Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 316 Valeria shook her head. She had seen it herself-the walls outside her childhood home had been marked for demolishment. Excavators had pushed them down with ease, leveling everything to the ground ina cloud of dust. The tree in the yard had been there as far back as she could remember. It would bloom every year. The excavator had always yanked its roots out, so how could the tree still be here? The house, the yard, and everything else could be rebuilt , but how could the tree have been revived? Even if it was the, it wouldn't be the same tree from her childhood.

Still, she walked around the tree and saw the carving on its trunk. She remembered how mischievous she had been as a child and always climbed up the tree. She had used a knife and carved her full name into the bark. 'There were too many letters, so all she managed to carve was "Ja" in the end. When Philip found out, he had scolded her, telling her that even trees were alive. He chided her and told her she mustn't cut into them. She had cried back then, stroking the trunk through her tears and whispering apologies to the tree.

The two letters had faded over the years, weathered by sun ---- and rain, but they still remained like faint scars in the bark. Now, Valeria traced them with her fingertips. She tilted her head back, gazing up at the branches that were heavy with lush green leaves. The old tree blocked out the sky, letting only a few strands of sunlight fall across her eyelids. Sebastian reached into his pocket and took out a small blue velvet box. He opened it, revealing an oval-shaped 20-carat pink diamond. It was huge and dazzling.

It had been set simply in a platinum band with no other adornments but the stone itself. Through the green branches, the fading golden light caught the diamond, scattering its brilliance in every direction. Sebastian got down on one knee, his posture looking almost reverent. His heart had never pounded this much before. His grip on Valeria's fingers was so tight that the tips of her fingers flushed red. He was just too nervous as he slid the ring slid onto her left hand. It was huge, big enough to cover Valeria's finger.

This was the same ring he had wanted to give her three years ago, and today, he could finally put it on her finger himself. It fit perfectly. Sebastian leaned down and placed an earnest kiss on the back of her hand. "Jane Carlson, will you marry me?" ---- Valeria looked at the man kneeling before her. He was dressed ina white shirt, and the breeze rustled the leaves overhead. She felt as if she had been pulled back to years ago-when she walked behind Sebastian on campus. Sunlight illuminated the path, while trees swayed above them. Sebastian had worn a white shirt.

He had been walking slowly with one hand in his pocket , almost as if he was waiting for her. On the quiet path, with no one around, she had shyly stretched out her hand, brushing against his fingertips . The moment he felt it, he held it tightly. Now, tears streamed down her face. Valeria didn't know whether it was the sight of the old tree she had grown up with, the scene around her that mirrored her memories so perfectly, or his proposal. Valeria had thought that her heart had long gone still, so why did it ache and tremble now? Why were tears spilling across her cheeks?

Sebastian rose, intertwining his fingers with hers. His other arm slipped around her as he leaned in to kiss her. This time, she didn't turn away. Her eyes shimmered with tears as she looked up at him. He pressed her against the tree, with one hand braced behind her to shield her from the rough bark. ---- Slowly , Valeria raised her arms, wrapping them around his waist. Then, she buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes. She rarely wore jewelry and usually only had earrings on. Her hands were always bare, so this massive pink diamond felt heavy and foreign on her finger.

She stayed in his embrace for a long while. When Valeria finally pushed Sebastian back, the evening glow had already dyed the sky red. That night, they stayed there. Every room inside had been recreated exactly as Valeria remembered it. In this city where land was worth its weight in gold, he had rebuilt her childhood home -brick by brick and complete with the giant tree in the yard. They lay down side by side, fully clothed. She asked Sebastian how the tree had been revived. Back when the Cranary had been demolished, the old tree had been spared.

The roots had been cut, and the tangled system after decades of growth had been torn out. However, it had a thick and strong trunk, so demolition crew thought it was a waste to destroy it. Selling it off made more since it would have fetched thousands even after being chopped. ---- Perhaps it was fate. The tree had passed through several hands, only for Sebastian to buy it in the end. When he bought it, its roots were damaged. He had hired gardeners to care for it, and at the same time, purchased this plot of land.