Aiden could never deny Arwen of anything. It was simply not in him to refuse her —especially not when she asks him like this.
Nodding, he agreed. Arwen gave him a small smile that only dimmed the shine in her eyes. Then he turned and instructed Neil to swerve in another direction.
Neil understood and soon made a U-turn.
Arwen turned and stared out of the window. Her thoughts spiralled back to everything that had happened. She tried to think of the reason —to make sense of the pain and all the suffering she had suffered —but nothing she could come up with ever felt enough to deserve the cruelty she had lived in all her life.
"Moon, don’t think too much," Aiden spoke softly. When Arwen turned to look his way, she realized his eyes never left her. He has been watching her all this time, his brows drawn in concern that was just reserved for her.
"It was never your fault," he said, his voice steady yet tender.
She looked at him, and even though every cell of her body wanted to refute him, her heart couldn’t.
How could it, when she could see just how much unconditional love, he held for her in his eyes? With that love alone, she felt more than enough. No one else felt necessary.
"Open your arms," she whispered, and before he could respond, she scooted closer and melted into his embrace. Her arms wrapped around his waist. "Let me have your warmth ... that’s enough to keep me reassured." Her voice was soft, but it carried a fragile ache that Aiden could feel sinking into his bones.
He held her close and let his heartbeat soothe her thoughts. He knew she could hear them clearly from this close —he wanted her to.
One of her hands moved up to his chest, pressing against his heart. "I like how your heart sounds every time I am in your arms," she murmured. "It makes me feel how badly I am being yearned for."
His arms tightened around her. "Those heartbeats aren’t lying, moon," he said, his voice low, almost trembling with truth. "I have yearned for you for years ... and even now that I have you, the feelings haven’t changed. It’s still the same. And it would remain like this until the very end."
"Very end?" she asked, not doubting his words but just teasing him softly.
But he took it seriously. Nodding, he affirmed more sincerely. "Cross my heart and hope to die if that ever turns a lie."
The way those words came made Arwen’s breath hitch for a moment, but then she closed her eyes and let her lips curl up in a faint smile. She rubbed her face against her chest gently. "You make me safe, Ide. Not only today but always," she said quietly. "Even when I barely knew you. And even when everything else feels like it’s slipping away."
Aiden pressed a kiss over her hair, lingering there for a moment longer than he should. "Then let it slip away," he whispered against her skin. "I promise that with me there, you will never need anyone else. I will be everything you want."
Arwen hummed as she heard him. Her lips only deepened at his words. Pulling away slightly, she let her chin rest on his chest as she looked up at him, "You are already everything I want. You don’t have to promise me that because you have already fulfilled it for me since we met. With you around, I never felt missing anyone. You have always been enough."
For a long moment, both of them remained silent. Letting the peace soothe all the anxiousness that the recent days had brought to them. Having her by sis side, and feeling her close in his arms, finally Aiden relaxed. Otherwise, only he knew what torment he had suffered all these days.
The car slowed as it approached the hill road that led to the outskirts of the city. Resting in Aiden’s arms, Arwen watched as they slowly drove into more of the deserted place. She was curious when she saw the city lights fading, but she didn’t ask anything.
Only when the car stopped did she ask, "Have we reached already?"
Aiden’s expression turned a little stiff, but he nodded. "We have reached."
She pulled away and nodded before shifting towards the door. "Let’s go then." And with that, her hands already moved to push the door open.
As she stepped out of the car, she looked around, only to see how dense and deserted the place looked, as though she kept away from any intrusion.
Aiden also got out of the car and watched her. He was scared within. Scared that Arwen might end up hating him for what he did.
He didn’t regret what he did. And if given the choice, he would still do the same, but when he thinks from Arwen’s perspective, he couldn’t help but feel that she might not like how he dealt with the woman whom she once called her mother.

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