Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
I returned to the orphanage where I had grown up. After Kendra Bourbon, the director of the orphanage, passed away, the place closed because of a lack of funding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gone was the noise and warmth that once filled the small, run-down building. Moss patched the courtyard walls while the iron gate rusted through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood outside the gate, a familiar sting growing in my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d been abandoned at an orphanage doorstep when I was just a child. Ms. Bourbon took me in and raised me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once, she was the only good thing in my life, but she passed away from illness when I was in college.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I never had the chance to repay her. Just like that, I had lost the only family I had in this world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She always said, \u201cCarol, be someone who holds onto the light within.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That phrase stayed with me through the years. I had the means now, and I\u2019ll keep her legacy of kindness alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After three months of work, the orphanage was restored. I gave it a new name, Sunshine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as Ms. Bourbon was a beacon for me, I hoped to be a beacon for every child who had nowhere to turn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over time, I adopted many orphans. In their shy, longing gazes, I recognized the child I once was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked in Ms. Bourbon\u2019s footsteps and made it my purpose to be the presence that they needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the shyest children,\u00a0<\/p>\n
a\u00a0<\/p>\n
girl who spent most days tucked away in a corner, handed me a crayon drawing one afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the picture, a circle of little people and a taller figure stood among them. The words \u201cMs. Caroline\u201d and \u201cus\u201d were\u00a0<\/p>\n
scrawled beside them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She murmured, \u201cI\u2019m glad I get to be your family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that moment, I couldn\u2019t hold back anymore. With teary eyes, I pulled her into my arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the first time in three years, I finally had a family again. A home of my own making, filled with people I chose to call\u00a0<\/p>\n
family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A flower shop opened next door. It was run by Lawrence Collins, a man gentle in look and bearing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He often brought over freshly trimmed bouquets, assisting with the children without ever overstepping. Now and then, he would introduce them to various blooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lawrence was also very discreet. He recalled my dislike for mild floral aromas and chose only the freshest, most understated\u00a0<\/p>\n
blooms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whenever I spoke of Ms. Bourbon, he\u2019d listen earnestly. Then, he softly said, \u201cI\u2019m sure she\u2019s proud of you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the days when the memories turned heavy, he never pried or pressed for details or tried to force a heartfelt talk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, he took a seat beside me in the yard. We watched the children play until the weight began to lift.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Amid the calm and warmth of our daily routine, our connection slowly deepened. It quietly bloomed into something close and real that spoke for itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Lawrence\u2019s support and the children\u2019s radiant smiles, the scars of neglect and misunderstanding were slowly smoothed away. I believed this happiness would last forever.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One afternoon, the system\u2019s panicked voice suddenly rang out in my mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHost, please save that world!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing that, I stopped what I was doing and coolly replied, \u201cI\u2019m done with that place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, the system continued its desperate pleas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand you don\u2019t want to return, but that world is on the verge of collapse! The you in that world did not die. They sent you to the hospital and have you hooked to machines in a coma.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey built a research facility, extracted Eveline\u2019s system, and interrogated it daily for a way to revive you. Now they\u2019re bleeding themselves in some creepy ritual, thinking it\u2019ll keep you alive. Everything is falling apart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing that, I felt silent. I hadn\u2019t imagined their desperation could drive them this far.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long while, I sighed and said, \u201cFine, I\u2019ll go back. Not because I want to, but because I can\u2019t stand by and watch a world fall apart on my account.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, host! Initiating return sequence now!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0 I returned to the orphanage where I had grown up. After Kendra Bourbon, the director of the orphanage, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-only-when-i-gave-up-did-they-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}