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Chapter 11
I feel betrayed by the contrasting attitude.
Sunlight poured through the open curtains. I sat on the bed and gazed at the endless blue horizon. The sparkling waves swelled and rushed deep into my eyes. The chilly winter waves swept away all the thoughts and scattered them in my head.
On the other hand, Hughuwek was still sleeping well.
It was a hundred times better than crying till your ears get sore, though I couldn’t help but envy the child who slept with his mouth open.
“Liana… Can’t you look at me just once? We met again after almost a year.”
“….”
“I sent you a letter every day, did you not receive it? I was worried because I never got a reply. You didn’t get hurt, didn’t you? That’ll do. If you’re all right, that’s…”
Well. If you have a wound, you can apply an ointment, and if you are poisoned, you can drink an antidote. However, how could I fix it when I have become an idiot with ten years of memories completely blown away…?
Furthermore… Suddenly, a child was born.
I wiped Hughuwek’s convex forehead in my arms. When my soft skin touched him, he smiled for no reason.
But, was the child’s father really Blake? If it was true, it was a problem. And, if it was not, it was a problem. The thought of living with the sweetly honey-bunny Blake gave me goosebumps. No…. We have to live separately after a fierce custody battle.
Although if it was not Blake, what to do if it was another man…?
What a promiscuous life I had been living for ten years. I would be disappointed in myself.
“Liana…”
Blake, who longed for affection from me, was still unfamiliar.
I knew that I had to act as if I was familiar with his attitude, though my body’s reaction was honest enough to be transparent. My neck and back were stiff, unable to meet his eyes, and my words stuttered.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t show this kind of reaction forever. Besides being chased by men, I needed Blake’s help… I didn’t have any money.
“Well…”
I opened my mouth with difficulty.
At twenty-six, I think I would have called Blake by another title instead of ‘teacher,’ but I didn’t even know what it was, and even if I did, I wasn’t confident to call him that.
I turned my body, which had completely turned my back on him, slightly. We did not face each other, and I only slightly showed my side. Still, Blake took a deep breath as if he was greatly moved by this small change in me.
“Yes, Liana. Say anything.”
“I want to go…home.”
I hugged the child tightly as if he was a piece of armor to protect me. Because I couldn’t control my strength, he frowned slightly as if he was uncomfortable, but he soon got used to it and calmly softened his face again.
“Home…?”
“Yes.”
Blake smiled sweetly.
I was taken aback by the unexpected reaction. Why was he smiling?
While glancing at him curiously, a subtle weight fell on my shoulder. Blake rubbed his face against my neck and let out a pleasant breath. I just rolled my eyes, not knowing how to react.
“It’s still there. The bedroom we used to share, the flowerpot you looked at once, and the clothes you wore often. I knew this day would come, and I didn’t dispose of any of them. I had someone take care of it every day, so there is no need to clean and you can go home right away.”
…What was this again?
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
What… Shared, shared bedroom?
My mouth opened in embarrassment. Did that mean I was living with Blake?
I hurriedly pushed him off my shoulder. When our eyes met, he turned his head as if wanting to kiss me, and I covered his approaching face with both hands. He was constantly showing affection by licking my palm with his lips.
“No, not that house. My house. Mitchell’s mansion.”
Blake, who was biting my palm, stopped. He slowly raised his dark eyes, which he had pulled down, and stared into my eyes. The sharpness that seemed to see through the inside flowed into me.
He slowly tilted his head back.
The hand where his lips touched was unusually hot and tickling, so I secretly rubbed it against my thigh.
“The Mitchell mansion?”
“…Yes.”
“Why there?”
It was a strange question.
I was from the Mitchell family, so why was he asking me why I would be going to my house…?
“I have something to check.”
“Are you serious?”
The devotion that seemed to want to offer me his body and soul disappeared like an illusion, and Blake, who was holding a stick at the sixteen-year-old me appeared. The two eyes, which sank more quietly than the night sky, seemed like blackened ashes.
I nodded my head. An uncomfortable silence descended.
His eyes froze me like a man with limbs bound, and he stared at me with a serious expression on his face.
“If you want, I’ll do anything.”
“…Thank you.”
My heart trembled anxiously. Was there a problem at home?
All sorts of conjectures popped up.
I glanced at Blake’s mouth with a nervous feeling. Hoping that he would tell me something that could be a clue. Nonetheless, he just put a blanket over my shoulders and carefully combed my messy, sweaty hair.
I did not refuse his touch. No, I didn’t even think about rejecting it.
It was difficult to keep my composure since I saw him reacting like I shouldn’t go home.
No way… Did I go to study abroad saying I was going to study, and in the end, I made bad friends there? I may have drowned my life in alcohol, drugs, and gambling. I have often been told that I am weak to temptation. The possibility of becoming a rebel cannot be ruled out.
I became a child who was too embarrassing for the family… My parents may have cut ties with me.
Seeing that I had more men than Blake seemed like a reasonable guess. What if my parents tell me to leave while pouring cold water on me?
What do you mean what if… I should get down on my knees and beg.
A long navy blue coat that covered the ankles, a hat that covered the entire face, and even a scarf that reached under the eyes. I borrowed Blake’s clothes and hid myself completely before getting off the boat.
He stopped me, saying that the outfit would stand out more, though when I stubbornly shook my head, he said okay and backed away.
These were the people who recognized me just by looking at my sleeping side. Because of that, I had to hide my face like this so they would not know me. However, despite the effort of choosing clothes for over an hour, we escaped through a different route instead of the usual pier.
Blake gave the sailor money without a word, and the sailor familiarly led us elsewhere.
As if it was a passage for sailors to pass through, the door was narrow enough for only one person to pass through.
The surroundings were quiet.
Why did I wear a hat and a scarf? Had I known in advance that such a passageway existed, I would not have done such a stupid thing.
I took off my hat and looked at Blake with resentment.
A soft light flashed in his black eyes.
“I said it was too much.”
“….”
It was as if he was making fun of me like he had done nothing wrong.
“Give me the child.”
“…Why?”
“Take off your coat. It’s fine for now, though when you enter the square, everyone will be suspicious. It’s like putting ‘suspicious’ on your forehead.”
“I will take it off.”
I took off my coat inconveniently with one hand holding Hughuwek. Even though the end of the coat was rubbed on the floor, I didn’t care, thinking that it was okay for it to have scratches like this because it was the coat of the guy who made fun of me.
Besides, Blake accepted the coat familiarly as if he didn’t really care.
The hat that securely covered my head suddenly disappeared.
“Take this off, too.”
“Why!”
Instead of answering, he loosened the black scarf and put it back on. It was much more elaborate and meticulous workmanship than the sloppy knot I had tied. The scarf reached just above the bridge of my nose and covered half of my face.
“This is enough.”
Then, he gently caressed my bangs with his hand.
As his neat fingertips touched my eyebrows, I shut my eyes involuntarily and laid down my face. It was only when his hand fell off that I was surprised at what he had done.
As if it wasn’t the first time Blake had arranged my bangs like this, my body remembered his touch.
“The carriage will arrive soon.”
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“….”
“Would you like to come in since it’s cold?”
He pulled back his coat and showed his arms. A perfect fit for his body perfectly revealed the contours of his solid upper body. He wasn’t even taking his clothes off, but for some reason, a fever rose in my ear.
I hurriedly bowed my face, which would have turned red, and shook my head.
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