Years Gone By

At twenty, I knitted my first scarf and gave it to my secret crush, Seraphina Sinclair. At her birthday party, amid mocking gazes, she accepted it. Three days after my sister’s death, I went to the university to withdraw. In the admin office, I overheard people sorting through files. “Are you really throwing out that scarf from hick Asher?” “This thing? It’s not even as nice as the designer coat Wyatt gave her. A hotel towel is probably better. Just toss it.” “If I’d known she didn’t want her lapdog’s gift, I’d have used it as a foot rag. What a waste of all that knitting.” Wyatt. Her childhood sweetheart. Seraphina laughed, balled up the scarf, and tossed it toward the other girl. It missed, landing beside the trash can — a pitiful sight. Our eyes met briefly. I said nothing, just picked up my papers and left. I knew I had no right to question her. Six years later, back in Northgate, I heard a rumor: Seraphina Sinclair, the city’s most famous heiress, had a long-lost love who’d been missing for years.

1 I came back to Northgate to expand my clothing brand. On opening day, a familiar face walked into the new boutique. “Asher?” I was straightening clothes on a rack. It had been years since I’d used that name. The sound of it made me freeze for a moment. When I turned, I was met with a pair of wide, shocked eyes. The woman in front of me looked vaguely familiar, her features sharp and elegant, her clothes tailored from expensive fabric. But I couldn’t place her. I offered an awkward smile. “I’m sorry, you are?” She subconsciously scratched her head. That gesture instantly brought it all back. Sienna. One of Seraphina’s friends. The same girl from the office six years ago who wanted to use my scarf as a foot rag. A young man stood beside her, his arm linked with hers. He was tall, slender, and had a warm smile. We sat in the VIP lounge. While her boyfriend was in the fitting room, Sienna looked around my store. “You… you own this place? This brand has been blowing up lately. I can’t believe you’re the one behind it…” A flicker of embarrassment crossed her face as a memory surfaced. “The things I said back then… I was just joking. Please don’t take it to heart. I’ve actually wanted to apologize for years, but I couldn’t find you.” “Where have you been all this time? Why did you just drop out of university like that? Not a single word…” Her voice trailed off, growing quieter. I calmly took a fruit platter from a server and placed it on the table. “I didn’t go anywhere special. Just went back to my hometown for a while.” Back to my hometown, where I changed my name and restarted my life. She was about to ask more when her boyfriend came out of the fitting room. The clothes fit him perfectly, and he was so pleased that he bought several other styles on the spot. “You know,” he said thoughtfully, “your autumn/winter collection is a bit incomplete. Other stores usually cross-promote with matching hats, brooches, shoes, and scarves.” “I noticed when I was trying things on that you don’t have any matching scarves. I think that’s something you could improve on.” I explained gently, “We aren’t planning to add scarves to our line just yet. I’m sorry about that. As a courtesy, I can give you thirty percent off your purchase…” As they were leaving, Sienna spoke up hesitantly. “You know, all these years, Seraphina has been…” A loud crash of metal echoed through the store. I turned to see a half-installed clothing rack topple over. I sighed, rubbing my forehead. Great, now I have to put it up all over again. Sienna was still talking. I gave her a rushed nod and turned to instruct an employee to handle the mess. Her face lit up, and she quickly pressed an invitation into my hand. “Then it’s settled! It’s Seraphina’s birthday tomorrow. You have to come!” Before I could refuse, she hurried away, giving me no chance to back out. My business partner, Penny, stretched as she came out from the back. “What was that noise? It woke me up. What’s this… Seraphina Sinclair?” Her eyes were glued to the invitation in my hand. Her arms, frozen mid-stretch, forgot to come down as she gasped out the name. I was a little confused. “You know her?” Penny nodded vigorously, her sleep-deprived eyes suddenly shining. “Of course! The Seraphina Sinclair? I saw her at a fashion show a while back.” “She was sitting in the front row, so tall and gorgeous. She took over her family’s company right out of college, and under her leadership, their profits have skyrocketed…” “Wait, is that a birthday invitation? How did you get that?” “Sienna gave it to me,” I said flatly. At that, Penny’s eyes filled with a new level of awe.

2 “Sienna?! Oh my god, Cade, how many powerful people do you know that I don’t?” “First Sienna, now Seraphina… but…” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “I heard Seraphina has someone she loves.” “But he disappeared, and she’s been searching for him for years, turning the city upside down. I remember hearing his last name was… Grant. What a coincidence, Cade, your original last name was Grant too!” I dropped my gaze, cutting off her fantasy. “Don’t get any ideas. There are a lot of people with that name.” “So, are you going to her birthday party tomorrow?” “No.” She looked disappointed but seemed more fascinated by my connections. A chilly autumn wind rustled, sending fallen leaves skittering across the pavement. I pulled my coat tighter, my hand instinctively going to my neck, which suddenly felt cold. Under Penny’s relentless questioning, I finally unsealed the past I had deliberately buried deep in my heart. “I had a crush on Seraphina Sinclair. Back when I was a boy.” “It was a complete and utter failure.” On the first day of university, during introductions, student after student went on stage, confidently sharing their hobbies and dreams. When my turn came, I felt a wave of shame. My family was poor. My mother died in childbirth. My father raised us alone. When I was a sophomore in high school, he was diagnosed with cancer. My older sister, Clara, dropped out of school to work and pay for his treatment, but the mountain of medical bills was still crushing us. When I stepped on stage, my palms were sweating. My stammering introduction made the other students laugh. “Where did this hick come from? Is he actually wearing a floral shirt? That’s so out of style. Hasn’t he ever heard of fashion?” “I saw him on move-in day. His family seemed really poor. Two of the wheels on his suitcase were broken, but he couldn’t even afford a new one…” “He can’t even introduce himself properly. Get him off the stage already, he’s wasting our time!” I stood there helplessly, clutching the hem of my shirt, my face burning. My dad and sister had taken me shopping for this shirt before I left for school. I told them it was too expensive, but my dad just smiled and paid. “Don’t worry about the money. Wear something nice on your first day. Make a good impression.” It wasn’t cheap—almost two hundred dollars, half of my living expenses for a month. Humiliated, I turned to leave the stage when a clear voice cut through the chatter. “Who said it’s ugly? I think it looks good.” Everyone fell silent. I followed the voice and saw her. Seraphina Sinclair, leaning back in her chair with a lazy confidence, chewing gum. As she spoke, her eyes were fixed on me. In that moment, the world seemed to fade to grey. All I could see were her bright eyes and the slight smile on her lips. Penny nodded thoughtfully, shaking my arm with excitement. “So that’s when you started crushing on her? A beautiful girl defending you when you were in trouble… I would’ve fallen for her too.” I took a calm sip of tea. Actually, no. My real connection with Seraphina began during winter break. I was working at a car wash to earn tuition money when the sound of an argument grew louder. A car screeched to a halt in front of the shop. A meticulously wrapped bouquet of flowers was thrown from the window, landing squarely on my head as I bent over to adjust a machine. “Seraphina, what’s with the attitude? I came back to make things right with you, and this is how you treat me?” Seraphina’s dismissive laugh floated out. “Wyatt, I picked you up from the airport so your parents wouldn’t lose face. What makes you think I was waiting for you to come back?” “We promised we’d go to an Ivy League school together, but you left for Europe without a word. You have the right to chase your dreams, so don’t I have the right to chase love?” Wyatt scoffed. “Love? Don’t tell me the great Seraphina Sinclair has fallen for someone else.” Seraphina turned her head, and her gaze met mine as I rubbed my sore head. She smiled suddenly. “You thought I couldn’t live without you?” “Wyatt, let me tell you something. From now on, I can be with anyone but you.” With that, she got out of the car, pulled a black velvet box from her pocket, and tossed it to me. “It’s yours.” Wyatt was so angry he was on the verge of tears. “The little brother washing cars on the side of the road? Him too?” Seraphina’s reply was flippant. “Yes.” Wyatt got out of the car, his eyes red, and disappeared into the crowded street. He didn’t look back, so he didn’t see Seraphina’s gaze linger on his retreating back. From that day on, I became Seraphina’s little follower. She was paying me to be part of her act. As long as I played my part well, the money was good.

3 I agreed. I became the tool she used to provoke Wyatt. I spent almost the entire winter break with her. At parties, she would gently wipe the beer foam from my lips. When she lost at truth or dare, she would laugh and take the penalty drink for me, declaring that no one was allowed to bully me. On snowy nights, she would walk me home, her umbrella tilted toward me even as snowflakes collected on her own shoulders. When I caught a cold, she took me to the clinic, registered me, and stayed with me while I got an IV drip. Watching her rush around, something in my heart stirred. There were moments when I almost believed she really was my girlfriend. One evening, at a fancy restaurant, she mimicked a couple at the next table. “I want a scarf that you knit yourself,” she said. Her tone was casual, but I took it to heart. I started secretly gathering materials. I was clumsy, knitting and unraveling, unraveling and knitting, until parts of the yarn lost their elasticity and the stitches became crooked. At first, Wyatt didn’t care. He couldn’t believe Seraphina would actually fall for someone like me—ordinary, plain, completely unremarkable. But as the break wore on and she continued to ignore him, he started to panic. At a bar, her friends started jokingly calling me her boyfriend. Seraphina casually pulled down the collar of her shirt, revealing a temporary tattoo on her collarbone: the initials of my name. Everyone gasped, saying she had finally fallen for real. In that moment, something in Wyatt snapped. He grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it over my head, the butterfly tattoo on his wrist trembling. “Asher Grant, who the hell do you think you are? You think a poor kid from the sticks is worthy of stealing her from me?” Crimson blood trickled down from my eyebrow into my eye, turning my vision red. But I could still see her clearly. Seraphina, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes locked on Wyatt. She was desperately trying to hide the pain in her eyes. This was what she wanted: for Wyatt to feel regret, to go mad, to lose his mind completely. Just as Wyatt was about to break, Seraphina finally dropped her act. She pulled him into a fierce embrace, her lips finding his in a restrained, desperate kiss. “It was a temporary tattoo, you idiot. Did you really believe it?” No one cared about me, the guy with a head full of blood. The same people who had been calling me her boyfriend were now cheering for their love. I quietly slipped away with the other rich kids, leaving them their space. After getting my head stitched up, I buried the half-finished scarf in the deepest part of my closet. Seraphina didn’t contact me for the rest of the semester. She had probably forgotten I even existed. She and Wyatt seemed to be getting closer. Sometimes in class, I would see her on a video call with him. The way she looked at him was always so gentle. Because of the time difference, he was usually in bed, looking like a lazy, noble cat. For some reason, my heart ached. I remembered a time we were lying on the grass, looking at the stars, and she suddenly said, out of nowhere, “I wish it could always be like this.” I was confused. “Like what?” She went quiet, and after a long moment, she just shook her head and said it was nothing. Later, my dad’s medical bills became urgent. My sister’s advanced salary wasn’t enough to cover everything. Desperate, I remembered that Seraphina still owed me my final payment. So I worked up the courage to find her at her usual bar. She seemed to be fighting with Wyatt again. She was shrouded in darkness, the air around her chillingly cold. She told me she needed me to play a part one last time. So I did. I staged my own kidnapping. The media reported on Seraphina’s dramatic rescue, her deep affection and concern for me plain for all to see. She had successfully provoked Wyatt again. And I got the money to pay my dad’s medical bills. Two weeks later, she handed me a birthday invitation. I took it, my mind racing, trying to figure out what kind of gift to get her. She seemed to have everything. I couldn’t afford anything expensive, and she would look down on anything cheap. My gaze eventually fell on the unfinished scarf. When I presented it to her at her birthday party, the room fell silent, then erupted in jeers. Seraphina didn’t laugh. I started to withdraw my hand in embarrassment, but she grabbed my wrist. “Thank you. It’s beautiful. I love it.” It wasn’t until much later that I realized this was probably just another performance for Wyatt’s benefit. The next day, it was pouring rain. Amidst the claps of thunder, I received a phone call. “Is this Asher Grant? Is Clara Grant your sister? There was an accident at the construction site. She was gone by the time she got to the hospital. We need a family member to come sign the papers…” The foreman said her safety rope wasn’t secured properly during high-altitude work. I didn’t believe it. My sister was never that careless. I tried to ask for more details, but the construction company paid out fifty thousand dollars and closed the case. I held the money, feeling numb, the tears not yet coming. At the same time, my dad found out about my sister. At the hospital, he hesitated for a long time before his voice trembled. “The doctor said it’s terminal. The medicine isn’t working anymore. Asher, I’m done with treatment.” I refused, insisting he stay. But he started packing his things and walked out without looking back. At the hospital entrance, I fell to my knees, blocking his path. “Dad, I’m begging you, please get treatment! You’re all I have left! I’ll pay for it, no matter the cost! I’ll drop out of school, I’ll work, I’ll get the money!” “Clara is gone! I don’t want to live without you, don’t you understand?” “I’m begging you, on my knees!” Passersby stopped to watch, shaking their heads with pity. In a hospital, scenes like this were a daily occurrence, nothing out of the ordinary. Three days after handling my sister’s funeral, I went to the university to withdraw. And that’s when I overheard Seraphina talking about throwing away my pathetic scarf. Penny gasped. “How could that happen…” The wind chimes at the entrance jingled as a cold draft swept in. I fell silent, discreetly wiping a tear from the corner of my eye. Before I could say “welcome,” a pair of rain-splattered high heels entered my line of sight. “Asher… is it really you?”