Part 3My Future Self Warned Me in a Diary to Run

After a moment's hesitation, I stuffed my medication and the diary into my bag. I called a cab and headed towards the place I had shared with Ryan for so many years.

Along the way, my mind raced. I couldn't resist flipping open the diary again. Through those distant memories, I searched for evidence of our past love.

This diary began when Ryan and I first met.

"December 30, 2015, Sunny.

The first snow fell in Riverside.

I found a frozen little boy on my doorstep.

He said he was a scholarship student my father sponsored.

His grandfather had passed away, and with no family home left, he had nowhere to go.

In desperation, he came seeking his sponsor's help.

I didn't know how to tell him.

My parents were already divorced.

My father had abandoned Mom and me; how could he care about the fate of a stranger?

But looking into his hopeful eyes, I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth.

I agreed to let him help out at the bakery, offering him room and board, plus enough wages to get by.

They say good deeds are rewarded.

I saved a little boy; I hope God will make Mom better soon."

"December 31, 2015, Sunny.

Ryan is diligent and quick with his hands; with him here, I can relax a bit more.

But the little boy eats so much.

Our savings are almost depleted.

I wonder when Mom will get better."

"February 11, 2016, Sunny.

My mother's condition worsened, and the hospital called.

It was raining too hard to find a cab.

I hurried to the hospital, stumbled, and broke my leg.

Ryan carried me all the way to the hospital.

But I still couldn't see Mom one last time.

Ryan helped me contact the funeral home and arranged for my mother's funeral.

I suddenly realized how tall he'd grown.

That little boy huddled on my doorstep was now capable of handling everything."

"March 18, 2016, Sunny.

College entrance exams are approaching, and Ryan's grades are good.

All the teachers at school say he's talented and hardworking.

With a little more effort, he'll surely get into a top university.

After thinking it over, I took the last of our family's money and signed him up for advanced tutoring.

I don't know when it happened.

But it felt like, in this world, there were only the two of us, relying on each other."

"March 19, 2016, Sunny.

Ryan refused my money.

He said I had already done enough for him.

He promised to repay me well once he was capable.

But truthfully, I didn't feel like I'd done much.

If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have survived those lonely years."

"June 23, 2016, Sunny.

Ryan's college entrance exam results came out.

On the day he received his acceptance letter from a prestigious university, he confessed his feelings to me.

Turns out, the gardenias in the vase, the small, unexpected gifts.

None of it was accidental.

Perhaps because of my father, I was always a bit slow when it came to feelings.

Only now did I belatedly realize his feelings for me had deepened.

But how should I respond to this love?

My father's betrayal had left me with an aversion to all men.

Ryan… could he be the exception?"

"July 17, 2016, We got together.

I am very happy."

Long-term treatment had made my movements sluggish, and my memory was gradually fading.

But this diary allowed me to rediscover lost happiness.

It reminded me of those difficult yet joyful years.

I was much older than Ryan, yet he was far more mature than I.

It only took a year for me to find him and care for him as he grew up.

But he had protected and cherished me for over a decade.

I had always been grateful that fate brought us together.

Looking at the happiness brimming in the lines,

A long-forgotten smile bloomed on my face.

But when I turned to the last page,

My smile froze.

On the faded, yellowed page, a few stark words were written:

"Don't believe it!"

I looked up; we had arrived at our destination.

The long-abandoned manor blazed with light.

Ryan's car was parked steadily at the entrance.