Soft Beginnings

Seasons Greetings

Jan 19. 2026

Soft Beginnings | Seasons Greetings

The next day, Elena encountered Edward in the lab. He was quieter than usual, and even during experiments, he often stared blankly out the window. Elena found his silence strange.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Hawthorne?” she asked cautiously. Edward was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Joseph… must have warned you about me.” Elena looked at him with astonishment. “He… told me about your past. That he manipulated the results of his experiments.” Edward lowered his head. “That… is the most regrettable moment of my life. But Joseph didn’t reach out to me then. He condemned me, and since then, every attempt I’ve made has been thwarted by him.”

Elena stared at him silently. His eyes were filled with hurt, deeper than anger. “He always seems to be a just and noble man, but sometimes… too much justice can destroy a person. At that time… I just wanted to be acknowledged.” Elena's heart sank. She knew Joseph's quiet sincerity, but Edward's confession was more human than she'd expected. Mistakes, regrets, and loneliness permeated his words. "So... Joseph sabotaged you?" she asked cautiously. "He rejected the paper I submitted to the conference, and the research funding I proposed was rejected. His influence... is greater than I thought."

Elena looked down at her notes. The thought crossed her mind that the theories she'd worked on together might disappear because of Joseph's judgment. She loved science and pursued truth, but the idea that someone's emotions could distort truth unsettled her.

That night, Joseph was waiting for her as usual, but Elena spoke quietly. "What you said... and what Edward said are so different. I... don't know which is the truth." Joseph looked at her for a moment, then said quietly, "The truth isn't always simple. But wherever your heart leads... I will watch over you." Elena bowed her head. Her heart was wavering, and that wavering was what made her take Edward's side for the first time.