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... did

thoughts in their minds. His voice resonated in the air, creating ripples on

hear after

Did she miss him?

I thought of you every single day because I didn't. Her voice was 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

not to

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he was

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have the slightest idea of what the hell I was doing, 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

fool he was,

said. "And

""You're blind." 2

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

hands into tight

"Okay."

honest, Penny didn't know. Because at the end of the day, she was glad he was there waiting for her the night of

that night, she would probably have sighed in

all the questions in her mind would linger, probably until the day she

the bigger the lump in her throat became. Before she knew it, tears formed in the corners of her eyes until her vision

with mixed emotions she couldn't identify. Many of them were alien emotions she had never felt. Or rather, they were the emotions she killed a long time ago-the emotions that prison murdered for her in her

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

watching her approach.

hand again. She held Chunchun in her arms and snapped her