Five hours ago.

As lightning struck, brightly illuminating the room, his consciousness quickly returned to years ago.

To the moment of the storm on the day he lost Melly.

If he didn’t wake up now and find Melly, he felt he would lose the chance to be with her forever.

For God would not grant mercy twice.

Edric lifted his eyelids that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and barely raised his body that seemed nailed to the bed. Then he staggered out, his body swaying from the effects of the medicine.

The rain was much heavier and fiercer than it had sounded.

After assigning search areas to his employees, he headed straight for the grove at the village entrance.

He believed that if she was somewhere in the grove and lightning happened to strike, he would be the only one willing to risk his life to save her.

‘……!’

Every time he spotted something lying quietly under a tree, it looked just like Melly curled up with her ears covered, and he held his breath.

But when lightning illuminated the forest as bright as day, revealing it to be a rock, he felt both disappointment and relief.

The rain poured down, soaking through to his very soul.

His bangs kept falling into his eyes, stinging them, and as fever rose in his body that had not succumbed to the medicine’s effects, he suddenly had an intuition.

That Melly was not here.

He turned back.

The employees who had already finished searching were gathered in front of the shop. He hoped that at least one of them had news of Melly.

“I apologize, Your Excellency. We’ve thoroughly searched the surrounding houses, but not a single person knows of the lady’s whereabouts.”

That news shattered the tension that had been sustaining him for a moment, allowing the effects of the medicine he had barely suppressed to seep through his body.

He clenched his fist tightly to avoid staggering and ordered.

“Everyone, withdraw.”

After they bowed and retreated, he slumped down on the bench in front of Melly’s shop.

He waited for Melly there, his whole body exposed to the increasingly fierce rain without even an eaves for shelter. There was nothing else he could do.

Rather than feeling desperate, he felt infinitely weak.

He had felt such an unpleasant feeling before. When was it?

“……!”

The memory came back quickly.

It was the moment when he thought he should confess his true feelings after being rejected by Melly.

At that time, he felt like a naked human thrown into a beast’s cage without a weapon.

To him, being sincere, showing more of his feelings of affection, meant that.

But now he realized.

That the weak one is not the one who shows more emotion, but the one who leaves regrets.

As long as he hides his heart, holds back his body, and uses petty tricks to gain a superior position, he will continue to remain weak.

So when Melly returned, he told her without hesitation.

“Don’t disappear without a word. I’ll die if you do.”

His raw feelings, just as they were.

He now knows well what the pain is like when Melly disappears from his life.

He knew well the repeated frustration and despair, and the extreme helplessness that comes from being unable to do anything of his own will.

Just as a beast that knows the pain of being beaten cowers in fear at the mere sight of a whip, he also knew that this would remain an indelible trauma for him.

It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling, but he was satisfied.

For the trauma within him would occasionally remind him not to lose sight of what’s precious due to familiarity.

“Melly.”

Edric slowly removed his hand from the door.

“Get dressed and come out. I’ll brew you a warm cup of tea.”

Though he still felt feverish, he was lucid enough to brew a cup of tea for Melly.

“This time, I’ll make it well without failing.”

Edric turned around with a small smile.

Click-.

The door opened just as he was about to take a step.

“……”

Edric slowly turned back.

Through the open door, Melly could be seen in a pale pink flannel nightgown.

After biting her lower lip pensively for a moment, she finally spoke in a small voice.

“Come in.”

“……”

Even without looking directly, she could feel Edric’s gaze fixed on her.

His Adam’s apple was also visibly moving.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

He asked.

Melly nodded with her gaze lowered. Then she opened the door a little wider to prove her resolve to him.

He sighed. Then he entered her room with a cautious attitude.

Melly closed the door.

In the dark, enclosed space, she felt the distance between him and herself was too close.

Suddenly aware of the changed, sensual atmosphere, Melly felt heat rushing to her earlobes.

How bold she had been to invite him in, and now she was feeling shy.

She was glad Edric couldn’t see her still being so awkward after all these years.

Because it was dark.

“……”

But Edric raised his hand and gently caressed her earlobe. As if soothing an angry child.

Then, brushing her damp hair behind her ear, he said.

“I’m not alright.”

He chuckled and picked up a towel hanging on a nail on the wall.

Then he placed it on Melly’s head and rubbed it to absorb the moisture. Melly’s clear eyes looked up at him from beneath the white towel.

Edric’s movements gradually slowed.

His Adam’s apple moved once again.

“…This is extremely dangerous.”

He warned in a low voice.

“Besides, I’m a petty person. If you’ve drawn me in because you’re in the mood, you should withdraw now.”

“……”

“Because I don’t intend to end this with just a night together.”

“I don’t intend that either.”

Melly said.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I love you.’

At that moment, hearing those deeply sincere words, Melly’s tangled heart unraveled in an instant, almost ridiculously.

The emotions that had been so deeply ingrained disappeared as if they were a lie.

As if the past three years of running away had been just to hear these two phrases.

Melly lost the strength to push him away.

She had been able to reject his forceful advances because of the resentment that had built up towards him over the years.

‘I love you, Edric.’

Resentment because he had never said it first during the countless times she had confessed her love.

Because of the love he had never expressed directly.

But at this moment, he finally showed his true heart that he had kept hidden even in moments when he came looking for her, threatened her, tried to take her as he pleased, and finally said he would divorce her out of consideration.

The sincere heart he finally revealed to her moved Melly.

She forgave him. And she forgave herself for cowardly running away on her own.

“Let’s start over.”

Melly said.

It was a firm voice that couldn’t be thought of as words spoken on a momentary impulse.

After finishing her words, she brought her hand to her shoulder strap, and removed her arms from it one by one. The flannel nightgown fell smoothly along the lines of her body.

Edric’s blue eyes gazed at Melly calmly, like a lake on a clear day.

He didn’t even look over Melly’s body with lecherous eyes.

He soon pulled up the hem of his shirt over his head.

The shirt hem that rose up softly brushed his hair. His hair swayed, scattering moisture in the darkness.

“……”

The blush that had colored Melly’s face suddenly drained away.

It was because of the numerous scars engraved on Edric’s body. Even in the darkness, his scars were clearly visible.

“How… how did this…”

Melly brought her trembling fingertips to his chest.

Over ten suture marks crisscrossing the red lines drawn vertically, horizontally, and diagonally. And four or five patches of skin that had turned brown, as if altered by strong disinfectant.

Combined with the old wounds from a wild animal attack long ago, there seemed to be more scarred areas than smooth skin.

Melly was dumbfounded by these traces that finally revealed how severe the accident that day had been.

She was about to withdraw her hand, unable to bring herself to caress the scars.

“It doesn’t matter at all.”

Edric said, grabbing her hand and placing it back on his chest.

“As long as you’re by my side.”

“……”

His attitude of adding conditions until the end was typical of Edric Pelton.

He would never say insincere things like these scars have nothing to do with you, so don’t stay by my side out of guilt.

Like adding layer upon layer of plaster to strengthen a wall, he was willing to use any reason he could to keep her from leaving him again.

But… love comes first, despite everything.

Only when love is the foundation can other reasons, be it guilt or whatever, be added.

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

“I’m really sorry.”

And as he wished, Melly loved him.

The proof was in her transparently sparkling eyes as she looked at his battered body.

“Don’t cry. I didn’t say that to make you cry.”

He said, as if comforting her.

“I said it to put your mind at ease. We have something to do now, don’t we?”

Melly blinked in confusion at the sudden change in the direction of the conversation.

As tears rolled down her cheeks, her hand, along with his, slowly began to move downward.

He let go of her hand near his left hip. Under her hand alone, Melly felt the fastening of a thick towel.

Now, instead of sorrow, a different emotion dominated her.

She swallowed hard, as if standing at an irrevocable crossroads, feeling tense.

Her fingertips resting on his hip lacked strength.

As she stiffly fiddled with the fastening of the towel, Edric cupped her cheek and quietly gazed into her tear-wet eyes. And then… he said.

“I love you.”

“……”

“I’ll keep saying it until you’re tired of hearing it.”

Edric lowered his lips.

“I love you, Melly.”

Love flowed endlessly between their joined mouths.

The towel, now undone, covered their feet.