IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER, VOLUME 2 - Season 9 Episode 92

Violet didn’t respond. She was still blankly staring at the window. Instead of responding to what her brother just said, Violet told his brother, “I think I need some time alone.”

Seeing how upset his sister was, he complied at her request. Before leaving the room, he said, “Don’t be too long. Dad and Mom are waiting for us for dinner.” “Okay, I’ll join you soon,” Violet replied.

As soon as Lawrence closed the door, she loosened the tough look on her face. She tried to act strongly in front of her family, but she missed Greg so much. ‘How are you, Greg?’ she thought to herself.

While she was trying to compose herself, her phone that was on the bed suddenly rang. It was her message ringtone. She went over the bed, took her phone, and unlocked it. She saw a text message on the screen and saw it was from her Aunt Selina.

She opened the message and it read as, “Violet, my sweetie, please forgive me. I lied to Greg…”

After reading the whole message, Violet was overwhelmed. It felt like her emotions skyrocketed. And it was like her fingers had a mind of their own and quickly dialed a number that she memorized by heart.

There was silence followed by a ringing. And finally, the other line picked up. “Hello?” Greg’s voice sounded from the other line.

At that moment, Violet felt like her heart skipped a beat. All the sound in the world vanished and all she could hear was the voice she was dying to hear for a very long time. It was like music to her ears.

She didn’t answer back. As there was silence, Greg continued, “Excuse me, may I know who’s on the other line?”

Still, Violet remained silent. It’s not that she didn’t want to talk to Greg. It’s just that she was speechless. She was happy that her tears started to fall from her eyes. Tears of joy and of longing.

Almost a minute later, as if Greg realized that it was Violet on the other line, he started calling her name, “Violet, is that you? You’re Violet, right?”

Still no response from Violet. But her hands were shaking.

“I know that it’s you, Violet. How are you doing, my love? I miss you so much. I want to hear your voice,” Greg begged. This wasn’t all he wanted to say to Violet, but he couldn’t find the right words to express how much he missed her. Greg was certain that it was Violet as if he could feel her.

Violet was starting to get anxious. She was about to hang up the phone when suddenly, her world stopped upon hearing these words.

“I love you, Violet,” Greg confessed affectionately, “I love you so much. I hope you can come back and stay with me. I feel so terrible that I almost failed to make it through. If Aunt Selina hadn’t told me about how you’re doing, I might have already broken down. Come back, Violet. I need you. Please come back to me.”

At last, Violet gave in to her emotions. Tears started to rush down her cheeks. She wanted to talk to Greg and listen to his voice longer, but she had to resist. After gathering all the courage, Violet finally ended the call.

She wanted to hold Greg so bad. But all she could do now was hold her phone tightly to her chest. She felt so weak that she fell on the floor crying her heart out.
‘I miss you too, Greg. I want to come back to your side so bad, ‘ she cried inside.

Lawrence and his parents were sitting on the dining table waiting for Violet to come down. They hadn’t started dinner without her. Finally, Violet appeared in the dining area.

Cherry smiled upon seeing her daughter. “Sit beside me, dear,” she said to Violet. She pulled the chair next to her and gestured to her daughter to take the seat.

“I am sorry for having you wait for a long time, Dad, Mom,” Violet began with a faint smile, as she sat down beside her mother.

“Hey, since when did you become so civil?” Jackson cut in and laughed as he watched his daughter take her place. He picked up his chopsticks and added some food onto his daughter’s plate.

“Have a taste of this. It’s your favorite food,” he said in a sweet fatherly tone. Cherry, in turn, piled up food onto her son’s plate. “You too, Lawrence. Eat more,” she said dearly.

Lawrence smiled back to his mother and said, “Thanks, Mom. Please eat, too.” And it was like going back in time when they all lived together and had dinner as a family.

…

After dinner, Jackson invited Violet to his office to help her with her studies. While Lawrence stayed with her mother for some catch-up.

The mother and son sat in the living room enjoying their favorite dessert. There was something in Lawrence’s mind that he wanted to tell his mother. When he finally got the chance, he took his mother’s hand and looked at her eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her mother.

“What’s wrong? Is there something bothering you, son?” Cherry asked, noticing that her son’s mind was clouded. ‘He looks restless. Something might be bothering him, ‘ she analyzed.

“Mom,” Lawrence uttered. There was sadness in his voice when he said the word. He tried to toughen up but there was no way he could hide his true feelings from Cherry. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Cherry was taken aback by these words. She looked straight into Lawrence’s eyes and asked, “Why so sudden? Just stay here for few more days.”

“Mom, I have something to do back home. It’s something that Mike can’t handle on his own. I hope you understand,” Lawrence said, but he didn’t tell the exact reason he was leaving so sudden.

“Does your father know? You should tell him,” Cherry asked.

“Yes. I told him already,” Lawrence replied. Lawrence looked his mother in the eye, and he could see the sadness lurking in her eyes. He then continued, “Mom, please take good care of Violet. If one day she decides to come back, please come back with her, you and Dad.”

“I was thinking the same,” Cherry nodded. “Your Uncle Wilson, Aunt Selina, and my other friends are there. I want to go back to see them. Besides, it has been a long time since I saw your Grandma and Grandpa. I miss them so much. Remember to pay your grandparents a visit. Your Uncle and Aunt are busy with their work and they don’t have much time to stay with them. Please take good care of them for us.” “I will. Don’t worry, Mom. As soon as I get home, I will visit them,” Lawrence obediently said.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Cherry replied. She’s glad to see his son grow up to be this kind of man. But at the same time, she felt a little worried. “Dear, please take good care of yourself when you get back home. If you want to eat something, just tell Lily. Don’t ever skip a meal,” she urged her son.

“Don’t worry about me, Mom. I can take care of myself. Instead of worrying about me, please take care of yourself. Don’t burden yourself with business matters. Dad will handle them well. All you need to do is to attend to Dad and Violet. If you find household chores tiring, just hire a servant,” Lawrence pleaded, still worried about his mother.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry. I can handle it. I don’t have too many chores to do at home,” Cherry assured his son.

“Just one more thing, son. Once you are back home, would you also drop by the Xiao family? We all know they suffered a loss, but unfortunately, me, your Dad, and Violet are not there. I’m sure Greg would be glad to have you there by his side as a friend,” Cherry added.

“Not a problem, Mom. I will do as you say,” Lawrence replied.