Chapter 12: Childhood Promises 

Spending time with Tommy had been the highlight of Amelia’s kindergarten days. Her parents were in the middle of a messy divorce back then, too preoccupied with their own problems to pay attention to their daughter. 

It was also around that time that Vivian had entered their lives. Amelia’s father had had an 

fair, and Vivian was the product of that affair. She still remembered the day Vivian’s mother had shown up at the kindergarten gates, pointing at Amelia and saying, “Go on, Vivian, go say hi to your sister. She’s the one who stole Daddy away.” 

Vivian, fueled by her mother’s words, had attacked Amelia, scratching her face and pulling her hair. Even after the teachers intervened and separated them, Vivian had continued her tirade, screaming, “She’s a bad girl! She took my daddy away! She won’t let him see me!” 

Amelia had felt lost and alone. Vivian, of course, had been enrolled in the same kindergarten, and from that day on, she made Amelia’s life a living hell. No one wanted to be friends with the girl Vivian had branded a homewrecker. 

But Tommy had been different. He’d been the new kid in class, shy and chubby, his awkward attempts at making friends often met with mockery. One day, Amelia had seen a group of boys surrounding him, taunting him about his weight and accent. Something inside her had snapped. She’d marched right up to them and pushed the ringleader to the 

ground. 

“Leave him alone!” she’d yelled. “Or you’ll have to deal with me!” 

Tommy had looked at her with wide, grateful eyes. 

After that day, they’d been inseparable. Amelia, tired of being bullied, had decided to fight 

back, and Tommy, sweet and timid, had been an eager accomplice. 

The memories came back in a rush. The time Tommy had wet himself in class but had been 

too scared to tell the teacher, the time he’d cried because the other kids wouldn’t share their 

snącks with him… Amelia had always been there for him, defending him, comforting him. 

And he, in turn, had been her rock, her confidant, her best friend. 

“Why did you leave?” Amelia asked, her voice barely a whisper. “I… I cried for weeks after 

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you left.” 

Tommy took her hand, his touch sending a familiar warmth through her. “My mom and Ì had to move back to Europe. I even changed my name to Ethan a few years later. I tried calling you a couple of times, but no one answered.” 

By then, Amelia and her mother had moved out of their old house, leaving behind painful memories. She had no idea he had tried to find her. 

my led her outside, his hand engulfing hers. They stopped in front of a small garden, overgrown with weeds. 

“Remember this?” he asked, pointing to a small patch of wilted flowers. 

“We planted those together,” Amelia whispered, her eyes welling up. 

Tommy wrapped his arm around her. “I bought this place a few years ago. It was in pretty bad shape, but I couldn’t let it go. It holds too many memories.” 

He looked at her, his eyes filled with a question. “What do you think about… reopening it? Give it a new life?” 

Amelia smiled, her heart overflowing. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”