CHAPTER 71: UNREQUITED LOVE
Belle’s POV
“Mommy… Daddy…”
I kept on crying while hugging my knees. I was hiding in a corner, trying my best not to cause any noise that might get the attention of the armed men walking around. I’ve heard gunshots and each of them makes my heart beat so fast because of fright.
“There’s a child here!”
I was shocked when a man suddenly appeared in front of me. I was just looking up at him with widened eyes.
“N-No, please don’t kill me!” I yelled.
“No, we’re not going to hurt you. Come with us. We’re going to escape from here.”
I blinked a few times with tears filling my eyes. If I didn’t remember my mom telling me not to go with strangers, I would’ve gone with that man immediately.
“I won’t go with you! Go away!” I shouted.
The man kept looking around as if someone would catch him anytime. He looked at me again.
“Come on, we’re going to save you. The bad guys are going to catch you if you don’t come with us.”
“No! I won’t go with you!”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
Tears continue streaming down my face. Then all of a sudden, a boy with sapphire eyes appeared in front of me. He was wearing a black suit and I don’t know if it was because of the lights around us, but he looks so bright as he outstretched his hand towards me. “Don’t be scared, we’re going to save you. Those bad guys wouldn’t be able to hurt you if you come with us.”
“But—
“You can trust me. I will never let anyone hurt you.”
Those words that he said went straight to my hand. And as if he cast a spell on me, I reached for his hand and stood up. He guided me as we both stepped inside a helicopter.
From that moment, I felt safe.
All I could feel is assurance, and safety when I’m with him.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
I almost dropped the cup of coffee that I was holding when Timothy suddenly peered behind me. I turned around to look at him with a frown on my face. “You startled me. When did you arrive here?”
He chuckled as he sat on the couch and put his feet up on the center table.
“Well, just a few moments ago.”
“You really think you’re already living here, huh? You even have your spare key.”
“Of course! I should always go here to make sure you’re not taking home any man.”
I shook my head as I put the cup of coffee on the table and tapped his shoes. “Don’t put your feet up on the table! You brat!”
“You’re still a neat freak old lady. Nothing really changed even after so many years.”
“H-Hey! What did you just call me?! Old lady?!”
Timothy is my childhood best friend and the twin brother of Themis. They look really identical, aside from the fact that Tim is a mischievous and overconfident man who loves to lurk around and tease me. He really is like a younger brother to me.
“Why? You’re already twenty-seven. You’re old enough to get married already.”
“I’m just twenty-seven years old. Don’t say it like I’m a one-hundred-year-old woman.”
“Well, that’s the same. Why don’t you go on blind dates and find the best man for you to make you happy? Instead of working all day and feeling lonely every single night.”
I looked at him. “I’m not like you, Tim. I don’t need someone to make me happy. Besides, I’m already happy with my life now.”
“Oh, really? Or maybe you’re just waiting for someone named Themis?”
I immediately felt the heat captivating my whole face just by hearing that name. “W-What are you talking about?”
Timothy turned to me. “Belle, we both know that you’re in love with Themis. For sure you’re still waiting for him to come back.”
“By the way, speaking of him, I saw him last week. At the school where I am working as an official doctor.”
“Y-You saw him?”
“Yes. Apparently, Elisse, the girl that he adopted goes to that school. And it just happened that Themis came to send her, then we saw each other.”
Timothy was staring at me as if he was so interested to hear more about his twin brother. It’s been a while since the last time they saw each other, so for sure he misses Themis so much already.
“H-He adopted a child? Why? How is he? Is he doing okay?”
“Yes, he told me that his wife adopted the child but it was him who saw that child first.”
“A wife?! He–
“It’s just a fake wife. To hide his identity.” I cut him off. “He married a woman named Winter Wesley who is the granddaughter of your grandfather’s best friend. He knows why Themis came there, and so he helped him to hide his identity.”
Timothy nodded his head. “So, he really did all of that for the sake of his plan. He doesn’t even think if that would put his life at risk. That man is a hardheaded one. He left home and went into a complicated world where his safety cannot be assured.”
“Don’t worry, Tim. Themis knows what he’s doing. He won’t do things if he thinks that would harm him or his family.”
“He’s just smart, but he can’t really control his emotions sometimes. By the way, that woman he married, do you know her?”
I shrugged. “I heard she is a former actress, but she left showbiz because of a scandal.”
“An actress? Does Themis even think? He would be exposed to media by marrying that woman!”
“Tim, calm down. Themis is a reliable and intelligent man. He knows what he’s doing.”
“You really trust him that much, huh?”
I smiled at him. “Of course, I do.”
And I also believe that he would succeed in his plan and come back to me.
I am always waiting for him.