Chapter 108 DISAPPOINTMENT
WILLA'S POV
The room seemed to stand still as the weight of my words hung heavily in the air. Complete silence cloaked everybody, and it was as if no one could even dare to breathe.
But my heartbeat was loud. It pounded so boomingly that I could hear it within my ears and feel it reverberate in my chest.
"I, I..." I stammered stupidly when the quietness of the room became too much to bear. My mouth had gone as dry as a dessert, and my throat was quickly closing up.
Gallahan looked at me as if he was seeing me in a new light.
Whatever kind of light it was, I wasn't too sure due to the wave of panic that was slowly but surely consuming me. The only thing I was sure of, though, was the palpable shock written so clearly on his face.
Finally, he took it upon himself to speak, saving me from having to say anything myself.
"You cannot have chosen a much more wrong time for this."
His words made my blood feel cold in my veins, and yet I felt impossibly warmed by the fresh hot wave of embarrassment that came crashing down on me.
"Excuse me?" I blurted out, indignation and confusion lacing my voice in equal proportions, as I jolted back to my feet.
The shock on Gallahan's face completely melted away. His gaze on me softened as he said, "You cannot say that and expect me NOT to hug and kiss you. That is just completely unfair, Willa."
Then, as if to prove his point, he lifted his manacled wrists for me to see.
"And while I am far from pleased to make this confession right in front of our families and before I am bound to leave you, I think I better say it too. Willa Coraline Alfiero, I love you too, and you have no idea just how much."
My breath hitched, and I could almost swear that my heart soared in a whirl of inexplicable emotions.
Our gazes locked, and for a moment, it almost seemed like it was just us.
"Ew," Gillian suddenly exclaimed in disgust, breaking the precious yet fragile moment.
Gallahan didn't seem to mind, chuckling as he leaned his forehead against Gillian's shoulder in a gesture of affection.
Then, when he lifted his head once again, he promised solemnly to Gillian and Calisto, "I will be back. I promise."
"How long do we have to wait?" Calisto asked, gripping Gallahan's arm.
"You just have to wait for fourteen days, Cal. I'm sure I will be completely fine by then. So on the fifteenth day, I will come and pick you up, and we're going to go to Moonshire and visit my castle. Sounds good?"
With that promise set and the twins completely placated, Gallahan willingly left with his father, Zuleika and Maliya.
The days that followed seemed to stretch for far longer than they usually did.
Perhaps it was because of how the twins and I were waiting for Gallahan's return with so much anticipation that it seemed as if time moved a whole lot slower.
In the meantime, we moved back to our quiet little home after Dad and William had completely ensured that the wide perimeter around the house was devoid of any other threat.
Dad also made patrols a lot stricter. The rotation of schedule became more stringent, and the number of pack Warriors in every shift increased by two or three.
The twins still had nightmares from time to time, but it was apparent that they were getting more and more sleep with each night that passed.
Mom regularly visited, helping me with the kids as if she just knew that Gallahan's absence would somehow take a toll on me. As if she was certain that I had grown accustomed to having his helping hand in my day-to-day routine.
Finally, the fifteenth day came.
The twins were buzzing with excitement as they waited for Gallahan in the living room with their respective small bags of spare clothes, snacks and tumblers full of water.
"Do you think we're going to be sleeping over? Or are we going to go home at night?" Gillian wondered, her fingers playing with the hem of her dress.
"Oh!" Calisto gasped, eyes shining with renewed anticipation as he got down from the couch. "Daddy didn't say anything about it. But surely we could have a sleepover in his castle if we ask him, Do you think we should pack more clothes for this trip then? And, and our toothbrush?"
I couldn't help but smile as I listened to their conversation. I, too, shared their excitement.
I even found myself looking at the door from time to time, wondering when it would swing open and reveal Gallahan with a confident smile on his criminally handsome face.
"Mommy, should we?" Gillian asked with her head tilted ever so slightly. "Bring more of our things? Like our jammies and toothbrush?"
Not having the heart to say no to them at the moment, I smiled and said, "Sure. Why don't you get the things you want to bring? Then we'll sort them out together here, and we will decide which ones we will really bring with us."
"What about you, Mommy?" Gillian replied as she got down from the couch as well.
Calisto, on the other hand, had already raced upstairs to their shared bedroom.
"I suppose I should pack some things for myself too, huh?"
Gillian nodded with a large and bright grin on her face.
So we all packed a few extra sets of clothes and our toiletries into a big leather duffel bag, and by the time we finished, nearly an hour had passed.
We continued to wait, but when noon gradually drew closer, Gallahan still did not show up. So I wound up cooking us a quick lunch, which the twins did not really finish.
Time continued to trickle by, and the twins' excitement dwindled into barely flickering embers. Eventually, the sun was setting beyond the horizon, painting the skies with a mixture of orange and purple hues.
"He's not coming," Calisto murmured as he peered into the window, gazing sadly at the darkened sky.
"Maybe he's just running late," Gillian suggested quietly from where she was sprawled on the couch, but the way her face was marred with a sad frown told how she, too, was losing hope that Gallahan would keep her promise.
Calisto didn't say anything else in return and simply went upstairs.
Gillian looked at me, her eyes now shining with unshed tears. She then followed Calisto, leaving me all alone in the living room with a heart that was breaking in disappointment.