The three friends are standing behind, watching Hannah and Jin, who are sitting on a bench in front of Danielle's grave, discussing how the youngsters take special care of her gravestone. It undoubtedly stands out from the rest, and it's no longer about the color itself, but about how richly decorated it is.
- It's wonderful that after so many years, the four of us are together again. - Tom smiles, looking at Jin's back. - I thought we would never see him again, and yet he is back.
- Danielle wasted his life," mutters Joseph, for which he gets a slap on the head from Tom. - Don't you allow yourself too much, wuss?
- It's inappropriate to speak ill of a dead person, especially when we're in a cemetery.
- Men who are forty-five years old act like kindergarteners.... - mutters Jimmy.
- This is said by a man who changes women like panties at this age. You don't have a wife or children, so you're the one who stopped at the kindergarten stage," Joseph bites back at him.
Jimmy snorts under his breath and crosses his arms over his chest, indignant at his friend's words.
- It's just that this lifestyle suits me better. I can't settle down with one woman. Give me a break.
Hannah gets up from the bench, leaves Jin alone and walks over to the men who are standing behind.
- You guys wind up worse than the women in the bazaar. Let's go home. Jin said he will join us later. He wants to hang out with Danielle some more. - Joseph rolls his eyes, which does not escape his wife's attention. - Honey, what's your problem?
- Don't call me darling. I'm still angry with you and the kids. You have to try harder to make me forgive you.
He turns his back to her and walks away first, at which she sighs loudly. Tom, whom she looks at, shrugs his shoulders.
- You chose such a husband yourself. When you were young, you had the chance to become my wife.
- You are right, Tom. I should have become your wife.
Walking behind them Jimmy laughs, covering his mouth with his hand. He looks over his shoulder, with curiosity in his eyes glancing at Jin who is joined by a young, attractive woman. This is the first time the man has seen her, but he supposes that she must be someone who knows his friend and Danielle.
- Can I sit down? - asks the girl, getting Jin's attention. The man looks at her face for a long moment, wondering if she is someone he should know. Perhaps she is an acquaintance of Danielle's that he had no idea about before.
- Of course," he answers her.
The young woman squats down next to him and lifts the corners of her mouth as she glances at Danielle's picture on the tombstone. Jin notices this and opens his eyes wider as he gets the impression that this girl has the same smile as his deceased beloved.
- She did it on purpose. She was planning to commit suicide and that's why she found me earlier. She wanted me to be the one to meet you today. I complied with her request. - The girl who is as pretty as an angel looks at him with sad eyes. - I am sorry that you abandoned me, but Danielle managed to convince me what reason she had. Besides... you were just kids. - She shrugs her shoulders. - Which doesn't change the fact that she was a cold woman. She concluded that she would not be suitable as a mother.
Jin opens his mouth in shock, unable to utter a word. This is the first time she has clobbered him.
He recalls Erick's words, which the boy revealed to him one day:
- Aunt Danielle told me to repeat something.... She assured me that after her death, you will be in for a pleasant surprise that will undoubtedly seal the hole in your heart. You will never be sad about her loss again.
Tears appear in Jin's eyes as he looks at the young girl's face. Only now does he see how many features of their appearance she possesses.
- What is your name? - He asks in a stifled voice.
- Jessie. And I'll be twenty-eight this year, if you have any doubts.
He doesn't have any, but he can't believe that Danielle didn't tell him the truth until the very end regarding the fact that she found their daughter, and more importantly... that she had contact with her.
Now he knows what Erick meant when he said there was a surprise waiting for him.
- Should we talk somewhere warmer? - the man suggests.
- I think buying me dinner will be the best option right now.
She is brave. That she has to admit.
- In that case, let me take you to my favorite restaurant," he says in a breathless voice, rising from the bench.
The girl smiles, seeing how uncomfortable the man feels in her company. Nonetheless, she hopes they can get along and even tighten ties over time.
She would like that, given that she is lonely and always has been, having grown up in an orphanage. So. she could use a family.
*
The friends are standing on the pier, waiting for Veronica, who was to reach them later. Lucas looks with a smile on his face at Erick and his girlfriend, who have been teasing each other the whole time.
Who would have expected that this cold-hearted bastard, who had no interest in love relationships for sixteen years, would fall in love with Horace Mann, and with a girl, he hated at first. As you can see, the saying that from hatred to love is one step is true.
Their relationship is so deep that you can see from their eyes how crazy they are for each other. They have chemistry, they had it from the beginning, but they couldn't reach each other. Fortunately, at the right moment, they realized that they were both crazy about each other, and in the end it was Erick who swooned over Miranda, who had been resentful of him since New Year's Eve night.
As you can see, the kisses he didn't remember were the beginning of their more in-depth relationship.
- What are you so thoughtful about? - Erick turns his attention to his friend, hugging Miranda to himself.
- I wonder why your sister is still not here.
- Could it be? Or are you getting tired of wondering if you'll finally get an answer from her about what you two really have in common?
Miranda lifts her face and smiles, looking at the face of her beloved.
- Don't tease him, Erick. You have to understand that they have been friends since diapers and both of them can be confused with what they have in common. This is not an easy decision.
- Making our decision was much more difficult. We were at each other's throats for several months, and yet it was our destiny to form a relationship.
Lucas' eyes regain their sparkle as he spots Veronica heading toward them. The wind blows away her long black hair, which overlaps her face. She pulls it back, puffing out her lips, which are painted with red lipstick.
In his eyes she looks beautiful, as always.
All three of them, however, their faces thin when they notice that her parents are following her.
- Is this some kind of joke? - mutters Erick. - Is my sister completely out of her mind? Is this how she wants to protect herself from you? - He directs this question to Lucas, who is devastated by the sight of his father and mother.
- That's why she decided to reach us later....
Veronica stands in front of them with a broad smile, keeping her gaze on her best friend's face a moment longer.
- I'm already here.
- What are our parents doing here?
- I just wanted them to witness the decision I made, so I took them in with me.
- What - Lucas is confused by her behavior.
- Let them see the beginning of our new relationship. - She throws the bag on the ground and climbs on her toes, capturing his face. He opens his eyes wide, surprised when she unexpectedly kisses him on the lips.
- Seriously... she brought in old men to put on a show? - mutters Erick under his breath, looking at the amused faces of his parents. They probably expected that sooner or later, their relationship would end just like that.
- Mom, dad, uncle, aunt.... me and Lucas are together," Veronica announces, raising their joined hands in the air. - We have come to the conclusion that we share more than friendship.
Joseph shrugs his shoulders.
- And you discovered this so late? Tom and I have been putting money aside for a lavish wedding for several years.
Everyone snorts with laughter, and the young lovers look at each other surprised.
- Did you know about this?
- No, but if we consider the behavior of my mother and your father, who didn't want us to be in other relationships, it makes sense.
Veronica grimaces like a child, looking at her parents with offended eyes.
- And we wanted to surprise you...
Lucas smiles broadly and puts his arm around the brunette. The others burst out laughing again, having a laugh at Veronica's face.
- So what? Should we eat something to start with? - Bella asks, with a movement of her head indicating the restaurant.
- I'm starving... - groans Erick.
- Watching you squeeze that poor Miranda, I have my doubts whether you are hungry," Hannah speaks up. - For God's sake, let that girl go, or she'll stop breathing right away!
Erick bursts out laughing as his mother chases him away from the robed girl.
They are all happy and this is precisely the kind of life they expected for many years as they struggled with the demon, the curse of their family, which caused pain, suffering, and all kinds of misunderstandings between them.
The time has come for a new beginning, which Danielle has provided for them....