Page 12

Lena’s heart was filled with rage and grief. She hugged the kid closer, and he shrieked with delight. It appeared like he liked being held this way since he had never been held like this before being thrown away so cruelly.
This is the world, the people, and the parents that toss babies away like trash.
What could be worse than this?
Lena held the baby boy in her arms until the sun went down, and the kids had to go inside. It was hard to give the boy back to Gwen, but she had to do it.
She decided she would have to come back here sooner. If she could, she would have loved to live here forever. Nothing made her feel more positive, hopeful, and faithful than Gwen’s Home and the kids who lived there. It was a safe place for the kids, and it was a safe place for her, too.
Darkness spread its gloomy fingers everywhere, but she didn’t want to go back to her apartment yet. Instead, she walked to the lakeside. There, a small bridge crossed the lake where it was too thin at one point. She walked over it and stood by the wooden railing, looking down at the water lilies swaying on the teal lake water as the moon shone down on her.
She didn’t know how long she lasted like that.
A chilly wind rushed by her, making her shudder. For some reason, everything was quiet at that time, and she felt uncomfortable all over. It was as if someone was watching her with burning eyes that were piercing through her skin.
She turned her head to the side, and finally, her eyes met those of someone she never imagined she would see again.
No!
This can’t be occurring in real life!
Kellen chewed and swallowed bite after bite of what was presented to him. It seemed like he was chewing his own teeth, which was unusual. People said that this Italian restaurant was the greatest in Velden, even if it was small and cheap.
All of it is trash!
But whatever he ate these days tasted the same. It was all terrible. He thought it was more about his loss of appetite than the food.
Kellen had to admit that the view of the lake from here was peaceful. It calmed him down a little, and it had been a long time since he felt any kind of calm. After his lonely dinner, he left the restaurant. He wanted to get in his car, go back to his apartment, and drink himself to death for the night, but instead, he started walking toward the lake.
The lamp posts on the side of the road lit up most of the lake. But he noticed that the light didn’t reach the far side, where the moon was shining as much as it could. The natural light of the moonlight sparkling in and out of the clouds drew him there like a magnet. He walked slowly and aimlessly, his steps restless, until he got there.
Kellen was astonished to see a little bridge there and even more so by the slender lady standing there with her hair flowing around recklessly. He paused at the foot of the bow-shaped bridge and scowled at the tug in his heart.
A breeze passed by. He felt a shiver down his spine because he knew something big was about to happen. And it did.
The woman abruptly turned her face toward her.
Kellen stood still.
His feet, on the other hand, seemed to have a mind of their own and brought him closer to her. He stopped only a few steps away from her. A wave of pain went through her now-shiny eyes, and she stumbled back a little, but even then, her feet got tangled up and tripped over each other. He gasped when she fell back on the wooden bridge.
He reached a hand to help her up, but then he could only tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before backing away as if he had been burned.
Lena never looked at him again; her eyes didn’t stay on his as they did before in shock. She sprang up and rushed away, and he couldn’t even blink before she was gone.
Kellen remained there for a long time, clenching his hand and breathing loudly as a flood of emotions hit him.
Damien was really angry at Lena. He had been yelling at her for an hour straight.
He put the damp towel back on her forehead and dropped the first one into the water bowl. The vinegar smell in the water had Lena wrinkle her nose, which made him angry. He wasn’t going to fall for the expressions she was making today.
“Don’t look at me like that, Lena. What made you brave enough to stand like that in the rain? That too for so long! You were smeared in muck from head to toe—
“That’s a little too much, Damien!” she cut in, but she got another frown.
“You’re not a kid, Lena! You’re already not feeling well. You get a fever every now and then and those weird headaches. God knows how long we’ll have to wait for those test results.
“Just a few more days.”
“Don’t interrupt!”
“Damien, please stop!” She groaned, tired of his always making fun of her. “I told you I’m fine now.”
“You’re the damn!” Do you have any clue how concerned I was? You didn’t come to the store today, and Lola and I tried trying to call you. Thank God I chose to come to your apartment because you would have undoubtedly been standing in front of it, gazing at the rain for God knows how long—
She clamped her palm over his lips since she couldn’t think of any other way. It succeeded because the never-ending lecture stopped right away. But for some reason, his eyes also glazed over.
His eyes went from sad to loving.
She gently moved her fingers down as she felt the sudden change in the mood. She glanced away, maybe because certain things are best not to witness.
He cleared his throat in an unpleasant way.
“Lena,” he broke the stillness, his voice calm but serious. “You need to tell me what occurred because I can sense that something big has happened recently. Is that a friend of yours? What’s his name? Yes, Ryan. Did he try to get in touch with you or meet you again? Is he following you around or something? “
She shook her head no.
Damien was already at his breaking point. Telling him that Kellen was in Velden would only make him freak out again and maybe even start a war. It was best that she stayed quiet for now. Besides, it wasn’t like Damien was going anywhere, so she could tell him later.
“That kind of stuff didn’t happen, Damien. I don’t know why, but I kind of lost myself in the rain on my trip to the store. I have always liked the rain.
And Kellen.
They met for the first time on a rainy day, and since then, her passion for the rain and for him has grown.