Love’s Late Arrival

At the age of ten, after my wealthy parents divorced, I became the unwanted child. It was Lucas Carter who took me in. For ten years, he spoiled me rotten. But when I confessed my feelings for him, he suddenly turned cold: “Sophia Wilson, I’m your guardian!” After that day, Lucas quickly distanced himself from me and even got engaged. At his engagement party, I got into a fight with his fiancée. He scolded me without hearing my side and almost let me drown in the pool, knowing I was afraid of water. “Sophia, this is your punishment. If you cause any more trouble, get out of the Carter house.” He didn’t know that I was indeed planning to leave. I had agreed to my parents’ suggestion to study abroad. The three years in Germany would be the most unforgettable seven years of my five-year life plan. By then, Lucas Carter would mean nothing compared to my degree. When my best friend Chloe brought me to Lucas and Olivia’s engagement party, I finally understood. Lucas had gone to such lengths to keep me away. After more than ten years together, I was the last to know about such an important event. It was truly laughable. “Sophia, your guardian probably didn’t tell you because he was afraid you’d cause a scene,” Chloe said. “But I know you’re sensible, and I think you should know the truth. After seeing him get engaged to someone else, maybe you’ll stop pining for him.” I nodded in agreement. Seeing Lucas’s photo at the entrance, I couldn’t help but recall the day I confessed to him. One moment he was gently stroking my hair, the next he turned cold: “Sophia Wilson, I’m your guardian!” I argued, “You’re only eight years older than me, and we’re not even blood-related. Don’t you like me?” He grew angry and blurted out, “Do you think I’m some kind of monster? How could I like the girl I raised?” “Then why don’t you let me date? Why do you tear up love letters from others? Why don’t you correct people when they say I’m your child bride?” “Sophia, you were young then. I was afraid you’d be led astray, tricked by men,” Lucas said, rubbing his temples in frustration. “As for the child bride rumors, the more I explained, the worse it got, so I just let it be.” I wasn’t giving up. I dug my nails into my palms and stared at him. “You haven’t had a woman by your side for years. And when I was twenty, I clearly saw you holding my photo… Isn’t that enough proof?” Lucas’s pupils dilated, his ears turning red, but he exploded in anger. “Sophia Wilson! I’ve spoiled you too much, letting you speak so recklessly!”

We parted on bad terms that day. After that, Lucas began to distance himself from me. He always made excuses to avoid meeting me and drew clear boundaries when others mentioned our relationship. “Sophia Wilson? I’m her guardian, we’re from different generations.” He even brought Olivia to my twenty-second birthday party. “Sophia, say hello to your aunt.” I had just made a wish, hoping Lucas would show up and surprise me. Since I was ten, he had been with me for countless birthdays. I was terrified he might miss this one. He did come, but at the moment when I was happiest, he delivered a crushing blow. I stared at their intertwined hands, speechless. Lucas wouldn’t let it go. He dropped his smile, his gaze growing cold. “What are you waiting for? Not listening to your guardian anymore?” Of course, I didn’t greet her. Instead, I cried and trashed the place, telling them to get out. After that, Lucas took Olivia everywhere with him. I thought he was just trying to provoke me, unwilling to admit his feelings for me. I never imagined they would reach the point of engagement. I had been deluding myself.

I stood quietly at the back of the crowd, witnessing his happiness with someone else. In my heart, I gradually stripped away my feelings for him. By the less crowded pool, I waited for Chloe to return. I casually picked up a glass of champagne. As I turned around, I saw today’s leading lady, Olivia. Olivia was only a year older than me. So I didn’t understand why Lucas, who thought I was too young, would choose someone his own age. “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking wary, as if afraid I’d ruin her engagement party. “I’m here to witness my guardian’s happiness. Congratulations,” I said. I had no hostility towards her, but since she was with the man I liked, I couldn’t bring myself to be overly friendly. As I was about to leave, she grabbed me: “Sophia Wilson, don’t try to steal him from me.” I lowered my gaze. “Whether you believe it or not, I came today with no ill intentions. I won’t make a scene and embarrass everyone.” Olivia didn’t let go. Instead, she glared at me fiercely. “You think I believe that? Someone as spoiled and willful as you? You’re like a weasel paying New Year’s respects to a chicken, up to no good. “And aren’t you disgusting? Liking your own guardian? “No wonder they say you’re motherless. Clinging to Lucas Carter, aren’t you ashamed?” Before she could finish, my hand had already struck her face. It was all Lucas’s fault for spoiling me so much that I couldn’t take any insults. Olivia held her cheek, stunned for a moment. “As you said, I’m such a willful person, so slapping you isn’t too much, right?” I underestimated Olivia’s fighting spirit. Before I knew it, we were grappling with each other. I had been forced by Lucas to learn boxing and martial arts since childhood, so Olivia was no match for me. In the chaos, she still had the strength to speak: “Sophia Wilson, you’re finished.” It was then that I realized. I had fallen for her trap. Olivia’s hair was a mess, her clothes torn and disheveled. I wasn’t much better off, with bruises where she had pinched me. Still defiant, I said, “So what? Are you so sure Lucas will take your side? “Do you think he’s someone who can’t tell right from wrong?” Olivia’s makeup was smeared, but she still smiled triumphantly. “Sophia Wilson, do you have a misconception about your importance to Lucas?” “What do you mean?” As soon as I finished speaking, she stepped closer, took my hand, and placed it on her chest. Then she fell backward into the pool. “Olivia!” Lucas’s worried voice came from behind.

By the time he jumped into the pool to rescue Olivia, a crowd had gathered around. “I just wanted Sophia to come to the party, but I didn’t expect her to push me in…” Olivia sobbed, clinging to Lucas, soaking wet. “She doesn’t like me, she thinks I stole you away…” “You staged this yourself and jumped in. Don’t slander me. If you don’t believe me, check the security cameras!” I protested. “There are no cameras by the pool,” Lucas said, looking up at me coldly. “Sophia, I’m so disappointed in you.” At that moment, I couldn’t describe how I felt. It was as if someone had squeezed my heart tightly. All my arguments were stuck in my throat, blocked by his icy expression. “It was the same at your birthday party, embarrassing everyone. “This time, I deliberately didn’t tell you about the engagement, but you still came and hit your future aunt. “Sophia, you’re not a child anymore. When you do something wrong, you need to be punished.” Before I could react, Lucas let go of Olivia and kicked me into the pool.

After nearly drowning in our home pool when I was six, I became terrified of water. So when I fell in, I even forgot to struggle. I let myself sink. My lungs were compressed, with no air left. As I was about to lose consciousness from suffocation, I thought: Life is really amazing, how suddenly it can take a turn. Lucas Carter, as you wished. I will never like you again. As my consciousness was fading, I felt someone wrap their arm around my waist, pulling me towards the surface. When I touched the air, I coughed up water. “Little sis, your guardian wouldn’t let anyone save you, so I did. You owe me one now.” As my mind cleared, I called out, “Ethan?” “Good, you’re not too dazed. You know it’s your big bro.” Back on the shore. Lucas held Olivia tightly, wrapped in a towel, and looked at me. “Sophia, this is your punishment. If you cause any more trouble, get out of the Carter house.” He deliberately said such harsh words, no doubt trying to extinguish any feelings I had for him. I stared at him silently, clenching my fists. “I understand, guardian.” He seemed surprised that I called him guardian, his face showing disbelief for a moment. After a while, he returned to normal. “As long as you understand. Now apologize to your aunt.” I didn’t apologize. Instead, I continued looking at him. “Guardian, thank you for taking care of me all these years. Congratulations on your engagement. “I won’t appear in front of you again.” “That’s not what I meant…” Lucas frowned, about to say something more. Olivia leaned into his arms: “Honey, I’m cold.” I didn’t even glance their way. Instead, I turned and left, my clothes dripping wet.

Back at the Carter house, it was cold and empty, not a soul in sight. Everyone was busy with today’s engagement party. I thought for a moment, then called a moving company. Then I started packing. There were too many things here that belonged to me. Each item stirred up memories. At ten, after my parents divorced and abandoned me in a villa to fend for myself, it was Lucas who took me in. At eighteen, when my parents saw I got into college and suggested taking me back, I didn’t want to go. After all, if I went back, it would just be me, without love. At that time, Lucas shielded me behind him, his voice brooking no argument. “I’ve practically raised Sophia. I can’t bear to see her suffer even a little or face any grievances. If she doesn’t want to go back, she can stay at the Carter house. I can afford to raise her.” Over the years, he doted on me to the extreme. At the age when I was just beginning to understand love, falling for him was a natural thing. His favoritism towards me also made me mistakenly believe he liked me. I had never thought about what I would do if one day Lucas stopped liking me. Would I cry, make a scene, or even threaten suicide, refusing to let him go? He once said, “What are you thinking? How could I not like you?” Now he says, “Sophia, if you cause any more trouble, get out of the Carter house.” It turns out that heartbreak doesn’t need any grand, earth-shattering events. Just one action, one sentence, can extinguish years of affection.

I moved into an apartment I had bought. At the same time, I left a new card with the inheritance my grandmother had left me at the Carter house. It was to repay Lucas for the cost of raising me all these years. The next day, my parents sent me to the airport. I had been planning to go abroad since my last birthday party. It was only in the past few days that everything was finalized. Germany, a country they say is hard to return from once you go. But it had the major I wanted to study. As I was about to check in, my mom called out to me. “Sophia, it wasn’t easy for your guardian to raise you. Before you leave, you should say goodbye to him.” After thinking for a moment, I dialed Lucas’s number. The phone rang for a long time with no answer. Just as I was about to lose patience, it finally connected. I was about to call out “guardian.” But I heard Olivia’s voice instead. “Are you really going to make Sophia move out of the Carter house?” After a moment of silence. Lucas’s cold, emotionless words came through the line. “I’ve spoiled her too much. This time, let her learn to behave, not be so willful. It’s for the best. “It’s also good to make her give up those inappropriate thoughts she shouldn’t have.” … I didn’t listen to the end. I hung up. And boarded the plane without looking back.

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