Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 622 To Be Strong (Part Three)

"Mom loved him so much that she was willing to end her life for him." Spark reminisced about a particular day. The Calla Lily in the Grace Garden had bloomed and his mother didn't get the chance to look at it yet. During the day, the orange Calla Lily was like an elf that brought people hope. The color, although radiant, reminded him of his mom's death. "It seems that I have not only inherited Mom's musical talent, but also her devotion to love. Even if it meant that I would only get hurt in the end, I would still go back to try again." Harrow creased his eyebrows. Love was a complicated thing. It wasn't something one could throw away, not even if the person tried. He knew, however, that Spark and Molly were unlikely to have a happy ending and he wasn't prepared to see Spark become sad again. He sighed quietly and tried to change the subject, "Manny is still in the hospital waiting for you. Just go back to the hospital and get the check-up."

Spark leaned against the car again. "Doctors work so hard. Don't they get off work and have some time to themselves?"

"Anything can be bought for the right price," said Harrow, "Even someone's time."

Spark looked at Harrow for a long time before he asked, out of the blue, "Can you lend me some money?"

Harrow didn't know what to say. Harrow analyzed him carefully. He knew that he had paid a high price to buy "Sunny Day" among many other expenses in the previous days. He must have been running short on cash lately. "I won't lend it to you," he answered, "But if you really need it, I would give it to you."

Spark smiled wanly and said, "In that case, just think of it as an investment." After a short pause, he went on, "I've decided to buy a bakery on the opposite side of Sasha Music Troupe."

Harrow shot Spark a dubious look. His intuition told him that Spark had been keeping a secret. He asked, "Was it for your mom or Molly?"

"For the both of them," Spark replied, "Maybe." Spark looked into the distance, a small frown on his face as he said, "Can you imagine, that I... that I..." He stammered but couldn't replace the right words. He closed his mouth, and shook his head violently. Finally, he tried again, "That I can't play the violin anymore."

Silence ensued as both men leaned against Spark's car, letting his confession sink in. Harrow was stunned. He asked in a serious manner, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he said hesitantly, "I'm not able to play the violin anymore." Spark looked at him. "For a long time, I couldn't compose a music piece that felt right. But after I met Molly, it was like replaceing inspiration again. She has become my Muse. No one knows that without her, I can't create music about love and soul. He put on his best self-deprecating smile, "Isn't it ridiculous that a violinist can't play the violin? It was Molly who had brought my music back to life. Sufficed to say, it was inevitable that my music would die again in her absence. Now I can barely play a whole song."

Harrow was beyond shocked. 'He was such a talented violinist when he was young. How could he say that he couldn't finish playing a song now?' he thought.

"Oh come on, don't give me that look," A hint of regret was visible in his eyes. "There's no need to pity me. Although I'm incapable of playing the violin, I can still bake cakes. These hands..." his words trailed off as he lifted his hands slowly, "They can still be used for other things. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Spark..."

"So, how about it?" asked Spark lightly. "Do you want to invest?" He smiled as Harrow kept quiet. "The owner of that store is going to immigrate so he'll leave all the facilities and machines right there. 12 million. I've done some surveys and I think it's worth the price." Harrow was disturbed by Spark's charade when he said that it didn't matter that he couldn't play the violin anymore.

If only there was a way for him to share his pain, he would volunteer in a heartbeat! "As a condition of the investment," he said, "You must go to the hospital with me to do the check-up."

Spark shrugged and prepared to get in the car. "You've got yourself a deal," he said, smiling wanly just before retreating into the driver's seat. Harrow, feeling at ease to have convinced Spark, returned to his car. He followed Spark, and together, they drove away from the villa district, leaving traces of sorrow and misery in their trails.

*

Molly sat on the lawn with her back against a tree. Her eyes fell on the night lamp not too far from her, where several flies danced toward the orange light. Molly felt strangely envious of their freedom. They could chase after the light as they wished while she, on the other hand, was forbidden to follow her heart's true desires.

She closed her eyes to enjoy the peaceful night. A gentle breeze blew past the garden, tickling her sense of smell with the earthy aroma of grass as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She continued to sit with her eyes closed, breathing gently.

Then she heard it; a piece of sweet violin music broke the silence. It was her phone. She opened her eyes and looked at the number. Dazed, she answered it.

"Hello, Little Molly," a teasing yet charming voice came from the other side of the phone, "I really miss you."

Molly hated the way Eric spoke but she couldn't replace it in her to be angry about it. Instead, the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously.

"Do you miss me?" asked Eric. He was standing on the rooftop of the Congress on Dragon Island. He looked up to see a dark sky strewn with glowing stars. He heard no answer, only the faint sound of Molly's breathing. "Little Molly," he said, "Can you see the sky at the moment?"

Molly looked up and replied, "Yeah. Yeah, I can."

Eric turned and leaned against the railings. He continued to say, "There are many stars in the sky here in Dragon Island. How about you, Little Molly?"

"There are so many stars here too," responded Molly.

Eric smiled gently, "It must be a nice day tomorrow." He paused. "Little Molly, you haven't really given me an answer. Do you miss me?"

Molly looked at the stars in the sky as she heard Eric's teasing words. A smile which she had been holding back finally crossed her lips. She answered, "Of course, I miss you."

Meanwhile, Brian was about to step into the garden just as the words left her mouth.

He stopped in his tracks, his heart beating erratically. 000000