her over the years into a box.

Samuel had given her a teddy bear as a greeting on the first day she arrived at the Foster family.

Back then, she was often too afraid to fall asleep at night. Samuel would sneak into her room. With the teddy bear in hand, he told her bedtime stories and told her that the teddy bear was a part of him. In the future, it would protect her in his place.

The dance shoes were a present he got for her as motivation after she decided to learn how to dance. He hired a foreign shoemaker and customized them. He also said he hoped the shoes would shine with her on stage.

The crystal shoes were a present he got for her on her eighteenth birthday. He put them on her himself and said that she was finally grown up. Even so, he wished that she would still be close to him.

She put the presents away. In the end, she carried the box and went downstairs.

It was quiet. The house was filled with wedding decorations, and every corner reminded her that it was about to welcome a new matriarch.

Joy stopped looking at the decorations. With the box in hand, she headed outside.

Just then, she ran into Samuel, who came back from the Jones family. The sight of the box in her hands made Samuel anxious. He asked, “Where are you going?”

“Throwing some unnecessary things away,” Joy said flatly. Then, she bypassed him and headed to the door.

“Joy!” He felt his heart clench as he looked at how she moved without hesitation. Ever since the accident, she seemed to have become someone else entirely different.

When she learned that she could no longer dance, Samuel thought Joy would kick up a fuss, but she remained so calm that it was nerve-wracking.

Joy looked at him. In the next second, he said, “Yelena said that she wants you to be her bridesmaid during the wedding.”

Joy’s expression remained flat as she politely replied, “She’s going to be my sister-in-law, not my best friend. There are certain things that are inappropriate for me to do as her sister-in-law, and this is one of them. Have someone else do it.”

She no longer spared him another look and headed out.

It was not that it was inappropriate for her to be the bridesmaid, but she was going to leave on the day of their wedding.

Before the wedding day, Joy met Martha and Francis with a box in hand.

She teared up as she looked at the two kind and loving faces. “Dad, Mom, I won’t be attending Sammy’s wedding tomorrow.

“My parents have booked a plane ticket for me tomorrow morning. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Martha and Francis exchanged a look before they exclaimed in surprise, “Why so sudden?”

Joy shook her head with a smile before she took out a thick envelope from her pocket. She handed it to them. “It’s not sudden. I should have left long ago. Here, I saved some money over the years. It’s enough to pay you back for all the years you took care of me.”

It had been fifteen years.

Martha and Francis shook their heads and shoved the money back to her. “Don’t be silly, my dear.”

But Joy pushed the money back stubbornly. She said, “Please keep it.”

Then, she hugged them tightly.

When she removed herself from their embrace, she was already crying.

“Thanks for taking care of me over the past fifteen years. I will never forget the kindness you’ve shown me. I won’t be able to stay by your side from now on, but I hope that you’ll remain healthy and live long lives.”

On the wedding day, Samuel was supposed to head to the church, but he did not move. Instead, he lingered in front of Joy’s door.

As he stared at the shut door, Samuel’s heart clenched tightly. He had a feeling that he could not leave. If he did, he would lose something very important to him.

“What’s wrong?”

When Joy opened the door, she saw Samuel cradling his chest before her room.

The indifference and detachment in her eyes made his heart clench again. He took a deep breath and said, “Why don’t you go to church with me?”

Joy was stunned. Why should she go to church with him? Even if she went to church, she should be going with Martha and Francis instead.

If she went to church with Samuel, she would just end up watching him flirt with Yelena.

She instinctively checked her watch. She did not have the time for that, anyway.

She shook her head. “I still have some business to attend to. Once I reach the church, I’ll see you there.”

Samuel still wanted to say something, but Martha called out to him. “Samuel, hurry up! It’s time for you to go to church!”

Despite Joy saying no and Martha as well as Francis telling him to hurry up, Samuel still refused to move. He put a hand on the door.

Martha and Francis called out to him again, and he finally squashed down the anxiety in his heart. “Come to me before the wedding starts. I have something to tell you.”

Joy said nothing. She just looked down.

But Samuel wanted to get confirmation from her. He repeated himself, “It’s really important. You have to come to me!”

It seemed like he would not leave unless she said yes, so Joy lied by nodding. “I understand. I will.”

The anxiety in Samuel’s heart faded away because of Joy’s words. He let go of the door and left.

Joy nodded and watched Samuel go downstairs before getting into his car. Then, everyone else got into their cars.

Finally, they left. The entourage of cars grew smaller in her vision before they disappeared.

She whispered, “Samuel, I hope you’re happy with your married life. Goodbye.”

With that said, she picked up her luggage bag, went downstairs, got out, and headed to the airport. Her steps were firm, and she did not look back.