“Thankfully, this turned out well,”
Brettley’s voice rang out next to her.
Bethan glanced in his direction and came face-to-face with Brettley’s reassured smile. “You must be glad to see Gwen happy now, aren’t you?”
Bethan paused, then nodded and snaked her arm around Brettley’s waist. “Yes, I am.”
This was the ending she had been hoping for.
Although Bethan knew Stefan was just Luke in disguise and that he had been protecting Gwen in secret, she did not dare to reveal the truth to Gwen prematurely.
They finally reunited, and she could finally feel at ease again.
Gwen wept for a long, long time. Finally, she lifted her head to stare at Luke. “Why did you come find me all of a sudden, and why aren’t you wearing your mask?”
She knew Luke like the back of her hand. He had intended to remain in hiding while protecting her and would stick to his plan no matter what. The fact that he had come to find her so suddenly and even revealed his true identity to her meant that something must have gone wrong.
At the thought of this, she bit her lip and asked, “Did something happen to my father, Luke?”
Pursuing my ex-wife is not easy -“He’s fine.”
Luke paused when he heard the mention of Gwen’s father, then continued in a choked voice, “You… Did you know that Ben brought another woman back to your house?”
Gwen paused, then nodded. “I do.”
Tyson’s men had even mistaken that poor woman for her and captured her instead.
Even after Brettley and Bethan arrived, Gwen was still terribly frightened by that incident. If Ben and that woman had not shown up, Tyson’s men would have found and captured her instead.
In other words, Ben and his girlfriend saved her life.
“Well…”
Luke nodded and explained, “They took her in place of you and told me and Kurt that they found you. I was fooled into thinking that you had been taken away…”
At the mention of this, Luke’s grip tightened around Gwen as though he was trying not to lose her again. “After hearing this, I tracked them down to a hotel in town, but when I broke in there, I realized it wasn’t you they had caught…”
As he recounted this incident, Luke hoarsely continued, “Do you have any idea how happy I was when I saw that woman’s face and realized it wasn’t you? At that moment, all I felt was relief and joy, then it was replaced by worry because I realized I hadn’t found you.
“I wanted to find you and see you. The only way I can rest in peace is knowing you’re okay…”
Luke closed his eyes and leaned his head against the crook of Gwen’s shoulder, his voice trembling as he continued, “I finally understand what I did wrong now.
“I thought I was doing you a favor by leaving you, but it turns out it was the most selfish thing I could’ve done. I should’ve stayed by your side and taken care of you myself.
“I don’t trust anyone except myself for protecting you…”
Gwen’s heart sank when she heard how devastated Luke was. She bit her lip and wrapped her arms tightly around Luke’s waist, her voice beginning to shake too. “I know, Luke. Let’s never be apart again, never…”
She had thought about this during their time apart, and though she tried her best to get over Luke’s death, she would still think of him every time she got into trouble.
How strange. She and Luke had been together for less than two years, yet she felt as though they had known each other fora lifetime.
Perhaps it was because of their experiences together. When two people have gone through so much together, they would never be able to stay apart.
Tears slid down Bethan’s face as she watched them, and she turned around and slumped her head against Brettley’s body.
Brettley led her back to their room, closing the door behind him.
After returning to their room, he smiled and gently kissed Bethan’s forehead. “Let’s not intrude on their alone time. I’m sure they have plenty to catch up on.”
Bethan nodded and let out a sigh. “I never expected this day to come so soon.”
She thought Luke would continue to remain in disguise for a while longer.
Neither of them ever imagined that Ben and his skank of a girlfriend would turn out to be catalysts to Gwen and Luke’s reunion.
“But…”
Bethan lifted her head to glance at Brettley. “If Stefan is Luke…what happened to Steven?”
Pursuing my ex-wife is not easy -Brettley was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Although he had been in touch with Stefan lately, it was always Luke he was corresponding with-never Steven.
When he thought about it, the last time he recalled meeting Steven was almost a fortnight ago.
The two brothers shared a single body, yet it was as though Steven’s subconscious disappeared, leaving only Luke behind.
Brettley also wondered about this and brought it up to Luke before.
Although Luke was also in charge of their shared body, he, too, did not have any idea where Steven’s subconscious went, nor how to make him reappear again.
Brettley suggested Luke get this checked out, but Luke had been so busy dealing with Tyson and formulating a plan to rescue Andy that he did not have the time to visit a doctor.
Their utmost priority was to track down and save Andy; Luke could get himself checked when that was done.
Who would have thought that the fake Gwen would cause Luke to expose himself prematurely and ruin all their plans?
At the thought of this, Brettley furrowed his brow and said,”
We have to find Andy as soon as we can. Only then will Luke be able to visit a doctor and get things checked out.”
Bethan nodded.
As much as she wished that Luke could return permanently and remain by Gwen’s side…Steven was also a person with his own thoughts and feelings and deserved to be treated with respect.
They could not banish him just because they were closer to Luke.
Although the body Steven possessed was Luke’s at one point, the heart beating in Gwen’s chest was Steven’s. Gwen would have died if it were not for him.
All of a sudden, someone knocked on the door.
Brettley pulled the door open.
An exhausted-looking Luke was standing outside the door.”
Brettley, do you have enough men with you?”
Brettley was silent for a moment then nodded. “My uncle owns a company here in Sharnwick City, so we do have enough manpower.”
“I need your help.”
Luke sighed and explained, “Since my identity is now exposed, I’m certain that news of this will reach Sea City. Tyson will hear about this before sunrise tomorrow.
“I think he’ll try to harm Andy once he finds out, so I need your help finding Andy before it’s too late.”
Luke and Kurt had intended to go undercover and win the trust of Tyson so they could find Andy’s location and break him out, but since their plans had been foiled, he had no choice but to ask for Brettley’s help.
Saving Andy was his utmost priority.
“No problem.”
Brettley smiled, then dialed Tara’s number.
Tara, who was cradling a drink in a bar, did not sound pleased on the phone. “Do you know what time it is, Brettley? Shouldn’t you be all cuddled up to your wife now? Why are you calling me at this hour? I know I’m a lazy bum, but I deserve to get some time off work too, you know.”
She was no longer willing to put on an act. If it were not for the fact that her father had forced her to learn from Brettley, she would never have willingly put up with this.
“That’s not what I’m calling you for.”
Brettley pressed the phone closer to his ear so Bethan would not overhear. “I need your help, now. It’s a life and death situation.”
Pursuing my ex-wife is not easy -“Life and death?”
Tara perked up when she heard this and frowned. “What happened? Is your wife threatening suicide because she thinks you cheated on her?”
Brettley rolled his eyes at this. Could she be any more childish?
He paused, then continued in a low voice, “I need you to send your men out to rescue someone. An old man.”
Tara was silent for a moment before realizing what was going on. “You want me to save Gwen’s father, don’t you? Alright, then. I’ll send my men out.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.