For Me,There Is Only You |18+|

58. Dilemma

I waited patiently for Ansel for two more days, but the endless waiting began to chip away at my sanity.

The uncertainty was maddening, and I found myself wrestling with the decision of whether or not to reach out to him through the mind link.

It was a debate that consumed my thoughts for an entire day.

Finally, after hours of internal struggle, I made up my mind.

The evening air was cool as I stood on the balcony at the back of the house. From the top floor, I had a clear view of Ezra's garden below, where neat rows of vegetables thrived under his care.

Beyond the garden, the towering trees of the forest stretched endlessly, their dark silhouettes blending into the fading light of dusk.

I rested my hands on the carved wooden banister, my fingers tapping nervously against its smooth surface.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm my nerves, I closed my eyes and opened the mind link.

"Ansel?" I called out tentatively.

Despite my effort to sound composed, my voice trembled, betraying the anxiety I felt even through the invisible connection.

"Amina?" His response came immediately, his tone laced with surprise.

It made me wonder if he ever put up barriers in his mind, or if he always left our connection open, waiting... hoping.

"Is everything okay?" His questions followed one after another quickly. "Did something happen?"

The concern in his voice wrapped around me, warm and comforting, yet it only deepened the ache I was feeling for days now.

"Yes...." I trailed off.

"What?" His response was quick, his worry sharpening. "What happened, amina?"

"You"

You happened.

The word escaped me in a breath, my teeth catching my lower lip.

Before he could respond, I pressed on, my grip tightening on the banister until my knuckles turned white.

"You don't have to stop coming home just to avoid me, Ansel. I'll stay out of your sight if that's what it takes. So, just... please..." My voice cracked, and I let the sentence hang in the air, unfinished.

"Neev." His voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, firm but gentle, carrying a quiet authority that made me freeze.

There was a pause.

"So, in the end, you're blaming yourself for something that was never your fault," he said, his tone softening, though a sigh slipped through.

"The reason I haven't come home is because... I thought you'd hate seeing my face after—" He stopped, his words trailing off into the silence.

Suddenly, a sharp and clear memory surfaced, pulling me back to the car and to a conversation I had with him before I agreed to come here.

His reason now brought those words rushing back to me—words I had flung at him like daggers.

"If you're sorry, just drop me off at my house so I can leave this country and never have to see your face or his. But then again, aren't you both the same?"

The memory burned as I stood there, gripping the banister.

I shook the memory away, my chest tightening.