Chapter 322: Forgotten Memories Unveiled

The next second, Fraser wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. He picked up the photograph and held it in front of her, his tone leisurely. “What, do I need to introduce you to yourself now?”

Me? How could it be? Summer couldn’t believe it. “What are you talking about?”

“Take a good look for yourself. If that little girl in the photo isn’t you, then who is it?”

If that little girl isn’t you, then who is it? Fraser’s deep, teasing voice echoed in her ears, over and over again. Each word resonated clearly and definitively, sending a jolt through her heart.

After a moment, Summer slowly reached out and picked up the frame; the photo of Fraser’s first love was now clear before her. The little girl, her face turned sideways, her features youthful, her eyes bright. She wore a blue and white dress adorned with a pattern of…Pudding, squatting and embracing a small dog in play.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning-like memory struck Summer. This dress was a gift from Yolanda’s nurse friend. Once, in a fit of anger, Yolanda had yanked at her, tearing the dress. Summer couldn’t bear to throw it away; she had patched it herself, though clumsily. But Yolanda, disliking anyone being kind to Summer, had thrown it away anyway, leaving Summer in tears…

Thus, those long-buried memories, like a heavily sealed gate, slowly began to creak open. When she was very young, she had found a newborn puppy in a corner of the hospital. The puppy was scarred and as emaciated as she was… She had secretly fed it for a few days until Yolanda found out. Yolanda forbade her from keeping the puppy, saying it would die if even she didn’t want it.

Summer remembered mustering the courage to ask a young boy for help. This young boy was handsome but aloof and unkind in speech. But unexpectedly, this young boy agreed to help her take care of the puppy. Summer thought maybe this young boy just had a bad temper, but a kind heart. She was happy, so she visited him daily at the hospital to play.

It gave her a chance to see the puppy, and the brother had lots of snacks. Gradually, Summer started to think maybe that handsome boy wasn’t as bad as she had imagined. One day she arrived early. She saw a group of doctors in white coats coming out of the young boy’s room. They seemed respectful to him but spoke ill of him as they left.

“Even as an heir to a wealthy family, what does it matter if he’s lost his parents and suffers from depression?”

“They say he’s cold-blooded and harsh, emotionless, beyond change.”

Summer was furious! He had helped her with the puppy and shared his snacks with her; he wasn’t the heartless person they described. Summer felt she was this brother’s friend. So she visited more frequently, started to approach him actively, smiling at him. Although he still wore a blank expression, his beautiful eyes would shimmer, and his lips would curl into a slight smile. His mood seemed to improve. Summer was pleased. See, he wasn’t some emotionless, cold-hearted boy after all.

But then, one day, for some reason, Yolanda suddenly decided to resign from the hospital. She left in a hurry, taking Summer with her the very next day. Summer pleaded with Yolanda to let her go back to the hospital to say goodbye to her friend. Of course, Yolanda ignored her. Later, Summer wondered. Maybe he didn’t care about my goodbye either.

But from then on, Summer never kept a dog again, since there was no one to help her take care of one. Thinking back on all this, Summer’s voice was thick with emotion, “You…you were that young boy?”

Summer turned her head, her clear, earnest eyes deeply gazing at Fraser’s eyebrows, his high nose, his thin lips that curled up into a slight smile. She studied his face. Her voice choked, “So you…you recognized me a long time ago?”

Fraser’s slender fingers gently tapped on Summer’s forehead, “That’s right, you ungrateful girl.”

She thought. No wonder, that explained why Pudding felt so familiar… After all, Pudding was hers.