Keith remained steadfastly by Amy’s side.
He witnessed Walter’s broken pleas and Amy’s resolute turn.
He understood the storm brought by that man had temporarily passed.
But the hidden scars in Amy’s heart needed more time and warmth to heal.
He carefully avoided her past, sheltering her with quiet care like gentle rain nurturing new growth.
He stayed with her through critical experiments, handing her warm coffee when exhaustion set in.
He remembered all her preferences–her favorite yogurt and fruits always filled the lab fridge.
When lingering subconscious emotions silenced her, he’d lighten the mood with an effortless joke.
Amy felt the weight of this selfless tenderness.
Keith stood like a steady mountain shielding her from storms, like warm sunlight scattering shadows within her.
Finally, under a star–strewn sky, Keith resolved to change their relationship.
He yearned for more than being her senior–he wanted rightful guardianship.
“Amy.”
She turned, meeting his intense gaze.
The turmoil in his eyes startled her.
“Something’s weighed on me,” he began with solemn ceremony.
“Since university, watching you calibrate instruments with pure passion–I knew you were extraordinary.
Then came your… hardships.”
“I saw your pain, your struggle, your astonishing will to rise–step by step–to where you stand today.”
“Your resilience, brilliance, undimmed love for life even in darkness… captivated me.”
He paused, gathering courage, his voice softening yet firming,
“Amy, I love you.”
“Not as a senior or colleague.
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Chapter 21
As a man cherishing a woman. As someone longing to share your lifetime.
I want to protect you, walk beside you–explore science’s mysteries and life’s ordinary warmth together.”
He opened a velvet box.
No diamond glittered inside–only a simple platinum band engraved with their initials.
“Amy… grant me this chance. Let me stand by you as your partner, building our hopeful future.”
Amy stared at the ring, then at Keith.
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Memories flooded her: his silent guardianship, offered coffee, earnest jokes, his protective stance against troubles…
Amid forgotten ruins, new affection had quietly taken root.
She didn’t immediately take the ring box, but stepped forward instead. Rising slightly on her toes under Keith’s wide- eyed gaze, she steadied herself and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Keith, I think I’d like to try.”
Keith could no longer contain his joy, wrapping his arms around her in a gentle embrace.
Amy rested against his warm chest, listening to his steady heartbeat as she slowly closed her eyes, a faint smile touch- ing her lips.
Colleagues erupted in cheers and applause around them, the sounds blending into the city’s starlight and night breeze.
Meanwhile, in the study of Davis Manor House…
Walter stared at the only surviving “family portrait” of him and Amy that hadn’t been burned.
It had been taken on Robert’s hundredth day.
In the photo, Amy cradled the swaddled infant with tender happiness.
He stood behind them, arms encircling his family, eyes overflowing with love and contentment.
It remained one of the few purely joyful moments of his life.
“Robert… I failed you.”
“Amy… I’m sorry…”
His whispered apologies mingled with tears splattering against the picture frame glass.
Slowly, he pulled open the bottom desk drawer. A polished gun gleamed up at him.
He picked up the weapon with deliberate movements. The cold muzzle pressed against his temple.
One last look at the photo, as if searing its warmth into his soul.
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Chapter 21
His index finger curled against the trigger.
Bang!
The abrupt gunshot shattered the stillness over Davis Manor House,
drawing the final period on this long–festering tragedy.
Yet in that same instant, a new chapter gently turned.
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