His Unwanted Wife

Chapter 35

"Do you have plans of leaving again?" she asked directly, her gaze lost somewhere.
I furrowed my brow, unsure of what to say.

"You're lucky, you can leave and come back whenever you want," she whispered, still staring off into space. "Too bad I'm not as lucky as you."

My heart sank when I saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. She seemed unbothered, though, despite my worried stares.

I could see myself in her, back when I was still in so much pain.

"What can you say about Liara, Eli?" she asked suddenly, now looking straight at me.

"She's lovely..." I whispered. Her lips lifted into a smile.

"Yes, she is..." she replied, and her smile grew wider.

"She's warm and soft. She loves to cuddle and makes everything feel calm. An angel, really." I added, and her smile widened even more.

"D-do you love her?" Worry flashed across her face.

I just smiled, closing my eyes for a moment, remembering everything Liara and I had. How she saved me from my downfall and how she always tells me how much she loves me.

"Do you love her?" I asked back, and she looked at me confused.

When she finally understood, she fell silent, just like I did when she asked me.

"You can't answer, right? Because you struggle to express how much you love her and care for her." I paused, gazing at the blue sky, then sighed. "I love her so much that it would break me if she were gone from my life."

Almira laughed, and I swear she looked just like an angel, just like her daughter.

"I don't even know what I'm saying right now," she chuckled. "Maybe I just want some assurance that you'll take care of her when I'm gone."

I quickly looked at her, my mouth agape as I saw her sadly smiling at me, tears still flowing."W-what are you..." I stammered, unable to finish my thought because I already had an idea, and hearing it scared me.

She's too young for this.

My heart swelled when I noticed her removing her hair.

I gasped. "Y-You don't have to remo—"

But I was too late; she had already removed her wig. She was left with short hair, chuckling at my reaction.

It wasn't completely bald, but her hair was definitely thinning.

Yet she still smiled, and I found her beautiful and lovely.

I smiled back at her, and she looked surprised. "Can I give you a hug?" I asked, and before she could respond, I hugged her tightly, gently caressing her back.