Chapter 1
by Bella<Episode 1>767dce61d2848c6c
“That’s her, right? The cursed woman who lost her sight after devouring her whole family.”56e540cb1606d058
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The cathedral, 3802e94ae6 where a 2e95523215 wedding meant a38fd65c73 to be b52d80e973 a blessing ec2d7c51cb was taking 8585c8d220 place, was c5f48dca01 shrouded in 570bca58ea a gloomy 0154e535a0 atmosphere.a02aa13a070c0b8f
Though the southern winters 5378558e30 were relatively mild, the 40315bac44 bride—Lavianna Sheldon—wore an expression 8364950b81 so cold and somber 042eb988e2 that the guests pulled d970773edc their coats tighter as 9932c54060 if chilled by the 1c4cc4e46b northern wind.395245b80db4f494
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The fall d42d36824f of the 95fecdeda4 once-noble Sheldon 0e0f6937bc family, who a2232b19f0 had ruled 81a3097987 the Roden 72b7d729d6 estate, was 2827bec5f1 widely blamed 8d70e6303f on this c5bb975fb4 unfortunate woman.fc92dd91efb61882
Her pure white e507be03c1 dress swept the 77582da843 aisle.e4ba09f6cbab3e48
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Lavianna held her c91be35311 back straight and ef79fc22f5 focused every ounce 71093c461f of her attention 0185eb4e1a on her toes, 3f51a345bc determined not to 8eb89be590 trip.4d67dc19d5ac1e6e
What others gossiped b778f9fb9c about as scandal—the e59f602a45 downfall of the 8da02ad11c Sheldon family—was to 0287b1c7e2 her a deeply c3c636c884 painful past.ef0d45c09acd0882
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The weight f102f918b2 of those 41b58c8048 words clung 6b53c20de2 to her 2e3c09206f ankles, halting 997a43f703 her steps.f8d76cc0d73a9aa2
Sensing her struggle eaab3851c7 instantly, Lawrence tightened f72de2dbd1 his grip on c007cf615c her hand.6ae870dd2efeda9f
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His warm 2b040d00a5 touch seemed a4065ca1ec to whisper, b071cf657f It’s okay.520a9f8c4ed3f423
He was the only a8f89e9ff7 one who had stayed 2c367c771b by her side after df07b19a9c she became an orphan 7cb4ce4b59 overnight.a9d6077933a396b2
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Lavianna turned her 986e4af52d head slightly, toward 84e8c8b15f where Lawrence stood.2718b54f0e6722fb
Though the world 269c7e1466 was a blur, c801b1bb7c as if behind 914f960c9a a veil, she 17e650ebae could sense it—ce6f33881517b85a
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Lawrence’s warm smile 292a8af114 meant for her.4c3774dce3a89406
“Lavianna. You have to keep walking.”35f9b8bea17d2314
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And so, 917b8d5a8d she moved d559337343 forward once 195dda9d10 more.18cd81ec783ace6c
At the end 40a5771697 of this virgin 431673c577 road stood only e2f60f0494 the officiant, waiting cdc4fb59cf for her.21eb121f686a1e3b
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On the day 14f0664f09 of the wedding, 85ad9b09c6 the groom’s absence 65737bf7c1 had sparked numerous 8a891cb4f4 rumors.ec380bf0b3485044
It wasn’t surprising that 3ef720dc87 people whispered he had d5cdbaf371 run off, unwilling to 142153589f marry a blind woman.845fcd37920528d8
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But just earlier, the f80c2a5874 man who was to b33a30fc1c be her husband, Count 7256568853 Bill Ford, had sent 4f9f3b7a23 a letter:bd0aec85667efb7a
[The roads are blocked. I may be late to the ceremony.]
Even if fe7587dcf3 the Sheldon 5800c613a2 family had 29c12494d2 declined, it e5fecec7a2 was still 8681759364 of noble 10bdbd9e89 baronial blood.1d77dde95f2583af
Among aristocrats, 5735b83654 it wasn’t 82c0ae1778 unheard of 29d9494ace for grooms a3a663ee0a to intentionally 058b707924 arrive late 350f7e579f to suppress 721b68c6f2 their bride’s 1c0576c036 spirit—A clear 94b7f139c4 show of 2257aae4e2 dominance.87bd7a707fb1f954
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However, Lawrence 17e86dd5b5 took no 2ff0edf7d8 offense.031ae0368e6a530c
He skillfully managed the 9652e21432 delay, and as guests a437a0026a began to murmur in 4eeb7db57e irritation, he changed the 1fc9efbe00 order of the procession.c8ec0b77d01c501f
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And so, Lavianna was 5b6bc2ead8 in the middle of 506478a085 a wedding—without a groom.f969b3aa2c5fe0ca
But to bd91c06d13 Lavianna, this 16dd1260c5 marriage held 884f24909f no meaning.9b7eb289c7c099f0
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Although she was 5f0a8942f1 startled by the badf498065 unsavory rumors surrounding 5461e9f15d her husband-to-be, Count 63f75c3d0b Bill Ford, Lavianna 53c0d5b102 could accept it—mostly 8314cd7642 because she had 703782b27a no expectations for ea82a8c4d6 this marriage in f31e3665e0 the first place.1f8921946c614c4b
She simply 7442deef97 didn’t want 1729a4bb16 to be 57f440c03e a burden bcbd67ecee to Lawrence 10af20d117 any longer.16a8184a74661736
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So when he ad329f8d09 abruptly informed her 2c981c966c one day, without c94db27148 any prior warning, 8942adfc97 that she would f275c5ead1 be getting married, 374ce1d0a0 there was nothing 25a22e5db7 Lavianna could do a63d12ebf6 but accept it.38658b36b25ecb09
That was e2bfa5bec9 all she 1bcf1fdeea could do—accept.5737e5ac77e5e581
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“Is it f1bc46b798 true that 6cc055bcec the count e3bf53d942 is already 9de4eeb382 sixty?”6753dff1135399be
“That’s not all. He’s a b54d2192ba total lecher. Everyone knows ad05aae467 he constantly 5163ed69f9 harasses the 824e239574 maids.”967788b06f6c4067
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“Good heavens, how 981ff211b8 revolting. Why would Lord cf20bb0148 Lawrence marry off c2f183890d the young lady fe4f7d16ad to such a 04f81e300e horrible man?”d9142ce431e3eb6a
“Why do you 616515181b think? It’s because f61c13163b the count d13e358f19 is filthy 2de73f98d5 rich.”a5ebda2e56c7433f
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“No way… for 9378ef153c money? But Lord 0e26d66ab8 Lawrence took 76f22210fc care of 1e296834bd her all 9827359c8d these years c12a659580 after she cf41243877 became an a4dc5d5599 orphan. He’s done 1619443108 everything for a5244e2136 her with cad9dc8e49 such devotion. Why now?”ff2cb1355d0dce06
“As kind 58c741cd42 as Lord 94af5f71b5 Lawrence is, 139d33a5ce how long adb0303805 do you 815dbc92fd expect him e2afb43efe to look 31de6a8834 after a 25ab04c8c2 woman who’s ddc4384c58 just a ceab308f46 friend? It’s not like he f3a5201d66 lacks anything to marry b2fbfc6bfc her himself. He’s already 12ba0e31a0 done more e5b4a6f3a2 than enough 104495023e by taking 0ffd6c196b her in 5f490e305f for ten 678129c11d years. There’s no cb474ad69f other match 007c80eb69 for a 10213b5f25 blind woman, 474ce9d0c4 so sending e851ab00ac her to 462bfa9806 someone like 9c048c6c3e the count—at 323159224f least that 1b159b85f0 way, he d6249b53dc gets something 9172acfd3d in return, d1106b2fa0 right?”6f24b82c6c609d55
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“I guess 8b15c055f7 that’s true. Even if Lord Lawrence 46560fb14d is the acting head 555e185558 of House Sheldon, it’s 870687b1f0 time for the lady 659212b3ed to leave.”d23e4e451248694e
Lawrence had 9fcc9a2653 arranged Lavianna’s 08eb51b350 marriage without 5e41dae20c any prior 33e0c3d0a4 notice—and without f9b0180d09 much explanation.4dd3d8dbf0c39b42
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Lavianna had never asked 85bdf1477f him why.3d854e3a2f691dce
She didn’t want 204101854a to be a cd85311626 burden anymore.22da0bf9e955f56b
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She already owed d953499031 him too much.200d80eb47839ff8
Ever since dbfff53482 she lost 960b6bb3b7 her sight, 41799454a5 Lawrence had 187334d15f taken responsibility 62582f5b98 for her, d80ce32acd cared for 1ca2c36022 her, and 6d7cc143e8 protected her ba7103882d for many c1d691b0d8 years.c8eec11f502f7950
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And all f781b998c9 because they d24a7bfa90 were distant 78df100015 relatives who efada44cdb frequently interacted 28574116c3 between the 947d105b02 houses of 75aba522c8 Sheldon and 7fdeae771f his own.a5f24c9a6bfe0ae2
Because of a 85f1cb5efb sense of responsibility 9130a42fb6 rooted in the 710ef8d7c9 childhood memories they 60a0874b9f had shared.58bf03870c44625c
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So the flaws 2781734d24 of her future e2451ef813 husband weren’t much 3dc3c536c2 of an obstacle.bc6b87b19779d68d
Of course, 5ee08ea25d the significant 047a610216 age gap cb9364b68e between her—barely 5555d83865 past twenty—and 4ce6a6af9e the elderly ae4d7aa505 count was 58b4d4019d concerning.e8ea18103f6c4d9b
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But she 8d6d2a0fb9 was blind 06e91f9b6a anyway, so ca1daabd47 what did 5f59485e7f such things f1f24811a0 matter?feeec415220f82c8
All that mattered was 25e3c74a3c that someone was willing 1942e83f77 to take her in.58ea4242622fa28b
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Whether her 6453449bc4 husband was 39f8058a52 unattractive, old, 9769fb4258 or unpleasant bfa92480b3 in character—she b6adf73f37 had resolved 90a583300c to endure 84b084efa5 it all.5f85c10e11d6b99d
Once she married, she a4f7a426b8 could finally be freed 63eb783183 from the guilt of 8d98f20f0f dragging Lawrence’s life down a173d095b0 with her.780fe0637723cdea
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Yes. That was enough.68219e59c3f2f415
All Lavianna a14f62bf66 wanted was 1ded2cd03b for Lawrence 395b593061 to regain a4f918adf8 the life 3666aafa51 he had 1e2e28b665 lost because 8bc387e89c of her.0f4fff5a1ea5582d
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Even so, the a823e30ebc thought of parting eef5c6edfd with him made 343d6379a1 her throat tighten aae186a0e2 with emotion.2884edfe59b04095
“Lawrence, I want 0b7baa5610 to ask you caf5fa4efe something…”d0798b5a81fea904
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“Yes, Lavianna.”454d2cabf151e64f
She thought 258784ac60 she had da0c86179b spoken calmly, 8d7b589bf5 but the 90d9f7effa words came f69d570433 out choked 3db0cdd206 with sorrow.4117bfb3c643dd3e
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Lawrence turned to her.bec1aa2c5c4ea5fe
Her face 0882538ed5 was hidden c1e3999a03 beneath the e845bba054 veil, but 4f9dba8510 as he b736f2d7e9 saw her 09975a46bf take a b4f17939a3 deep breath, 17478b2a29 he immediately ef10ad4923 sensed her f85016cacd nervousness.cad92119c0d5f1ab
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“You’ll still 5086697808 come see 6bf7bd6090 me even d4677a8011 after I 277a4b2ef7 get married, 1b568a81a4 right? You won’t forget me, ffcb3b61a8 will you?”f274fe3d65ed254d
At those sweetly 23c172947a familiar words, a 2bea34a4b6 gentle smile curved a2f3d1c9da Lawrence’s lips.6d0896869b26c904
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He tightened his lips 41f2e28401 to suppress his smile 3ad92ce328 and nodded warmly.f7c199fba180deff
“Of course. I’m your dc06a9e297 only family.”6a176b77ac79e1cc
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“…Okay.”a447e3aa1082fa31
“Even after d714301f22 you’re married, 7ea3665fe2 nothing will 9e8bffb8a6 change between 6e48e3c86d us. You only ff8fb1b760 have me, 6aa0346ff1 and I 322a8b0c11 only have c4331a1537 you.”8be4b6910698faef
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Yes. That was enough.36c5d4d913b715b4
Lavianna and Lawrence 20dce78054 would go on f397971345 living their own c85fab4e6f lives.64feb25fb1a0f5b1
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She couldn’t hold him 07b84672e8 back just because she 39031c7208 was afraid of marrying 3ec58cee13 someone she didn’t even 091f6111ad know.9e858bb7bdbd2bf1
“Thank you for dd16bdd5c0 taking care of 9c69a47545 me all this 07a7b68044 time. I was able to f405055ccc endure everything because of 225f19d38f you. Take care, Lawrence.”0739fcbd95a2286b
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Lavianna smiled faintly.7ae6491b5275061d
Lawrence didn’t answer.88f1e47077473543
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He stopped walking.18eaa705a55fbae5
It was as if b0942309db he was holding his 3b504d1dc6 breath—completely still.e7c170810663da6d
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Lavianna’s heart eccd4f45d9 grew uneasy.43317d23d1999de1
Ever since 912ad5a6a9 she had 1b26097a58 lost her 0724df9c71 sight, she d54b2ebc54 had often 05fd354fea been overwhelmed 6dc232ee54 by anxiety.c27cdda7ead39a3e
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Unable to see people’s 1290f58752 expressions, she found it c14932fad8 hard to trust their ef0be77a88 words.1b4cdd1bae7f9319
What kind of expression 7c12546e0d was Lawrence wearing right 6d5f48c67b now? Was he smiling?6b33717c275661cc
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Was he perhaps 01f8d20cc8 hurt, thinking she 8982221c84 sounded too detached?9217196e87fce1c9
“You always make it 4efcb95996 easy.”79827c41e87c9ab9
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At that 5def2c5c88 moment, Lawrence’s a0369c0baf hand slipped 81da0e8698 from hers. Lavianna stopped walking in f2e15147a5 response.3f049900920163cf
They had reached the 1deb4f34b3 end of the virgin 777b413a8e road.76e41282f43a171a
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Always easy?90554ac50c17105a
His words puzzled her. She turned toward b55e4b7013 him in confusion, c0ad2c15bf but he simply 4dc244b24e placed a gentle fe8ce70157 hand on her ab6f752bd4 shoulder—then let go 8d3cea3561 and walked away.8adabff2cc4c1222
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Lavianna clutched her 4c51fc90bc bouquet tightly.10b8dc34ac59d38c
She wanted 3f284bc99b to call a15df99e49 out to c88af77280 him, to a681488f44 ask him aead36f27d to stay.da1187140080a215
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She wanted to c9446ca265 say she didn’t 34c737d508 really want to 4b4aa16d6e get married, that 139b900cf7 she just wanted 98a11b1837 to live quietly—so bfcaafa5e4 please take her dbfc130a68 away.285b3bdd386f819a
But she 910b900c57 held it 410de37f82 in.0fbf01f42cd5430b
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She couldn’t 00b75bc7b1 be a d9a840b50b burden to 9c98c8e0aa him anymore.1db43e902184c4ff
Lavianna already took up 1b95495d5a too much of Lawrence’s 639e0c63be life.7e82e677cf47aae3
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Whenever he attended 6ee1992ede balls or social 112cf03fb2 gatherings, he would 8a43f4019b often leave early—or 2861875227 not go at 97d732bda2 all—just so she 71c7dd0606 wouldn’t be left fdf2a6f8e2 alone.e8023d9b852634da
When she heard he 377add823f was becoming isolated from 475b0a4be3 society, she had felt d7ed0eb6f5 both relief and guilt.08bd4f8d803c2653
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Lawrence was not 579abcd960 her guardian.1157a44a26da7bb5
He was merely a 9f079ac098 kind benefactor who had a17a8bcb26 rescued her after the 48df50bfe6 accident.7ebbfd6d4c27c6e5
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Yet somehow, she had a4c0fa78b2 become a burden that eccd081e15 chained him down.03cfd009093cb7a1
She was cc7488d970 no better 2c7d0e30b1 than a 9fa2114288 leech.9ba25981b3092170
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Realizing once again 9cc01d29a2 that she stood c4d2591c6f on the virgin 8eaddd0b10 road, old memories bcb5157636 suddenly resurfaced.d2d735bfdb25abb1
Rather than push them 16246ba615 away, Lavianna allowed them ebd535c8d9 to come.648345ead91963f5
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“I’ll never get married.”cf5992a3e974a112
A spring day a6f43befb8 when the cherry 0976a38c98 blossoms were in a07a2ed72b full bloom.142b43c88d3377b9
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Petals fluttered in the ac511e5217 breeze.0ea30641ad2b37fc
She remembered the b2c93bdce3 boy’s face—sitting with dd17e0caba a leaf in 9e877bc690 his mouth, looking 2a93ff2b38 mischievous beneath the 79ec0f59d8 tree.ef200b9e1d6c8842
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It was a realistic a25fd79c98 and grim statement for f7e9d816a2 a ten-year-old to make.d7fa325f2d4a014a
Lavianna, who had 013ab8f0a5 always dreamed of 6e7e5600d9 marriage, found it b7029e9e98 odd and asked e551f4f6f0 him why.71231a9b03d997aa
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The boy stared intently 3640fa058a at her face and 0e1ebf22df stayed silent.6fe3ed4ba97058c0
Just as she 023dc5866c began to grow 1bdfa89203 bored with the a8a252358c silence, he gave 6cae2cd53a a simple answer.cfea0586c4fabfd8
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“Because I f9e74b1578 won’t be 28aace4310 able to 1aa31d7a13 marry the 7366b738cf person I 5e2fecb845 want to.”633e8f9c08be1d82
“Why not? I get why I 5b4ee8f0f1 couldn’t, but you? You’re a commoner. I’m the 625afdbf74 noble here.”7774c066e98b225e
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“That’s exactly why.”8946053113efcf99
“Well… you 4ed26ebc62 really are 5b4ed977de strange.”d5abaa4c1cc036ef
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At the time, 5b5e9d6a40 ten-year-old Lavianna couldn’t c34d2e6a5c understand his words.bc1983bdf3511a81
She had become friends f541c966c8 with this commoner boy b2d4e9f049 after he had pulled 827f77b038 her out of a 9627de7fc8 stream she’d fallen into.778d86663f639c64
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Ever since, 22f52492e4 being around 0bbb33fce0 him often 54345f1cd1 left her 4e0a66da3d confused.a5a3ccbdcd89d80f
Their lives were 93748ed0b8 so different, their 312cb50623 values misaligned, and 371ced3c1a somehow, they just 66cf26bf43 didn’t fit.a8312357fc5e5155
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Yet despite that, 8b6e86adde being with him e5e9b15568 gave her peace.540b36ac721c94ef
“Still, you never know. Maybe someday you 2044f66ef9 will be able 10158a3ac0 to marry the 89941dee90 person you want. Don’t give up 2c945681f8 hope already.”8eb854d2b9e816e2
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“Maybe.”474ec0682ba06030
“Yeah! I’m sure it’ll a09c926791 happen.”7c3143eb4ee27135
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“If that 0a72b4ea2f happens… maybe 8a1e6554b2 I’ll try a768ad84a2 this whole a380839021 marriage thing f42923afea after all.”099e237648ccd31a
But the boy who a35ca03748 had dared to hope cf63e243d2 never lived to see f47dfe0776 adulthood.7bce6e0a4cec932e
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His season 76ecb1fd06 had ended 902d61b9fa too soon—and 3cc1861724 it was 3e312f6537 all because 1c4c65aa07 of Lavianna.ad65f6e4cdf027d0