04.
On the plane, I stared out the window, thinking back to the first time I met Arnold.
Fe
Denby
*
it was pouring rain that day. I was soaked to the bone, silently wishing for a miracle.
And then, Arnold appeared. He held out a black umbrella, sheltering me under a patch of clear sky, while the rain soaked half of him.
Love blossomed under that tilted umbrella.
He walked me to the entrance of the school hall and I watched as he shook his wet hair. For a moment, I lost my focus.
it wasn’t until the speech began that I realized the person on stage was him.
At that moment, I didn’t even know his name.
All I knew back then was that he had just started a small company and was an outstanding graduate invited to give a speech at the school.
When I was young, I didn’t understand love. I only believed in following my heart.
I rejected the arranged marriage my family had set for me. I even argued with them for a long time and in the end,
I took a long train ride by myself to his city.
I wanted so badly to be near him. I started in sales and within just a few months, I was promoted to Sales
Manager.
lost.
No one knew the hardships I had faced behind the scenes. They only saw my rapid rise.
Soon, rumors started circulating, claiming that I was being kept by Arnold.
When the rumors reached Arnold’s ears, he found me in my office, but when he saw me, he seemed momentarily
“They say I’m keeping you… truth be told, I wouldn’t mind it.”
I was taken aback and without thinking, I responded, “Sure.”
From that moment on, I stayed by his side. Even as his mistress, I was willing to accept it.
It wasn’t until much later that I realized, through my own eyes, he was seeing someone else. The umbrella he had held for me back then was never really meant for me.
The plane landing broke my train of thought.
The wind was strong outside as I wrapped my coat tighter around myself and dragged my suitcase out of the airport.
Not far away, I saw my mother standing there, holding an extra coat in her hand.
“Put this on, I knew you’d be underdressed,” she said, immediately concerned about me as soon as she saw me.
Looking at my mother, a wave of sadness washed over me. How could I have spent so many years in a cold war with her, all for someone who wasn’t even worth it?
But my mother didn’t blame me. She just wanted to know if I had been okay all these years.
I didn’t have to suppress my emotions anymore. I cried openly in her arms, knowing that no matter what
mistakes I’d made, as long as I was home, I could still be that child, still worthy of forgiveness.
She looked at me with such tenderness, as if we had never fought, never had any distance between us.
I realized then that I had always been worthy of love.
The car drove for a long time before we finally arrived home.
I gazed at the familiar house, tears welling up in my eyes.
C
The door was wide open and a tall figure walked out. He was dressed in a white suit, with features so handsome
it was as if he had stepped right out of a comic book.
I didn’t remember anyone like that in our house.
My mother smiled gently. “This is Christian Alston, your fiancé. You two should spend more time together. I’ll go. arrange dinner.”