Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress

369 Good thing he was a madman

Zoren stared at the figure before him, his heart beating with such familiarity, bringing him back to the past twelve years.

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In the first week since he left, he would always find himself staring out the window, wondering what she was doing. He never thought he would spend years mulling over the same thing. Questions like:

"How are you?"

"Were you having tons of adventures with Chunchun, Mouse, and Tiana?"

"Did the time come when Mouse stopped munching on something?"

"And Tiana... have you found out why she's always on top of your head?"

"You're probably a junior-senior student now; how has it been?"

"The doctor said I'm doing better. Are you still there? I have a surprise once I'm back."

Those were only a few of the long list of questions he wanted to ask her in person.

Twelve years-how quickly they went by, was what he always thought. However, now that she was right here, right in front of him, those twelve years felt so long.

Time didn't go by quickly; rather, in those twelve years, time was slower-very slow. Even Zoren couldn't explain how he was able to survive all those years, holding onto a promise he wasn't even sure if it was already broken. Perhaps what people said was true.

He was a madman.

He was mad for holding onto a promise, for testing his patience, for trying to defy death all for the sake of friendship. Perhaps it was true he was mad for devoting his life, his time, his heart, and his soul for a simple, "welcome back." Hence, he wanted to know. Apart from all the questions in his head and the curiosity he carried all these years, he wanted to know one thing.

missed you...

in their ears, washing away all the unnecessary thoughts in their minds. His

a moment, all she could hear after his question was her

Did she miss him?

hushed, her eyes soft, and her smile subtle. "At fourteen, I was running errands here and there to the point I'd fall asleep on my uncle's couch. A year after that, I was involved in an incident, and I completely shut off. It took me

trying not

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thing he

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let alone think of you." "Then another year... then another one... and then another one," she added under her breath. "Did I think of you? No. Why? Because whenever I did, the only emotion I felt was sadness, because all I could think of was how you were, whether the treatment was working, if you were getting better, or if you

he was, he smiled

said. "And the

""You're blind." 2

and tilted his head a little. "Not completely... just headed

hands into tight

"Okay."

then no words came out. Where would she start? To be honest, Penny didn't know. Because at the end of the day, she was glad he was there waiting for her the night

there that night, she would probably have

he wasn't the fool he was, then all the questions in her mind would linger, probably until the day she

became. Before she knew it,

filled with mixed emotions she couldn't identify. Many of them were alien emotions she had never felt. Or

voice faltered, making her clear her throat to complete her sentence. "Give me back

blinked, watching her approach.

taking Chunchun from his arms even though her cat swatted her hand again. She held Chunchun in her arms and snapped her eyes up at him. "I'm taking