Chapter 269 Love is Love
"Love is love," William Bennett messaged. "Romantic love and familial love are different. Perhaps love can develop a familial aspect over time, but romance still leads. If it's said that romantic love turns entirely into familial love, then it means that the love wasn't pure from the start."
Ava Anderson read the stark words on her screen and felt a chill wash over her heart.
Alexander Mitchell had always considered her a sister. He only had familial feelings for her. There was no romantic love. Not even a transition.
Ava sighed in resignation and messaged back, "Maybe, in the end, romantic love does turn into familial love. Whether pure or not, love has an expiration date—it's an emotional secretion that eventually runs out."
"Do you not believe in love anymore?" William queried.
Ava Anderson had no doubts about the bittersweet nature of life. "You know, believe it or not, the world's full of regrets, and love's behind a lot of them. Maybe without love, life would have half as many troubles."
William Bennett chimed in with his perspective, "But people still find someone to spend a lifetime with. Love isn't just an emotion. Emotions come and go, but love, it's engraved in your bones. If it fades one day, it wasn't true love. True love never vanishes; it transcends time and everything else."
Ava pondered, "Are you talking about eternal love?"
"Yes, I believe in eternal love," William insisted. "With the right person, love lasts forever. Despite the twists and turns, that love can keep them together, always."
Ava chewed on her lip, stirred by the fervor in his words. She typed out a long response on her screen, but deleted it and ended up sending just a smiling emoji.
Seconds later, she added, "It's nice you think that way."
William was unsure, "Really? Don't you think I'm being naive?"
Ava reassured him, "Why would I? I dislike those who pretend to be all grown-up and wise, painting the world as a cruel, harsh place and consider others naive. I'm aware of the world we live in, but we need hope. There's both sunlight and darkness; we can't focus only on the dark and ignore the light."
Feeling suddenly passionate, Ava continued, "I think you're a genuinely good person. You have status, money, capability, yet you've kept a pure heart. That's rare and precious. I believe you'll find a wonderful girl. You two will love each other forever, proving to me that true love is indeed eternal."
Ava began imagining the kind of girl William would marry, eagerly anticipating the invitation to their wedding.
"Oh no," she realized, "I'm shipping a future couple already."
On the other end of the phone, William's reply was slower than usual, taking a full minute before he typed, "Ava, what kind of girl do you think would suit me?"
"Just a sec," Ava responded, "Let me think about that."
She leaned against her pillow, closed her eyes, and thought hard. After a while, she opened her eyes and responded, "Actually, I can't think of anything specific, but at a fundamental level, I think she should have a pure heart just like you. No matter how high her status, she should never forget where she started. Like an eighty-year-old grandma or grandpa who still has the heart of a child, I find that really endearing."
