It Was Him All Along

Emelie looked down at William.

He had just rolled through the grass, so he now carried a faint scent of fresh greenery. It reminded her of how he used to be when they were younger.

Emelie wondered how she could have forgotten him.

Was it because there were so many classmates involved in what they had done back then, where he was just one of them that he didn't stand out in her memory?

Or was it because she was so focused on Wesley at the time that even if other boys had left an impression on her, she didn't really pay attention to them?

At that moment, she found herself wondering why she was suddenly remembering all this.

When did she begin to pick up on the subtle clues in William's words about how he'd liked her since high school?

In the past, it had always seemed like a distant, unreal fantasy when he mentioned his high school crush. But now, as these memories filled in, she realized that everything had left traces.

She was suddenly aware that they had shared a bond for over ten years.

How must he have felt, knowing that she didn't remember him at all?

Had he been hurt six years ago, on that rainy night when they first met?

William asked again, "What did you say you forgot?'

"I said, did you forget to arrange for backup?' Emelie asked softly.

William shook his head. "The car's around the corner. I didn't want it too close, in case it attracted attention."

They were around the corner at the time of their conversation.

The car doors swung open, and William's men called, 'Mr Middleton!"

William helped Emelie into the car first. He then looked carefully at her face.

He made sure she didn't look so bad before he got into the back seat.

"Go."

The car took off immediately. Emelie looked out the window and saw that the patrolling guards couldn't keep up and were frantically making phone calls. They were probably calling for support.

William said, 'As soon as we ran, they'd have started a thorough search of the exit routes. After all, Faldoria is the territory of the Filo family. I haven't brought many people with me this time. If we can avoid a direct confrontation, we should."

Emelie nodded and said, "We can't fly directly back to Coastalburg. Let's take a train to the border between Faldoria and Barolo, then enter a town in Barolo and fly back to Cedonia from there."

William had the same plan.

"It's still a bit of a drive to the station. If you're tired, you can rest your head on me for a while.

Emelie chose to lean against the car door even though she was really sick and exhausted.

However, once she had fallen asleep, William gently moved her to rest on his lap.

The journey was long, long enough for Emelie to start dreaming. She dreamed of a piano being played in the music room at school.

It was William playing.

She also dreamed of how she always seemed to run into him at the crossroads after school. Once, she even thought she was being followed and mentioned it to Wesley.

However, she never saw William again after that. Was it because he heard what she said and didn't want to scare her, so he stopped following her?

She remembered that back then, there was news of young girls being taken to remote villages to become wives to old men. The girls at the school were all terrified. It wasn't until the school increased security that the fear eased.

The person being followed was her, and was the increased security also his suggestion? "Angel, Angel."

Emelie vaguely heard someone call out to her. She opened her eyes and asked, "What?"

William replied in a low voice, "Something's wrong"

Emelie was immediately alarmed. "What's wrong?"

William replied, "This road doesn't lead to the border."Text © 2024 .

"How do you know?"

"I came here during my studies."

After a few seconds, Emelie said, 'It seems that one of your men has betrayed us and sold us out."