Chapter 11
648words
By then, my position was secured. The nightclub and the art gallery were under my control, bringing in steady and considerable income every month. I had also trained a group of loyal subordinates and built my own network from the ground up.
I knew it was time to propose a peaceful separation to Caspian.
“Our partnership has been very successful,” I said one quiet evening. “But I think it’s time to end it.”
Caspian was reviewing documents. When he heard me, he looked up. A flicker of pain, almost non-existent, flashed through his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to leave and start my own life,” I said, keeping my calm. “Our agreement is complete. I have enough resources now to live independently.”
He didn’t respond right away. He just stared at me in silence, emotions swirling in his gaze—emotions I couldn’t understand.
A few nights later, Caspian came back drunk. He rarely drank so much, but this time was clearly an exception. The moment he entered the room, he pinned me down onto the bed, the heavy scent of alcohol clinging to him.
“Elysia…” His voice was slurred, thick with intoxication and something close to despair. “Are you really going to leave me?”
“Stop!” I struggled and pushed against him. “We agreed. This was only a contractual marriage. Our deal ends here. I’m supposed to leave!”
At that, he froze. He looked at me, wounded, as if I had stabbed him straight through the heart. That expression made my chest ache, but I forced myself to stay composed.
“Elysia, you sure are heartless,” he muttered bitterly. “Have you forgotten me?”
“Forget what?” I frowned, confused. “We didn’t know each other before all of this.”
“Do you remember a summer camp from years ago?” His voice softened, his eyes dark with a mix of emotions. “There was a long-haired boy named ‘Cas.’”
My heart leaped out of my chest. That summer camp, that frail boy who was bullied, the child I once stood up for…
“It was you?” I stared at him in shock, my voice trembling.
“It was me.” He nodded, his eyes filled with both love and pain. “You were the only one who ever protected me and the only one who gave me warmth. In a place full of cruelty, you were the only one who was kind to me. I’ve been looking for you all this time, Elysia.”
He cupped my face gently, as if I were something precious. “I can hear people’s thoughts too, but in the entire world, I can only hear yours. From the moment you were sent back in time, I recognized you.”
“That’s why you were speaking in your thoughts…” I finally understood, tears blurring my vision.
“I was waiting for you to remember me and speak first,” he said with a bitter smile, grievance lacing his voice. “But you never did. Sadly, you had forgotten me.”
Tears spilled over at last.
So from the very beginning, we had been each other’s salvation. That summer, I had saved him, and now, he was saving me.
“I’m sorry, Cas,” I sobbed. “I remember now. I remember everything—the summer we spent together.”
Back then, we had clung to each other for warmth, drawing comfort from one another. Without realizing it, I had fallen in love with that boy.
Caspian kissed me softly, reverently, as if making a vow.
“Elysia,” he whispered, “stay with me for the rest of your life.”
My eyes burned with tears as every last wall I had built finally collapsed.
“Okay,” I replied. “I’ll stay with you. Forever.”
Thank the heavens that I was given a second chance at life, so I wouldn’t miss the one I loved again.
