…
In the custodial ward in prison.
Ryan sat indifferently on the sickbed, resting his eyes while the wounds on his body began to heal.
Just then, the door of the ward suddenly opened and a prison guard walked in. “Someone’s here to see you, Ryan.”
Ryan slowly opened his starry gray eyes at the sound of the guard’s voice.
He had not expected anyone to come and visit as who else but his parents would come?
‘Who else, if not my parents?’ he thought to himself, but a face he had never expected surprised him by suddenly appearing before his eyes.
He never thought he could see her again.
He also thought that the meeting that day would be their last.
Ryan was about to speak when he heard the woman in front of him sneering. It was a sound that turned all of Ryan’s pleasant surprise and hopes into dust.
“As the one who arranged my future, Rye, did it not occur to you that your future would end up like this?”
The woman curled her lips slightly and a scornful smirk appeared on her picturesque, small face.
“I’m so upset, Rye. Why did you become like this? What’s the point of me being like this if you’re going to stay in such a place for the rest of your life?”
Ryan stared at the flawless beauty in front of him and looked away indifferently.
“Leave. It’s all over already.”
The woman’s delicate eyebrows furrowed indignantly. “What are you talking about, Rye? You can’t just give up like this! How could you? What am I supposed to do if you give up?”
Ryan glanced coldly at the fury that donned her face. Even when she was furious, the woman was beautiful and could move hearts. Even so, he did not feel the slightest bit in love.
The woman grew more frustrated at Ryan’s lack of response and seemed moments away from gnashing her teeth.
“The game isn’t over, Ryan! What do you have to give up like this?
“I’m telling you. I won’t let it end like this!
“Just because you’re giving up doesn’t mean I will too!”
Ryan frowned when he heard this. “What do you want to do?”
The woman chuckled coldly and raised her hand to point at her delicate, beautiful face. “This appearance is my capital. After all that I’ve suffered, I refuse to give up before I get my profit!”
“Don’t you dare mess around,” Ryan warned.
“Hmph. Stop lying to yourself, Rye. You can’t possibly be content with how it has ended, can you, Rye?” The woman provoked, saying, “In that case, I’ll just do what you couldn’t then!”
With that, the woman turned around and left hastily.
Ryan sat up abruptly in bed. He wanted to stop her, but every move he made pulled at his wounds.
He furrowed his eyebrows deeply and looked at the closed prison door as he clenched his fists firmly.
‘Are you content with how all this ended, Ryan?’
He asked himself, knowing that the question was without an answer.
…
The following day.
Niamh and Kendrick boarded a two-hour flight and arrived at their destination.
The weather in the resort reminded her of midsummer Glendale when the sun shone brightly in the sky.
Niamh and Kendrick left their luggage at the hotel and changed into comfortable leisure clothing before going to the beach.
There were many tourists on the beach, filling the area with young ladies in bikinis, men with exposed abs, and children with their parents.
Surrounded by such a lively atmosphere, Niamh’s mood brightened as well.
Staring at the azure body of water that stretched infinitely into the horizon, a bold idea suddenly popped into Niamh’s mind.
She was about to turn around and tell Kendrick her idea when the world around her suddenly fell dark.
“Stop looking at those men.” The man’s seductive baritone voice drifted clearly into her ears.
Sensing his jealousy, Niamh raised her hand to push Kendrick’s palm away from her eyes. She turned around and met the man’s narrow and charming gaze with mirthful eyes.
“Why can’t I look? Eyes are meant to admire the beauties of the world,” Niamh replied innocently before she turned back to continue admiring the beautiful view of the beach.
Kendrick walked up to Niamh domineeringly and pushed his handsome face in front of Niamh’s eyes, blocking her sight as her gaze wandered around the beach.
“I’ll get jealous if you keep looking, Nia,” he stressed seriously.
Niamh tugged the corners of her pink lips prettily into a rare mischievous smile. “Perfect. I’d like to see what my husband looks like when he’s jealous.”
“I think it’s best you don’t.” Kendrick’s expression grew heavy as a cold look that deterred challengers took over his face, though his gaze then turned gentle again a short moment later. “I’ll let you see as much as you want when we get back to the hotel tonight if that’s what my wife wishes, but your eyes can only be on me right now.”
Niamh found it sweet and stopped teasing the stingy man.
“Fine, then. I’ll only look at my husband.” She gave a crescent-eyed smile and wrapped her hands around Kendrick’s shoulders before leaning against his arm intimately.
Kendrick looked down at the woman leaning against him and a bright smile graced his attractive features.
If he could, he wanted the moment to stay forever. He wanted to stay by her side every day and make her happy.
He still remembered what Niamh said when she first returned for revenge. She wanted a quiet and peaceful life, yet she never got to experience it despite her long wait.
‘All I want to do right now is fulfill your simple and small wish,’ he thought to himself before leaning down to place a peck on Niamh’s forehead.
Niamh broke into a light smile and looked up to meet the man’s glistening eyes. “I want to do something bold, Kendrick.”
“What bold thing?”
“I want to learn to swim,” Niamh replied frankly, “Be honest with me, Kendrick. You thought about it too, didn’t you? That’s why you brought me to a place by the beach.”
“I’m sure my talented wife will pick it up very soon.” Kendrick ruffled Niamh’s short hair as his gaze turned serious. “I want to be by your side to protect you all the time, Nia, but I’m afraid that something unexpected might happen.”
Niamh understood what Kendrick meant as well as the worry he felt.
They had been through too much distress as of recent. The things that she had gone through made him feel uneasy and wary.
“We won’t be separated anymore, right, Nia?” Kendrick suddenly grabbed Niamh’s hand to placate his unsettled thoughts.
“Nope. Don’t overthink it, Kendrick. Nia will be right here with you, from now on until forever.” Niamh then got on her tiptoes to place a peck on the corner of Kendrick’s lips. “Come on, teach me how to swim already.”
Niamh was about to take off her UV protection jacket only for Kendrick to pull it back on for her before she could completely take it off.
Kendrick looked around to see predatory gazes everywhere. He decided that he did not want other men seeing Niamh’s sensual figure in her swimsuit.
“We have a swimming pool in our room, darling. I’ll teach you there.”
“…”
It finally dawned on Niamh just how prone to jealousy this stingy man was.
It was not that she was averse to it, for the stingier he was and the more he wanted to keep all of her to himself, the more he loved her.
She had come to spend time with this man and the man’s bossy willfulness was filling her with glee.
Seeing as Niamh did not decline, Kendrick then turned her around with a hand around her. They did not expect a young lady to walk by them just as they turned around.
Niamh ended up knocking the woman’s hat off which landed just next to Niamh’s feet.
“Sorry.” Niamh apologized before quickly bending down to pick up the hat and handed it back to her.
The moment she looked up, Niamh realized that the woman was wearing a large pair of sunglasses that covered more than half her face.
Despite that, Niamh could not help but be stunned as she took in the woman’s features.
“It’s alright.” The woman took the hat back and smiled, then turning to walk to the beach.
Niamh glanced at the woman’s back mindfully and fell silent for a few dazed moments.
“What are you looking at, Nia?” Kendrick wrapped an arm around Niamh’s shoulder. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”
“Did you see that woman’s face, Kendrick?” Niamh followed Kendrick but turned back to take another glance.
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.