Chapter 81 Writing a Farewell Note
Outside the small inn at the base of Sherlock Valley, the wind swayed a stormy dance.
Raindrops, large as beans, pelted against the windows, fogging them up with a thin mist.
Inside the room, it was dim and damp.
The narrow bed swayed gently.
The man's wrist visibly bulging with veins, and his sinewy hands pinned her pale, slender fingers to the bed.
Warmth grew between their interlocked fingers, tips alight with a gentle heat.
Juniper's eyes were red-rimmed with moisture.
Her back was to him, unable to see the expression on his face.
Yet the force from behind grew more intense.
By the time it ended, it was the early hours of the morning.
A faint light was beginning to break outside, signaling dawn.
The rain had ceased.
Juniper lay next to him, sleepless the entire night.
She propped up her weary body, carefully slid out of bed, and put on her half-damp clothes.
Magnus lay without a shirt, the blanket resting around his waist.
She immediately noticed the scar on the left side of his chest – a wound from a stabbing in prison.
Juniper cautiously lifted her hand, tenderly tracing that rough scar.
Even though it had long since healed, the skin would never be the same.
Leaning over, she lowered her head and planted a soft kiss on the scar.
Apologizing endlessly couldn't erase her past mistakes.
Her lips then found his, the lightest goodbye.
Tears silently trickled down.
She removed the necklace from around her neck, which had a silver ring dangling from it.
Back in S City, she had taken a knife for him.
Perhaps out of tenderness, he returned the ring to her.
But this ring, she no longer felt worthy of it.
She placed the ring carefully beside his pillow – where it belonged.
Their relationship had started with that ring. It felt right to end it there.
She could no longer accompany him and Jennifer on their journey ahead.
She watched him silently from the bedside for a long moment.
As she stood to leave, the tears breached their banks.
Turning the doorknob, she cast one last blurred glance at him.
Goodbye, Magnus.
The door opened.
Then, it softly closed.
Juniper wiped away her tears and left the motel.
Forever no longer mattered. All she needed was a fleeting moment, and that was enough.
The next morning dawned.
Magnus had not yet opened his eyes, but he instinctively reached for the left side of the bed.
It was empty. Juniper had left.
Sitting up on the edge of the bed, the man spotted the silver ring placed beside the pillow.
It was Juniper's, and she didn't want it anymore.
Clutching the ring, he felt an inexplicable twinge of pain in his heart.
In truth, he and Juniper had a real connection.
Especially when it came to decisively ending things, they were always remarkably in sync.
Magnus let out a mocking chuckle.
He seemed to be at a loss when it came to Juniper.
Six years ago, Juniper had burst into his life without restraint, forging ties with him.
Now, she had severed those very ties with her own hands.
The one left behind wasn't Juniper.
Six years ago, it was Juniper who had betrayed him first, who had let go first.
Now, it was the same.
Fortunately, he hadn't believed her lies last night.
After returning from Sherlock Valley, on Saturday afternoon, Juniper visited the nursing home in the suburbs.
Upon seeing Juniper, Lyra touched her face and asked, "Juniper, why have you lost so much weight recently? You also look pale. Have you been overworking?"
Juniper shook her head with a smile, "No, Mom, I'm on a diet."
"You're already so thin. What's left to lose? If you keep this up, you'll be malnourished. You need to eat more. Don't diet recklessly. It's bad for your health."
"Mom, I know. I'll make sure to eat well."
Juniper glanced outside at the weather. The sky was overcast.
"It's quite cool outside, Mom. Let's take you out for a walk."
"That sounds wonderful. You haven't visited me in a while. I've missed you. Let's spend more time together today. By the way, where's Jennifer? Why didn't you bring her along?"
Mentioning Jennifer brought a subtle look of sadness to Juniper's eyes as she replied honestly, "I've given Jennifer's custody to Magnus."
Lyra was startled. "But Jennifer is the child you've raised. How can he just take her away like that?"
"Magnus is in a better financial position than I am—no, far better. Jennifer would only suffer with me. With Magnus, she'll have access to the best of everything. And besides, I can worry less about Jennifer being with her father."
Lyra looked at her daughter with a pained expression, "I'm your mom. Don't I know you? You'd rather suffer yourself than let Jennifer. You said that since Jennifer went with her dad, you would be a bit more relaxed, but I see you're not relaxed at all. Juniper, whatever decision you make, I'll support you, but just one thing: never, for anyone's sake, compromise yourself."
Juniper's eyes began to well up, and she managed a smile, "You always know how to comfort me."
"You think I don't understand you? You're always putting others first, pushing your own needs to the back. Over the years, having to support both me and the child, it's been hard on you."
"I'm not suffering. As long as you and Jennifer are happy and safe, whatever I do is worth it."
Lyra's eyes reddened, too, "And what about Jennifer? She hasn't been crying? She loves you so much. How could you bear leaving her?"
"It's normal for a child to cry when she's just been separated from her mother. She'll settle after a few days. Magnus is very good to her, and she likes him too. Soon, she won't be sad anymore."
"And what about Magnus? Is there really no chance for the two of you? You clearly loved each other so much. Juniper, if you're too shy to speak up, I can go talk to him for you. It was all because of me that—"
Juniper cut her off, "Mom, some things that have happened have happened. It's not a matter of being too shy to say something. He doesn't have feelings for me anymore, and pleading with him won't change that."
"How can that be? If he has no feelings for you, what about you?"
Juniper's eyelashes fluttered as she spoke softly, "I don't have feelings for him anymore, either."
"You're lying to me. You clearly can't forget him."
Juniper changed the subject, "Mom, let's not talk about him. How have you been feeling lately?"
"I'm doing alright. It gets a bit lonely here, but life is stable. Juniper, make sure to visit me more. I've been having some troubling dreams lately. You have to take care of yourself and not overwork."
Lyra held her daughter's hand, cautioning her with concern.
Juniper nodded, then pulled a debit card out of her purse and handed it to Lyra.
"Mom, take this card. There's about seventy thousand dollars on it. It was what I had saved up for Jennifer's surgery. Now that she's with Magnus, the money isn't needed for that. The pin is my birthday."
Lyra frowned, "Why are you giving me your debit card? You need money, too. I can't take this. You have your own rent and food expenses. If you give this to me, what will you use?"
But Juniper was insistent, firmly placing the debit card back in Lyra's hand.
"Mom, I'm saving up. If I keep the card on me, it's too easy to spend the savings. Just hang on to it for me. If I need money, I'll ask you for it."
Upon hearing this, Lyra didn't push back any longer, nor did she think much of it.
"I'll hold onto it for you for now. Take it whenever you need money."
"Okay."
After spending the afternoon chatting with Lyra, Juniper helped her take a bath and then tidied up her room one more time.
When it was time to leave, Lyra was ready to sleep.
Juniper adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature, tucked in the sheets snugly, and stayed by Lyra's bedside for a while.
She might find it hard to come to visit her again in the future.
However, she planned to ask Ophelia to check on her occasionally.
After everything was done, Juniper silently left.
Back at home, Juniper took a bath and sat down at her desk, preparing to write a will.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
It was a landline number from Royal View.
She answered and heard Jennifer's cheerful little voice.
"Mommy, we're going to see each other tomorrow! Where are we going to play?"
"Didn't you always want to go to an amusement park? How about I take you on the merry-go-round tomorrow?"
Jennifer was ecstatic: "Great! After the merry-go-round, let's go eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes!"
Hearing her little bundle of joy so happy, Juniper's spirits lifted slightly.
She spoke softly, "Alright, whatever you want to do tomorrow, Mommy will be with you."
Then, Jennifer suddenly asked for Magnus.
"Daddy, do you want to come play with Mommy and me tomorrow?"
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