In foreign lands, running into an old acquaintance naturally brought joy and a sense of familiarity. Each time we crossed paths, we would travel together–sometimes for four or five days, other times for up to half a month.
During our time together, I developed feelings for him.
But the painful cost of my last failed relationship was still fresh in my mind, so I chose to bury those feelings deep within me… until we were trapped under the rubble for two days and one night after an earthquake in Greetz.
At the time, we both thought we were going to die. That was when he confessed his feelings to me. He revealed that he had. carefully planned every encounter over the past four years.
He liked me, but he knew how deeply I had been hurt. He understood that I wasn’t ready for another relationship, so he never pushed me.
But at that moment, as we faced the unknown and possibly our last moments, he didn’t want to take his feelings to the grave and regret it in the afterlife.
Just as he bared his heart honestly, I chose to face my feelings as well. “Mitchell, if we make it out of this alive, I’ll marry you.”
In the end, we were both rescued.
That very day, Mitchell and I registered our marriage in Greetz. He said that it was where our married life began and that he would give me the grandest wedding once we returned home.
+15 BONUS
After visiting my mother’s grave, he took me to meet his parents, who treated me with the utmost care and respect.
From that day on, I settled into my role as a bride–to–be. During this time, Maverick never came looking for me again–not until my wedding day.
That was when I saw him once more. He had lost a significant amount of weight and looked utterly worn out. I had never expected that he would actually attend my wedding
Before the ceremony, he came backstage. His gaze lingered on me in my wedding dress before he finally spoke, his eyes turning rec “Lia, are you happy?”
Aradiant smile spread across my face. “I’m very happy. Maverick, we all have to move forward.”
The past was the past. Only after experiencing life and death would one truly understand that cherishing the present was what mattered the most.
Before our family and friends, Mitchell and I vowed to love and remain faithful to each other for a lifetime.
A year later, I gave birth to a baby girl. After my mother’s passing, I finally had a blood relative in this world once again. And now, I was surrounded by so much love.
Years later, I saw a piece of news–Maverick’s company had declared bankruptcy due to poor management. All his assets were seized. On the television screen, he looked extremely forlorn from his side profile.
A hand wrapped around my waist from behind. Mitchell embraced me gently and asked softly, “Do you want me to help him?”
I shook my head.
Maverick’s affairs had stopped mattering to me a long, long time ago.
