Andreas had a firm belief about marriage: choosing the right partner ensures a successful marriage. He felt this when he looked at Vlora’s face. He entered the room and Vlora greeted him with a smile.
Time had passed, and by now Andreas realized that it would be impossible for him to stand tall and fearless without Vlora by his side. The storms of sadness and rage that pressed upon him were too powerful to face alone.
Andreas was lucky. He had Vlora, and he was confident that such luck would never come twice. Vlora cupped Andreas’ cheeks. Without saying a word, they communicated through their intense gazes. They plunged into the depths of each other’s hearts, and it felt incredibly beautiful.
Andreas’ hand rose. He caressed Vlora’s hand on his cheek. He immersed himself in the feeling of love that flowed through every fiber of his being, convinced that this feeling would remain unchanged as time passed. Always the same, and even identical to that day when Vlora had comforted him in a similar way.
In the end, for the umpteenth time, Andreas said to himself: “Ah, I am indeed a lucky bastard.”
The days went by. Time had done its job perfectly, leaving all the dark moments behind.
Andreas had once found darkness to be the absolute color of his days. Everything was dark and gloomy. He could hardly see anything, but Vlora brought different colors into his life.
Vlora was always with Andreas. She strengthened him in his lowest moments. In Andreas’ eyes, there was nothing more beautiful than that.
Andreas regained his strength. He rose again to finish everything. He stabilized all the chaos in Progun and cooperated with the police. As for Jonas, he would make sure that twenty years would be the fastest time for Jonas to see the outside world again. Evidence had been collected, and one of them was the surveillance camera recording in his office.
On the other hand, Andreas noticed that Bryan and Lydia did not give up easily. They continued their efforts to do everything they could to free Jonas.
Andreas stood firm, and fortunately, Amanda was unwavering as well. Even if Amanda suddenly wavered, she would fight Bryan to the bitter end. Even if it meant being covered in blood, he didn’t care.
“Did Mama Lydia see you again today?”
Andreas remembered something he had almost forgotten to tell Vlora. “No. Besides, I’ve instructed the security to turn her away if she comes.”
“And what about Dad?”
“Not everyone is born with a conscience, dear. That goes for Dad too,” Andreas replied, exhaling deeply. “Papa would rather sink than beg me. Apologizing and admitting mistakes are not his qualities.”
Besides, it’s not like Andreas is going to forgive them. He has reached his limit and ignoring them is the best thing to do.
“Besides, I think dad is very busy now and doesn’t have time to bother us anymore,” Andreas continued, grinning meaningfully. “One of the reasons is that Dad is trying to find a way out of Nadine’s problems.”
As a woman, Vlora felt sorry for Nadine’s fate. Being pregnant without the bonds of marriage is not an easy thing. Especially since Jonas would not be there during the pregnancy. She would have to give birth without the man she loved. She would have to struggle alone.
“Vlo.”
Vlora blinked. Her momentary reverie vanished when Andreas touched her with a worried look. She smiled.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”
Time had passed, but Andreas would always worry about Vlora. Especially about the pregnancy. He realized that no woman could easily recover when it came to a child. No one would ever know for sure how deep the pain was embedded in her heart.
“I know you’ll be fine.”
It’s not that easy. Vlora realized that she had always seemed like a strong and tough woman. She didn’t dwell on grief for long and could suppress her sadness. But she realized that a life of constant hurt had made her weak. Sometimes she was tired and wanted to end it all, but Andreas was always there to embrace her.
Andreas never left Vlora. In the hardest times, he made sure he was always there. He stayed awake to watch over Vlora when the nightmares came for days.
Vlora was haunted by loss and regret. Apparently, it was never easy to be resilient. And no matter how many times she lost; the pain remained the same.
But now Vlora was not alone. She had Andreas, who would always be with her. She had a new family to support her. She had Amanda and Vian who would not forget to take care of her. Slowly the fear faded and was replaced by new hope.
“Never leave me, Reas. No matter what you do in the future, please. Never leave me.”
Vlora’s words sounded very soft, but hit Andreas’ heart with great force. He was stunned, motionless. He saw a cluster of pure emotions filling Vlora’s eyes. Honesty and majesty radiated from them.
Andreas couldn’t speak. His tongue was tied, while his heart seemed to be squeezed. He truly had no power against the devotion Vlora showed. He realized that he was truly powerless when it came to Vlora, just like a young man who is captivated by the girl he loves and is willing to do anything for her.
Wait. Is this love?
Andreas took a deep breath. Until this moment, he had never understood what love was. He didn’t know if what he felt for Vlora was love or not.
But it didn’t matter to Andreas. Love or not, he didn’t care. In fact, there was only one thing that mattered to him, and that was Vlora.
“Never, my love. I will never leave you.”
Andreas didn’t care whether love was present in his marriage or not, because he had only one belief. Regardless of the origin of their togetherness, what happened now was that they were bound by the same great need. They are like day and night, born to complement each other. They were like water and fire, existing to fulfill each other.
Their marriage was indeed different from most marriages. They started their household without exalting the name of love and feelings. They both had their own interests. Andreas needed Vlora’s support to focus on his goals, while Vlora had her own intentions. Vlora wanted to be a part of the revenge Andreas wanted to take.
Eventually, Andreas understood Vlora’s reason for monitoring his phone. Vlora just wanted to know everything about ElysianTwill Mills. Vlora only wanted to satisfy her longing by looking at the remains of her parents’ legacy.
Andreas made an involuntary grimace. He realized that their marriage had begun with something unusual. But that didn’t mean that it couldn’t end in an extraordinary way.
Andreas held Vlora’s hand. Now he was determined to say everything, and it began with this:
“I know that our marriage began without love. Honestly, until this moment I don’t even know what love is, but…”
Andreas’ grip tightened. Then he began to squeeze Vlora’s fingers with deep emotion.
“I will never leave you, Vlo. The only thing I know now is you. I don’t care about love or anything like that, but what matters to me is you.”
Vlora was stunned and speechless. Apparently, she never thought there would be a time when she couldn’t speak. Arguing? Her skill suddenly became useless as Andreas’ words bombarded her with thousands of unspoken emotions.
“I know this may sound absurd, but once again, Vlo. Again. Answer my question once more,” Andreas continued, lifting Vlora’s hand. He looked at Vlora with a soothing, shadowy gaze. “Do you want to go through this marriage with me? Until the end of both of us in this world?”
Vlora became more and more powerless. She lost her words even more. Her dictionary suddenly turned into a blank page without ink. She stumbled and could no longer hold back the tears that began to fall.
The corners of Vlora’s lips moved slowly. She tried to smile as a sense of emotion tried to take over her consciousness. Then she answered with another question.
“If not with her husband, with whom should a wife live?”
*