Chapter 0861
26 BONUS
After a few hours on the road, Peter and Celeste finally arrived in Galea, where Darius Richardson the lawyer was already waiting for them.
“Hey, Darius…” Peter greeted the man, who looked a bit older.
Peter still wasn’t used to seeing all the people he knew with different appearances, so every time he met someone, he was surprised by how much time had changed them.
“Mr. Palmer, I have what you asked for… The house–though it was difficult–Mr. Bartz finally accepted the offer and sold it to me. I’ve put it in Serenity Bartz’s name just as you requested. What do you need?”
“Does she know yet?” Peter asked curiously.
“No! None of this will come to light until your death…”
“Good. I want to know if I can take possession of it now. Could I move in right away?”
“Yes! Technically, it’s yours. In fact, here’s the key–I brought it just in case you asked for it.”
“Great, Darius! That’s all I needed to check with you. I won’t take up any more of your time.”
“Not at all, Mr. Palmer. I’m glad to see you well and in good health.”
“Thank you, Darius! Oh, by the way, have you met my future wife?”
“No! But I’ve heard a lot about her. And you, miss, do you remember me? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope to receive an invitation soon.”
“Nice to meet you… Mr. Richardson…” Celeste said shyly.
“Mr. Palmer, I’m just glad everything worked out. The important thing is that you’re alive. What truly matters is that you’re still here and will have the chance to watch your children grow.
“Yes… Even though I’ve lost half my life’s memories, knowing that I can rebuild my life calms me when I feel like I’m about to lose my mind…”
“I’m glad to hear that! I hope we can soon check in on how things are going with the business.”
“For now, I suppose you’re handling everything with Theodore?”
“That’s right! Well, if there’s nothing else to discuss, I’ll leave you to it. The house is in perfect condition in case you’d like to stay tonight. As always, it’s been maintained to keep it alive.”
“Thank you, Darius.”
After that, Darius left, and Peter let out a sigh. He took Celeste’s hand and led her to the car. He unlocked the large gate and stepped inside the place that had once been his house–his home, his safe haven.
“Celeste…” Peter sighed.
“Yes?”
“This was my house. My home… I loved being here, I loved living here. This is my real home, not a fortress, not a castle–this is my home…”
“It’s beautiful!”
“When I was young, I loved waking up and going down to run on the beach. I loved the sound of the waves
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PRINYA
crashing against the sand. I love the scent of the son. I love watching the rain fall here. There were very few things that could truly fill my soul, and most of them were here.”
Wow… You really have good memories of this place.”
“Technically, It was my first and only home. It belonged to Marcus Bartz and his former wife, but he was planning to sell it. After his former wife and baby died, he never wanted to set foot here again–this place brought him too many painful memories. When I found out he was selling it I bought it. In my mind, I still owed it to him, but my lawyer just told me I’ve finally paid it off.”
“Do you want to see the inside?”
“Of course!”
“Come on…” Peter said, taking Celeste’s hand.
The house was exactly as he remembered it. Everything had remained in place. For him, it was like traveling back in time–nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.
“Do you like it?” Peter asked, looking at Celeste.
“It’s beautiful… Very peaceful…
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“I know! That’s why I bought it… As far as I remember, I still had some payments left to finish buying it from Marcus, but my lawyer says it’s officially mine now. I’ve even already designated an heir for this house.”
“Do you want to live here?”
“I would love to! But I don’t know… What do you think?”
“Well, it’s a very cozy place, but I have to be completely honest with you. You and I had planned to live in Willowcombe…”
“Really?”
“Yes. I have a house there. It’s small, and after I left your house, I moved into it. Then, when you came looking for me, you stayed there for a week. Before your surgery, we talked about living together there, but… if this place makes you happy, we could-”
“Well… I love it here, but if you prefer Willowcombe, we could keep this house as a place to visit whenever we want to come to the beach, because as far as I know, Willowcombe doesn’t have one. Do you have a picture of your house?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. I think so.”
“Alright, we could go see your house. I won’t lie–I love this place, but we’ll live wherever you feel most comfortable.”
“Thank you, Peter!”
“Oh, wait, there’s something I need to do first…”
“What is it?”
Peter led Celeste to the backyard facing the sea. He picked some flowers from the garden and searched for the gravestone. Theodore had told him that Agnes had passed away a few years after Peter was officially declared dead. Her remains rested here, in the garden of the place that had been his home for years.
“Here she is… Agnes, my grumpy old lady.”
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Chapter 0961
“What?”
“She was my housekeeper, and sometimes, she acted like my mother.”
“Oh… I see…”
“Agnes, my bitter old woman… Here I am. I promised I’d leave flowers on your grave when you were gone. I know I let you down, but from now on, there won’t be a single month when you don’t have fresh flowers.”
“Look,” Peter said, pulling Celeste closer by the hand. “This is my future wife. Her name is Celeste, and she’s carrying my twins. I don’t know what they are yet, but we’re hoping to find out soon.”
Celeste felt a lump in her throat as she saw a single tear escape from the imposing man beside her. The only thing she could do was squeeze his hand, trying to tell him that he wasn’t alone.
“Celeste, look, this place was my dream when I was young loved living here. I loved listening to the waves, I loved every minute I spent watching the sunset… This was my home! The only one I remember…”
“Take it easy, Peter! Breathe…” Celeste said gently, holding his hand firmly. “I know this isn’t easy for you. I know what we had talked about before, but if this place brings you peace, we can stay here. We can stay for as long as we need–or even for the rest of our lives.”
“Really? Do you hear what you just said?” Peter asked in disbelief.
“Yes. At least for tonight, we’re staying here. We didn’t book a hotel, and I know for a fact you don’t like driving at night.”
“You know me too well, don’t you?”
