The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 287

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The car crossed the river and entered a residential area. Lavinia suddenly realized this was the neighborhood where she had lived with her parents as a child.

Over the last decade, this area had undergone heavy urban renewal. The stationery stores and little snack shops she used to visit after school were entirely gone, replaced by neat, towering apartment complexes.

Lavinia hadn't visited this area in years. She hadn't dared to.

She was afraid the memories would hurt too much. Worse, she was afraid of confirming with her own eyes that everything she once loved was gone forever.

The closer they got to her old home, the more anxious Lavinia became, her posture subconsciously stiffening.

Catching her reaction in his peripheral vision, Charley's gaze deepened.

"Don't worry. Some things are still here."

Lavinia stared at him in confusion. "What things?"

"You'll see when we get there," Charley said, keeping the suspense alive.

The car turned onto a narrow road. Standing dead center in the middle of the street was a massive banyan tree, its aerial roots hanging down in a thick, dense curtain.

Lavinia froze. She recognized this tree. She used to walk beneath it every single day after school.

It used to be on the side of the road. Now it stood perfectly in the middle.

"During the redevelopment, it was classified as a century-old heritage tree, so they weren't allowed to chop it down," Charley explained as he parked by the curb. "They just built a mini-park around it in the middle of the street and kept it."

"You just brought me here to see a tree?" she asked.

Charley pointed across the street. "Look over there."

Across the street was a row of ground-floor storefronts—boba tea shops and convenience stores, all brightly lit.

But sandwiched right in the middle was an old, distinctly out-of-place shop.

It had a wooden sign painted white with faded red lettering that read: [Pure Heart Bakery].

The glass display cases were packed with traditional pastries. A long line of customers stretched out the door. Inside, two bakers in crisp white uniforms were busy at work, and a warm, golden light spilled out from behind the glass.

Lavinia's lips parted slightly. It took her a long moment to find her voice. "How is this possible..."

That was the bakery her parents used to run. It had supported their little family of three.

They weren't wealthy, and her parents worked grueling hours, but her childhood had been incredibly, undeniably happy.

After her parents passed away, there was no one left to run the bakery. Her uncle had sold the storefront to someone else, and it hadn't even been a bakery anymore. This place should have disappeared years ago.