Chapter 109
It was precisely because Soren was such a promising, exceptionally brilliant young man that he had been allowed to become the leader of a weapons manufacturing company
Silence fell over us, filled with unspoken thoughts.
I leaned against the railing, gazing into the night, as memories resurfaced in my mind.
Regret washed over me.
If we hadn’t missed each other back then, at university… would things have been different now?
No. Maybe not. I had been too blinded by love to truly see Edward for who he was. I didn’t even know why I loved him so much.
I discovered his illness when we first started dating. Any other girl with a clear sense of logic would have broken up with him right then.
But I wasn’t like that–I was optimistic, determined, and spirited.
When I learned that our blood types were the same, I thought it must be fate. Everything seemed to tell me that we were meant to fight his illness together–a team, a couple, capable of weathering any storm.
This thought made me feel even nobler. It made my love for him feel more elevated.
And that was how I started donating blood to him regularly. How I began sacrificing so much for him over the course of six years.
“What are you thinking about?” Soren asked suddenly.
I turned and saw him leaning on the railing, mirroring my posture. I smiled.
There was no way I would admit to regretting my relationship with Edward in front of him, so I replied, “I was just thinking… There’s no way I would have imagined the person I saved from drowning was a guy. You must’ve been about 11 or 12 at the time, but you kind of looked…”
Soren looked a little embarrassed. “I was scrawny, wasn’t I? A bit on the delicate side? That didn’t stop me from getting into trouble, though–to my grandfather’s dismay.
“That’s why he brought me along to his troop. He wanted to instill some discipline in me, and he thought maybe I could get some exercise and training alongside the troops.”
“Huh. I see!” I said, finally realizing, studying his impressive stature. “Your grandfather’s mission was accomplished!”
“I guess so. I grew larger and taller around that time. Mom always said I looked like a different person every time she saw me.”
I giggled. “I, for one, am glad you were a scrawny kid back then. How else was I going to pull you to the surface?”
By the time I was 12, Thad already reached about 5’4“. But an early growth spurt had limited my later growth, so In the end, I stopped at about 5’7“. Not that I was complaining–I was still pretty tall.
“I thought you were older than me because of, uh, the size difference. It wasn’t until I saw you at the National Academy that I realized you were younger than me.”
That made me laugh out loud. “Were you about to call me senior‘?”
He looked at me awkwardly, and I quickly added, “I was jus joking!”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 109
He laughed. “No, I actually did think about it.”
I guffawed again. “You’re so different from how I remember you, man! You were such a troublemaker, weren’t you?”
“Boys gotta be boys, I guess,” he said, a little embarrassed. ‘And my family spoiled me. I had a lot of people at my beck and call, so I guess I had the temperament of a tyrant. My grandfather was really worried about that, which is why he took me with him.
“The years spent in the troop were tough, but they improved me a lot.”
