Whoever drew this painting was a hell of a talented painter. They brought this painting to life so beautifully. One could mistake this as a picture instead.

“She’s beautiful, as always,” I complimented.

He nodded. “She always wanted a painting of herself. And she finally got one on my sixteenth birthday.” With his gaze fixed on his mother’s face, he spoke in a low voice. “She was very happy that night.”

Though it seemed like he was telling a happy story, I could hear the pain in his voice. The way he let out a defeated sigh, my heart clenched for him. He missed her.

I placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning to me, he gave me a close-lipped smile.

“She loved this painting and always kept it in her room. But since… since she didn’t take it with her when she left, it remained in that dark old room. So, I thought, why not bring it here?” One of his shoulders lifted in a shrug. “As much as I didn’t want to open the memories of my past, I couldn’t leave this. I had to bring at least one of the things related to her over here.”

I squeezed his hand. “You did the right thing. Just because of some bad memories, we can’t abandon the ones we spent in felicity. I’m glad you’re starting to cherish those memories, even if you don’t want to think about your past.”

I was happy that he was opening up to me. He never talked to me about his mother before like that. But he was doing it now. It wasn’t much, but it was a beginning. I hoped he’d let me in properly soon.

He kissed the back of my hand. “Honestly, even though I brought it to this house, I wasn’t planning to hang it here. My first plan was to lock it in the basement. But then—” his eyes met mine, “—I remembered your words. The same ones you told me at Tess’s rehearsal. I thought it over. You were right. Until I accept my past, I can’t move on with my present. I can’t be at peace. So, I…”

“So, you decided to keep it here?”

Nodding, he took my hands to his lips again.

“It’s one of the best decisions you took, you know.”

He smiled. “Come, there’s more.”

Curious, I followed him closely as he went around his desk and got out an album from a drawer. An album full of his and Caleb’s pictures, there were Tess and Tobias’s pictures as well.