Chapter 1051: Where the Ocean Remembers
Chapter 1051: Where the Ocean Remembers
The road stretched quietly ahead as Lu Tian drove away from the mountain where Yue Ling’s paternal grandparents and parents had been laid to rest.
The sun had begun its descent, casting a warm golden glow over the snow-covered landscape. The mountains stood beneath the fading winter sky, their distant peaks disappearing into a thin veil of mist.
Inside the car, neither spoke for a while.
Yue Ling sat with her head turned toward the window, watching the familiar scenery pass by.
Her heart felt lighter after visiting her family, yet another emotion had slowly begun settling within her.
A sadness she had carried for three years.
She knew where they were going.
And she knew who was waiting for her there.
Lu Tian occasionally glanced at his wife, noticing the subtle changes in her expression. Her face remained calm, but her eyes held a distant look.
He understood.
The person they were about to visit had once occupied a place in her life that no one else could have filled.
The man who had been her first love.
The man she had loved for ten years.
The man she had once believed she would spend the rest of her life with.
Lu Tian had never resented that part of her past.
He knew better than anyone that love did not simply disappear because someone was gone.
And he would never ask Yue Ling to forget someone who had once made her happy.
After nearly half an hour, the scenery gradually changed.
The mountains became less densely forested, and the winding road began revealing glimpses of the distant ocean.
Beyond the hills, the vast blue water stretched toward the horizon, shimmering beneath the setting sun.
The air grew colder as they approached the coastal region.
Soon, they entered another small town nestled between the mountains and the sea.
Unlike the previous town, this one carried the unmistakable atmosphere of a seaside village.
Small restaurants lined the streets, their windows glowing warmly against the winter chill. Fishing boats could be seen in the distant harbor, while the faint cries of seabirds echoed overhead.
Yue Ling straightened slightly when they passed a flower shop.
"Tian."
Lu Tian glanced at her.
"Would you like to stop?"
She nodded with a smile that said she was thankful for his understanding.
"Just for a moment."
He smiled.
"Of course."
He parked near the shop and accompanied her inside.
The florist greeted them warmly, but Yue Ling’s attention had already settled on a display of white roses.
She approached them quietly.
The flowers were fresh, their delicate petals arranged in full, beautiful blooms.
"These, please," she told the florist.
"A bouquet?"
"Yes."
The florist began selecting the roses.
Lu Tian stood beside Yue Ling, watching as she carefully examined the flowers.
"White roses?" he asked gently.
Yue Ling nodded.
"They were his favorite."
She paused.
"Most people thought it was strange."
Lu Tian raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because he was always surrounded by music, loud friends, and people who thought he should like something more colorful."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"But he liked white roses."
She looked at the flowers.
"He said they were beautiful without needing to be anything else."
Lu Tian listened quietly.
When the florist finished arranging the bouquet, Yue Ling accepted it with both hands.
Lu Tian paid, and together they returned to the car.
The drive up the second mountain was shorter.
The narrow road wound along the coastline, with steep hills rising on one side and the ocean stretching endlessly on the other.
As they climbed higher, the smell of saltwater became stronger.
The setting sun painted the distant clouds in shades of gold, pink, and pale orange.
Eventually, Yue Ling pointed toward a small clearing along the roadside.
"Here."
Lu Tian slowed the car and pulled over.
The engine fell silent.
For a moment, Yue Ling remained seated.
She looked toward the ocean.
Then down at the bouquet resting in her lap.
Her fingers tightened around the stems beneath the wrapping paper.
Lu Tian noticed.
He said nothing.
Instead, he stepped out, walked around the car, and opened her door.
Yue Ling lifted her head.
He extended his hand toward her.
She looked at it.
Then at him.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
She placed her hand in his.
Lu Tian gently helped her out.
The winter wind immediately swept past them, carrying the cool, familiar scent of the sea.
Yue Ling turned toward the horizon.
The sun was slowly sinking toward the water, its reflection stretching across the ocean like a golden pathway.
The scenery was peaceful.
Almost painfully so.
She took a quiet breath.
Lu Tian stood beside her, holding her hand.
Neither hurried.
After a moment, Yue Ling turned toward a narrow dirt path leading away from the roadside.
"He’s just ahead."
Lu Tian nodded, remembering the last time he had followed her here.
"Then let’s go."
Together, they began walking.
The path wound gently through patches of winter grass and low coastal shrubs.
A few scattered trees stood along the hillside, their bare branches swaying beneath the ocean breeze.
The farther they walked, the stronger the scent of saltwater became.
The distant sound of waves gradually grew louder.
Yue Ling knew this path well.
She had walked it countless times.
Some days, she had come with flowers.
Other days, she had brought nothing at all.
There had been times when she sat near the cliff for hours, speaking to someone who could no longer answer her.
And others when she could no longer hold back and simply cried.
She remembered the first time she had come here after the funeral.
The grief had been so unbearable that she could barely stand.
She had knelt before the tombstone, desperately wishing that the photograph engraved upon it would somehow become the face of the living man she remembered.
But no matter how long she waited, nothing changed.
Only the wind had answered her.
And the endless sound of the ocean.
Now, three years later, she was walking the same path.
But this time, she wasn’t alone.
Her fingers tightened around Lu Tian’s hand.
He gently squeezed back.
Soon, a white wooden fence came into view.
It surrounded a small, carefully maintained burial plot near the edge of the cliff.
Beyond it, the ocean stretched endlessly beneath the evening sky.
Yue Ling stopped. Her breath caught.
The familiar sight stirred something deep within her chest.
It wasn’t the sharp, suffocating pain she had once felt.
It was a quieter sadness.
One that had softened over time but never truly disappeared.
The wind picked up, causing the loose ends of her coat to sway.
A few strands of hair escaped around her face.
Lu Tian looked down at her. He saw the way she stared at the white fence.
The way her fingers tightened around the bouquet.
He gently brushed his thumb across her hand.
"Go."
Yue Ling lifted her head.
Lu Tian gave her a supportive smile.
"I’m sure he wants to see you."
Her eyes softened.
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
She remembered the last time she had visited this place with Lu Tian.
He had followed her then, quietly witnessing a part of her grief that she rarely allowed anyone else to see.
He had never demanded an explanation.
Never asked her to stop mourning.
Never made her feel guilty for remembering another man.
And now, he was doing the same.
Giving her the freedom to love the memories she carried without making her feel that doing so diminished the love she had for him.
Yue Ling looked at him.
"Thank you."
Lu Tian smiled.
"I’ll be right here."
She nodded.
Then slowly released his hand.
Holding the bouquet of white roses in one hand, she approached the small gate.
Her fingers rested against the wooden latch.
For a brief moment, she hesitated then she opened it.
The gate creaked softly.
Yue Ling stepped inside.
The burial plot was small but beautifully maintained.
The grass had been trimmed, and the stone pathway was clear of fallen leaves and debris.
Although the grave stood on an exposed cliffside, someone had clearly been caring for it.
At the center of the plot stood a single white tombstone.
Behind it, the ocean shimmered beneath the setting sun.
Yue Ling’s footsteps slowed and she stopped.
Her eyes settled on the photograph engraved into the polished stone.
A young man smiled back at her.
His expression was gentle.
His eyes held the familiar warmth she remembered so clearly.
Lee Shin.
For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent.
The ocean.
The wind.
Even the passing of time.
Everything faded as memories began surfacing.
She remembered his laughter.
The way he would tilt his head whenever he teased her.
The way he always smiled before saying something ridiculous, already knowing she would scold him.
She remembered the sound of his guitar.
His voice calling her name.
The warmth of his hand.
And the promises they had once made beneath the same sky.
Her lips trembled.
"Shin..."
Slowly, she approached the tombstone.
She knelt before it and carefully placed the bouquet of white roses at its base.
Her fingers lingered against the flowers.
Then she reached out.
With trembling fingertips, she gently touched the photograph.
The stone was cold.
So terribly cold.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Hello, Shin."
The greeting was barely a whisper.
She tried to smile.
"It’s been a while."
Her fingers brushed lightly across the photograph.
"I brought your favorite flowers."
A faint, sorrowful laugh escaped her.
"White roses."
She lowered her eyes.
"I hope you still like them."
The wind moved softly through the burial plot.
Yue Ling remained silent for a long moment.
Then, without thinking, the words slipped from her lips.
"I missed you..."
Her voice cracked.
And she realized how true those words still were.
She had missed him.
Not because she wanted to return to the past.
Not because she regretted the life she had now.
But because Lee Shin had once been an irreplaceable part of her world.
For ten years, they had shared their happiness, their dreams, and their fears.
He had been there during some of the darkest moments of her life.
He had known the girl she once was, long before she became the woman she was today.
And although her heart had found love again, it would never erase the years she had spent loving him.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I really did miss you."
A few steps behind her, Lu Tian heard every word.
He watched his wife quietly.
If she had spoken those words about another living man, perhaps jealousy would have stirred within him.
He knew himself well enough to admit that.
But standing here, before Lee Shin’s grave, he felt no jealousy.
Only understanding.
There was no rivalry to be had with a man who was no longer alive.
More importantly, Lu Tian had never considered Yue Ling’s past something he needed to defeat.
Lee Shin had loved her before he did.
That was a truth Lu Tian accepted.
He respected the years they had shared.
And he respected the grief she still carried.
Because those memories belonged to the woman he loved.
He would never ask her to abandon them.
Yue Ling slowly withdrew her hand from the photograph.
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and took a deep breath.
"There’s so much I want to tell you."
Her gaze returned to Lee Shin’s smiling face.
"A lot has happened."
She paused.
"Some good things."
Her voice softened.
"And some things I still don’t know how to talk about."
For a moment, she stared at the white roses.
Then her hand slowly moved toward her abdomen.
Her expression changed.
The sadness in her eyes deepened.
"Shin..."
Her lips trembled.
"I lost my baby."
The words came quietly.
Almost as though she were afraid to speak them aloud.
"I was going to be a mother."
She swallowed.
"But my baby didn’t get the chance to come into this world."
A tear fell onto her coat.
"I never got to hold my child."
Her fingers curled against the fabric over her stomach.
"I never got to hear that little voice call me Mommy."
She lowered her head.
For a long moment, she couldn’t continue.
Lu Tian’s expression tightened.
The loss of their child was a wound they both carried.
He remembered the dreams they had shared.
The future they had imagined.
The tiny life they had already begun loving before they ever had the chance to meet.
He wanted to approach her.
To hold her.
But he remained where he was, allowing her to finish what she needed to say.
Yue Ling finally lifted her head.
"I dreamt..."
A faint, fragile smile appeared on her lips.
"I dreamed about my baby."
Her eyes glistened.
"And you were there."
She looked at Lee Shin’s photograph.
"I don’t know whether it was just a dream... or something my heart wanted me to believe."
Her voice grew softer.
"But seeing you there with my child made me feel a little less afraid."
She paused.
"I’ve always wondered what happens to the people we love after they leave us."
The ocean breeze swept across her face.
"I don’t have the answer."
She smiled through her tears.
"But if there really is a place where souls can meet again..."
Her voice trembled.
"Then I hope you’ve met my baby."
She gently touched the photograph again.
"And if you have..."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Please take care of my little one for me."
She bowed her head.
"Hold my baby when there’s no one else around."
Her shoulders trembled.
"And please... tell my child that Mommy loves them."
The words broke something inside her.
She covered her mouth, trying to steady her breathing.
"Tell my baby that I never stopped loving them."
For several seconds, she could say nothing more.
Then she wiped her tears.
"I know I’m asking a lot of you."
A sad smile touched her lips.
"But you were always good at taking care of the people you loved."
She looked at the photograph.
"So if anyone could make my baby feel safe... I know you would."
Behind her, Lu Tian lowered his gaze.
His chest ached.
He had heard his wife speak about their child before.
But hearing her ask someone in the afterlife to care for the baby they had lost brought a fresh wave of grief.
Even she did not bring up their unborn child in front of her grandparents and parents.
He looked toward the ocean.
For a brief moment, he imagined their child somewhere beyond the horizon.
Safe.
Loved.
Waiting in a place untouched by pain.
He closed his eyes.
’If such a place exists...’
His jaw tightened.
’Please take care of our child.’
When he opened his eyes again, Yue Ling was still speaking softly to Lee Shin.
"I’ll always be grateful to you."
She smiled faintly.
"For everything."
"For loving me when I didn’t know how to love myself."
"For standing beside me when life became difficult."
"For giving me ten years filled with memories I will always treasure."
Her gaze softened.
"You’ll always be a part of my heart, Shin."
She paused.
"But I hope you understand that I’ve learned how to keep living."
A quiet breath escaped her.
"And I’ve found someone who makes me happy."
She looked down at the white roses.
Then lifted her gaze to the photograph once more.
"I’m getting married, Shin."
Her voice trembled, but her smile remained.
"With him, I’ve finally found the strength to move forward."
The wind stirred the petals of the white roses.
Yue Ling brushed a tear from her cheek.
"I hope you’re happy for me."
For a long moment, she remained kneeling before the tombstone, her eyes lingering on the familiar smile engraved into the stone.
Three years ago, she had stood in this very place wondering how she could possibly continue living without him.
Now, she had returned with a heart that had learned to love again.
And behind her stood the man who had helped her find that courage.