Do you still love him?
Letta gazed at her young daughter, who was now running around the grapevines on both sides.
“Freya, be careful while running, you might fall,” Letta exclaimed as she saw her daughter chasing a butterfly that seemed to elude her, causing Letta to only tug at the corner of her lips.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.
“I won’t, Mom. Freya is strong,” Freya replied in a slightly annoyed tone, making Letta shake her head.
“If you keep running like that, you might trip over a stone,” Letta said again, not hearing a response from Freya, who was once again focused on the butterfly, now perched on a leaf. Letta then looked towards the ripe grapes, but her movement stopped as Abian approached her.
“It seems this harvest will be bountiful,” Abian said, prompting Letta to nod.
“Thanks to your help. If I hadn’t learned from past mistakes, this harvest wouldn’t be as plentiful,” Letta said, making Abian smile.
“That’s because I didn’t want to see Mother Freya look sad during the harvest season,” Abian said with a smile. Letta then continued her movement, cutting each ripe grape one by one, while Abian just looked at the woman beside him. Abian had now returned to his life with Letta, but of course, it felt very different from the past life he had lived. Even though Letta was close to him now, it seemed she remained untouched, even making it difficult for him to touch her heart, when there was another man who might still occupy the heart of the woman he admired.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Letta asked, interrupting Abian’s thoughts, who now just smiled.
“Do you want to say something?” Letta asked again, making Abian remember the moment he caught someone secretly taking photos of Letta and Freya from a distance, and of course, Abian could guess who that person was, which must have been Marco’s henchman. Although Abian was confident that the place he had chosen for their residence would never be accessible to Marco’s surveillance, somehow, with the connections Marco had built over 2 years, he was able to find them. Although Abian had issued a warning through the spy, he wasn’t sure if Marco would comply, until Abian looked back at Letta.
“May I ask?” Abian asked, causing Letta to look at him for a moment before nodding.
“Yes, go ahead,” Letta replied.
“Do you still love him?” Abian asked, instantly changing Letta’s facial expression and halting her movement. For a moment, Letta remained silent, but the next second, she was able to regain her composure. Letta smiled as she continued picking the grapes in front of her.
“I feel like I no longer identify with that statement,” Letta casually replied, leaving Abian silent. Despite Letta’s best efforts to control her expression, from the look in her eyes, she couldn’t deceive herself.
“What if he suddenly comes and finds you?” Abian asked again.
“I will push him away. Very easy, isn’t it? Although he’s very stubborn, if I ask for compassion for the sake of his own daughter’s happiness, I believe he still has some mercy to give us,” Letta said. But for some reason, Abian wasn’t sure that Marco would comply so easily.
“Why don’t you try to resolve it with him first?” Abian asked again, because as far as Abian knew, Letta and Freya had left the house without meeting Marco, without saying a word, without resolving the issues between them. Two years ago, when Letta laid out all her plans, Abian was initially hesitant. However, in order to re-enter their lives, Abian followed all the wishes to find a place far from Marco. In the end, Abian joined them. Although Letta had distanced herself from him a little bit, Abian was still around them.
“There’s nothing left for us to settle. There are too many cracks between us that need to be fixed. I’m too tired to fix them. I just want to live happily with Freya,” Letta said again, making Abian understand her feelings.
“What about Freya herself? She still asks about her father, right? She must ask about the man who should be there between you,” Abian said, making Letta immediately look at Freya, who was still playing with her beloved butterfly in the garden.
“For now, Freya is content with just me. She doesn’t ask too much about the man you’re referring to, and I will try hard to be both for Freya,” Letta said again.
“But it won’t be the same as Freya continues to grow. She will know what kind of father figure she should have known,” Abian said again, finally making Letta look at Abian.
“It’s my concern. I will bear it later if Freya does ask about her father. For now, I just want to enjoy my time with Freya. I just want to let go of the suffocation that has been weighing on my heart. I don’t want to complicate things by thinking about what Freya might not even ask me,” Letta said, leaving Abian silent. Of course, Abian knew he had been too forward, but he just wanted to make sure of something with her.
“Are you still unable to accept me entering your life?” Abian asked, leaving Letta speechless. Of course, Letta had not heard just once that Abian wanted to return to her life, but Letta was still not ready. The separation from Marco had left a deep wound, making Letta somewhat lacking in confidence to build a commitment with someone new in her life. Although Abian wasn’t a completely new figure because he was part of her past, for Letta, it would always be difficult to start anew.
“You still have a new life that you can find with greater happiness than you have to stay here and take care of me and Freya,” Letta said, leaving Abian silent. Of course, Abian had heard that phrase more than once or twice. It was the rejection Letta had given, in her own way. That’s why, for these 2 years, Abian had to content himself with being among them, even though he wasn’t someone who could enter Letta’s heart.
“Yes, I know, and I can already guess, and with your answer like that, it indicates that you still can’t forget him. It’s too difficult to erase someone who meant so much to our lives, isn’t it? I just want you not to hurt yourself too much and not to lie to yourself, not just for the sake of Freya. I just don’t want you to suppress your feelings, to grieve over your life as it is now,” Abian said, making Letta look at him with a displeased expression.
“You don’t need to judge how I feel right now. For me, just living with Freya and seeing her smile like that is happiness for me. I don’t think too much about my own feelings and my past. I think about her happiness and me, who I need to protect right now. And please don’t talk about things like this,” Letta said, seemingly making Abian fall silent and sigh.
“I’m sorry, I just got carried away. I’m just afraid,” Abian said again, making Letta fall silent.
“And that fear seems to become more real when I found someone secretly taking pictures of you,” Abian said, immediately seeing Letta’s shocked expression.
“Yes, your guess is right. It seems Marco has already found out about our whereabouts. Maybe by now, he’s rushing to meet us here, and I don’t know what steps you’ll take next. You must know very well what kind of person your husband is, especially since you left him without a word or without showing your daughter. I just don’t want you to be too surprised, maybe if he comes to us, but don’t worry, I’ve already given a warning to his henchman. Although I’m not sure if he will heed my threat,” Abian said, making Letta think the same. Understanding Marco is extremely difficult, Letta thought.