Chapter 253: Promise

I didn’t sleep particularly well that night.

Not because I was worried about Sol returning.

At least, not entirely.

What bothered me was the promise.

He still remembers the promise.

I kept thinking about those words.

What had I promised him?

And why had he been afraid that I would choose him over everyone else?

I had spent so much time trying to bring forgotten members of my family back together that I’d never considered whether someone might genuinely prefer to remain away.

Sol had left.

He had made that choice.

I needed to respect it.

Still, there was one thing I couldn’t ignore.

Why had someone gone looking for him?

---

The following morning, I found Mother sitting in the garden.

She was holding an old photograph.

I recognized it immediately.

The three boys.

Aeris.

Noah.

And Sol.

I approached her and sat down.

"Good morning."

She looked up.

"Good morning."

I glanced at the photograph.

"You’re thinking about him too?"

She smiled faintly.

"I suppose I am."

I sat beside her.

"Mother, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Who came looking for Sol?"

Her smile disappeared.

For several seconds, she simply stared at the photograph.

Then she answered.

"I don’t know."

I frowned.

"You don’t remember?"

"I remember someone visiting."

She carefully placed the photograph on her lap.

"But I don’t remember his face."

"Was it Father?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"Was it Lucien?"

"I don’t think so."

She looked toward the trees.

"He came shortly before Sol left."

I waited.

"He asked to speak with him alone."

"And you allowed it?"

Mother nodded.

"Sol wanted to meet him."

"Did you hear their conversation?"

"No."

She paused.

"But I remember what happened afterward."

"What?"

"Sol came back into the room and asked me something."

I leaned forward.

"What did he ask?"

Mother looked at me.

"He asked whether I would still love him if he never came back."

My chest tightened.

"What did you say?"

"I told him that I would."

She smiled sadly.

"I thought that was enough."

I looked down at the photograph.

"Apparently, it wasn’t."

"No."

Mother gently touched the picture.

"I think he wanted something else."

"What?"

"Permission."

I looked at her.

"To leave?"

She nodded.

"Not permission to disappear. Just permission to live somewhere that didn’t require him to stay."

I remained quiet.

Mother continued.

"I should have understood that."

"Mother..."

"I know."

She smiled weakly.

"I’ve learned since then."

I looked at the photograph again.

Sol was smiling.

Not particularly brightly.

Just enough to suggest he was comfortable.

"I don’t think he left because he stopped loving us."

Mother shook her head.

"Neither do I."

She placed the photograph on the bench.

"He left because he wanted to find out who he was without us."

I nodded slowly.

For once, I didn’t feel the need to investigate further.

Perhaps that was the answer.

---

By lunchtime, the house had become unusually busy.

Echo was helping Noah prepare food.

Helping was perhaps a generous description.

He was standing beside the counter, watching Noah cut vegetables while asking questions that made the entire process take twice as long.

"Why are you cutting them so small?"

"Because that’s how the recipe works."

"Wouldn’t they taste the same if they were larger?"

"Probably."

"Then why bother?"

Noah stopped cutting.

He slowly looked at Echo.

"Do you want to cook?"

Echo smiled.

"No."

"Then let me work."

I laughed from the doorway.

Noah looked over.

"Don’t encourage him."

"I haven’t said anything."

"Your face is encouraging him."

Echo chuckled.

"He’s right."

Lena walked into the kitchen carrying a bowl.

"What happened?"

"Your boyfriend is being useless."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

Noah pointed toward Echo.

"He’s been questioning every decision I’ve made for the past fifteen minutes."

Echo nodded.

"He’s doing very well."

"Thank you."

Noah closed his eyes.

"I hate this family."

The kitchen erupted into laughter.

For a moment, I simply stood there watching them.

Echo.

Noah.

Lena.

Mother.

People who had once been separated by forgotten choices were now arguing over vegetables.

It was ridiculous.

And I loved it.

---

After lunch, Echo found me sitting on the balcony.

He brought two cups of tea and placed one beside me.

"You’re thinking again."

I glanced at him.

"Apparently, that’s a problem."

"Not always."

He sat down.

For a while, we watched the afternoon traffic moving along the road.

Then he spoke.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Do you think Sol will come back?"

I considered the question.

"I don’t know."

Echo nodded.

"Neither do I."

He took a sip of tea.

"I used to think that if I waited long enough, everyone would eventually return."

I looked at him.

"Do you still think that?"

"No."

He smiled faintly.

"People have their own lives."

"Sometimes they return."

"Sometimes they don’t."

He looked toward the sky.

"I think I’m finally alright with that."

I smiled.

"Good."

Echo turned toward me.

"But I do hope he’s happy."

"So do I."

He remained quiet for a moment.

Then he laughed.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"When I first stayed behind, I thought I’d be lonely forever."

"That sounds unpleasant."

"It was."

He looked at me.

"But now I have a family again."

I smiled.

"You never stopped having one."

Echo nodded.

"I know."

---

Later that evening, I received a message from Jonas.

Are you free tomorrow?

I replied.

Depends. What happened?

His answer came a few seconds later.

I think I found something about the old stationery shop.

I frowned.

Another mystery.

Of course.

Before I could reply, another message arrived.

It’s about the man with the watch.

My expression changed.

I typed immediately.

What did you find?

A customer record.

But there’s something strange about it.

I waited.

Then the final message arrived.

The name is Sol.

I stared at the screen.

For a moment, I thought I’d misread it.

Then I looked toward the living room.

Echo was sitting with Lena, watching television.

He seemed perfectly relaxed.

I looked back at my phone.

Are you sure?

Jonas replied.

Absolutely.

The entry is old. Really old.

And there’s a note beside it.

I typed.

What does it say?

The reply took longer this time.

Finally, the message appeared.

Customer requested that no one search for him.

I leaned back.

So Sol had visited Margaret’s shop.

That wasn’t particularly surprising.

He had existed long before the shop’s records.

But why had he specifically requested that nobody search for him?

Another message arrived.

There’s also a second name.

I frowned.

Whose?

Jonas sent a photograph.

I opened it.

The image showed a page from an old customer ledger.

The handwriting was familiar.

Two names appeared beside one another.

Sol.

Aeris Cross.

My breathing slowed.

I read the names again.

Then I noticed the date.

It was several years before I had chosen to become Adrian Cross.

I stared at the photograph.

What had Sol and I been doing at Margaret’s shop?

And why had we left our names together?

I sent Jonas another message.

Can you send me the full page?

He replied immediately.

Already did.

A second image appeared.

This one showed a handwritten note beneath the entries.

They came together.

One asked for a letter.

The other asked me not to send it.

I frowned.

A letter?

To whom?

I enlarged the image.

There was another line beneath it, almost hidden by a fold in the paper.

The letter belongs to the person who stayed.

My stomach tightened.

I looked toward the living room.

Echo was laughing at something Lena had said.

He looked happy.

Comfortable.

At home.

I put my phone away.

Whatever that letter contained, I wasn’t going to drag Echo into another mystery without asking him first.

He deserved better than that.

---

That night, after everyone had gone to bed, I returned to the balcony.

The city was quiet.

A cool breeze moved through the trees.

I opened Jonas’s photograph once more.

The two names remained on the screen.

Sol.

Aeris Cross.

I wondered whether I had written the letter.

Perhaps Sol had.

Perhaps neither of us had.

I didn’t know.

Then my phone vibrated.

Unknown sender.

You remembered the promise.

I stared at the message.

What promise?

The reply arrived almost immediately.

That you wouldn’t follow him.

I looked toward the dark window.

Who are you?

No answer.

Instead, another message appeared.

He asked you to let him go.

I tightened my grip on the phone.

Then why are you contacting me?

The typing indicator appeared.

Disappeared.

Appeared again.

Finally, a reply arrived.

Because Sol kept his promise.

I frowned.

What promise?

The final message came a few seconds later.

He never came back.

I stared at the screen.

Then another message appeared.

Until today.

My heart skipped.

I immediately stood.

A quiet sound came from behind me.

"Adrian?"

I turned.

Echo stood in the balcony doorway.

He was still wearing the loose shirt he’d borrowed earlier.

His expression was calm, but his eyes were fixed on my phone.

"Who are you talking to?"

I hesitated.

Then I showed him the messages.

He read them carefully.

His expression changed.

Not fear.

Not surprise.

Something closer to recognition.

"Echo?"

He handed the phone back.

"He’s here."

I looked at him.

"Who?"

Echo slowly turned toward the garden.

"Sol."

A faint sound came from the front door.

Three knocks.

Not hurried.

Not forceful.

Just three ordinary knocks.

Echo started walking.

I caught his arm.

"Wait."

He looked at me.

"Adrian."

His voice was quiet.

"I think it’s time."

I released him.

Together, we walked toward the entrance.

Mother was already standing in the hallway.

She looked at Echo.

Then at the door.

Her eyes filled with tears.

Noah appeared behind her, followed by Lena.

Nobody spoke.

Echo reached for the handle.

He stopped for a moment.

Then he opened the door.

A young man stood outside.

Dark hair.

Calm eyes.

A familiar smile.

He looked at Echo first.

Then at Mother.

Finally, his gaze settled on me.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then he smiled.

"Hello, Aeris."

My throat tightened.

I didn’t know what to say.

The young man glanced toward Echo.

"You’re looking well."

Echo stared at him.

Then, very quietly, he answered.

"So are you."

Sol smiled.

"Thank you."

He looked toward the others.

"May I come in?"

Mother stepped forward.

Her voice trembled.

"Of course."

Sol entered.

He removed his shoes and placed them neatly beside the door, as though he had visited yesterday rather than disappeared from our lives for so long.

Then he looked at Echo again.

"I brought something."

He held out a folded envelope.

Echo accepted it.

The paper was old.

The edges had yellowed.

His name was written across the front.

For the brother who stayed.

Echo stared at it.

Sol smiled faintly.

"I believe this belongs to you."

And for the first time since his return...

Echo looked as though he might cry.