Love Amidst the Flames

Chap 18

Sun hurried back to organize the soldiers and make sure everything was ready for Thailand’s Independence Day.

Charlotte stepped inside the tent, her heart heavy. The dim morning light filtered through the tent’s curtain, casting a glow on Engfa’s still figure lying on the bed, her delicate shoulders tightly bandaged. Cuts and bruises covered her face, arms, and legs. Charlotte moved closer to the bed, slowly sat down, and gently held Engfa’s hand, feeling as though her heart was breaking.

Engfa’s fingers, once warm and soft, now felt cold and weak in Charlotte’s grasp. She lightly stroked her hand, each motion like an attempt to soothe her own pain and guilt. Her heart ached as she thought of all they’d been through. Charlotte pressed Engfa’s hand to her cheek, tears streaming down her face.

• “You scared me so much, Fa…” – Charlotte whispered, her voice trembling under a flood of emotions.

• “When I was little, every time I got hurt, my dad would blow on my wound and tell me it would heal quickly. I’ll blow on your wounds too, okay? Wake up and hold me, listen to me… please?”

Charlotte stifled a sob, trying to steady herself as she gazed at Engfa’s expressionless face.

• “You’re so brave, Engfa… so strong. But do you know… you’re just lying here, and yet it feels like my entire soul has already died.”

Charlotte lowered her head, resting it on Engfa’s hand, her tears soaking through. She wanted to say so much, but words stuck in her throat. Everything in her heart swirled like a storm, drowning any sense of joy she should have felt in victory. Now, in the stillness of the tent, it was just her and Engfa, two souls caught between life and death.

Even as the sun began to rise outside over the skies of a free Thailand, inside Charlotte’s heart, there was only darkness, for her sky had yet to wake up.

Charlotte sat by Engfa’s side, clutching her hand tightly as though afraid that if she let go, Engfa would drift off into some faraway place. A gentle breeze swept through the tent, stirring the flags, but inside Charlotte’s heart, a storm of emotions was raging endlessly.

• “Engfa… do you know…” – Charlotte murmured, her voice soft yet filled with sorrow.

• “So many times I dreamed of this day. The day we would win our freedom. The day you and I could stand together under a bright blue sky, no longer afraid, no longer in war.”

Charlotte looked up at Engfa’s face, her closed eyes, her pale skin under the dim light.

• “But now… freedom is here, and I don’t feel happy at all. Because… my sky… you’re not smiling with me anymore.”

Tears flowed down Charlotte’s cheeks as she looked down, her hand still gently caressing Engfa’s cold hand, as if hoping to share the warmth from her own heart. She wept uncontrollably, the pain in her heart drowning any faint hope she had left.

• “Do you remember? Whenever I was scared or felt weak, you were always there, always the strong one, always steady. And now, here you are… lying still… and I don’t know how to save you…” – Charlotte choked out, her voice breaking.

She lowered Engfa’s hand to her cheek, feeling the emptiness, the coldness.

• “I kept telling myself that if we made it through this war, everything would be okay. We’d have a peaceful life, no more pain, no more fear. But now… you lie here, and I feel more lost than ever.”

Charlotte’s sigh filled the quiet tent, as she softly touched the bandaged wound on Engfa’s shoulder, as if she, too, were bleeding from her own sorrow.

• “Engfa… I need you. I need you to wake up, just open your eyes and look at me, and I’ll believe it’s not over yet.”

Charlotte managed a small smile, weak but filled with fragile hope.

• “You know, I always call you my sky… Fa, it means sky in Thai, doesn’t it? You are my sky, the blue in my life.”

Outside, the sounds of soldiers preparing to move to Bangkok echoed, but to Charlotte, the world seemed to contain only her and Engfa. She pressed a gentle kiss to Engfa’s forehead, as if in silent prayer.

• “You’re so strong… please be strong for me again, Engfa… because I’m still here waiting for you to come back to me, okay?”

She stayed beside her, holding Engfa’s hand, her worry slowly giving way to a glimmer of hope. Even though the war had ended, in Charlotte’s heart, the biggest battle was far from over—the battle to keep the one she loved, who had become her everything.

By noon, a large military vehicle rolled into the camp. Soldiers stood in formation, their steps and the sounds of the convoy filling the silence after the battle. Engfa was gently placed in the vehicle, and Charlotte stood close by, her eyes never leaving her. Though she felt calmer, the unease in her heart remained.

• “I’ll return to Bangkok with Engfa,” Charlotte softly told Sun, her voice steady but tinged with exhaustion.

• “Take care of everything here. I know you’ll handle it well.”

Sun nodded, his expression filled with trust but also worry.

• “Charlotte, be careful. The road back to Bangkok won’t be easy, and…” – He hesitated, as if he wanted to say more but held back.

• “I’ll come back once everything here is taken care of.”

At that moment, a familiar figure approached from the refugee camp. Tif, with her firm and steady demeanor, had been assigned to protect Engfa and Charlotte. She walked over, her determined gaze softening slightly as she looked at Charlotte.

• “I’ll go with you to ensure your safety,” – Tif said, her voice firm, the resolve in her tone easing some of Charlotte’s concerns.

The vehicle set off, and Charlotte sat next to Engfa, her eyes constantly watching her beloved’s faint breaths. Tif sat in the front, her gaze scanning the surroundings, ever alert for any danger. But no one noticed that, on the distant hills, a pair of eyes were quietly observing their journey. A new scheme was being spun, as those hidden in the shadows were determined not to let them return to Bangkok so easily.

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So cruel it is, she brought the entire sky to shield her country, but in return, she was given only a storm...

Hy.