Chapter 168 TEACH US

Chapter 168 TEACH US
KARIMA

The second I pulled into the suites' driveway, I jumped out of the car and hurried inside. "I'm here to see Mr. Marco," I said, almost out of breath.

The receptionist recognized his name immediately. After confirming my details, she nodded and let me through.

I didn't waste another second. I rushed into the elevator, my fingers dialing his number again.

It rang. And rang. Still nothing. The silence on the other end only tightened the knot in my chest.

Please… Just answer.

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding. I bolted out before they had fully parted, hurrying down the hallway until I reached his room.

I knocked. No response.

My pulse hammered harder. I raised my hand to knock again, then… The door swung open. My hand never reached the wood. Instead… It landed squarely against a solid chest.

I froze.

My eyes shot up to his. Owain stood frozen in the doorway, his brows pulled together in confusion. "Karry?"

I blinked. My chest still rose and fell rapidly, my breathing refusing to slow after practically running all the way here.

His gaze searched my face. "What happened?"

On the drive over, I'd rehearsed a hundred different things to say. Now… I was standing in front of him having nothing to say to him. Not even a single word came. I just stood there, staring at him.

My eyes drifted down instinctively. Across his bare chest. To the fresh white dressing secured around his side.

A quiet breath escaped me. "Are you okay?" I finally managed.

His frown deepened. "...Yeah." His eyes slowly swept over me, from my messy hair to the slippers I'd forgotten to change out of.

"Are you?" he asked softly. "Did something happen?"

I shook my head too quickly. "No... nothing."

My hands immediately started smoothing the wrinkles on my dress just to give them something to do. "I actually..."

"Come in." He stepped aside, opening the door wider. I looked from him to the room beyond, hesitating.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I don't think this conversation should happen in the hallway."

I bit lightly on my lower lip before nodding. "...Okay."

I walked inside. The door clicked shut behind me. That's when I noticed another man in the room. He wore a white coat and was calmly packing medical supplies into a briefcase. He glanced up briefly, acknowledging me with a polite nod before returning to his work.

"You'll have to excuse me for a minute," Owain said quietly. He crossed over to the doctor, speaking to him in a low voice. The doctor nodded once, closed his briefcase, then headed toward the door.

As he passed, I offered a polite nod. He returned it before leaving the suite, suddenly, an awkward silence settled over the room.

Owain turned back toward me. Only then did I suddenly become aware of how exposed he still was. His shirt was nowhere in sight. Heat crept into my cheeks almost instantly. I looked away.

"Sorry about that," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced toward the door the doctor had just walked through. "Would you like to sit?"

"Actually..." I interrupted with a small, strained smile.

His eyes met mine.

"I called you earlier... but you didn't answer. I just wanted to make sure..." My gaze drifted to the bandage wrapped around his side. "...that your wound..." I stopped.

Good Lord. What am I even saying? I bit nervously on my lower lip, wishing the floor would swallow me whole.

"Karry..."

My eyes lifted to him again.

"Were you worried about me?"

That's it. My heart lurched so hard it almost hurt. I tightened my fingers around the hem of my dress.

"Yes." The answer slipped out before I could stop it. I straightened my shoulders almost immediately. "But only because I felt responsible." I held his gaze. "I pushed the door against you earlier, and I thought..." My voice softened. "...I thought I might have made your injury worse."

My eyes swept over him one last time.."You look alright. So..." I forced another smile. "I guess I worried for nothing."

For a second, he didn't say anything. Then the corners of his mouth slowly lifted. It wasn't a smug smile. It looked more like someone trying very hard not to smile too much.

"Thanks for checking on me," he said quietly. "Was that all you wanted to say?"

I swallowed. "Yeah."

The word came out too quickly. "I should go."

And then, like an idiot, I started walking before he even moved, as if I somehow expected to open the door myself.

"Karry."

I stopped.

"I'm leaving tonight."

My feet froze instantly. I didn't turn around at first.

"I'll be back before the deal with Baron is finalized."

Slowly, I faced him. "...Alright, sir."

The smile I gave him felt steady enough, but the sudden heat crawling through my chest told a different story.

He held my gaze for a moment before nodding once. "Yeah."

Nothing else followed. He simply walked past me, reached for the handle, and pulled the door open. "Thanks again, Karry," he said with a small smile.

The hallway stretched open in front of me. All I had to do was walk through it. But my legs refused to move. I stayed rooted to the spot, staring at the doorway while my heart pounded loud enough to drown out every reasonable thought in my head.

Before I knew what I was doing, I turned around. He looked up at me immediately.

I shut my eyes for a brief second and drew in a deep, shaky breath before forcing myself to meet his gaze again.

"You said..." My voice caught. "You said you never stopped loving me."

He nodded once, waiting.

"Then..." I swallowed. "How did you marry someone else?" The question hung heavily between us. "And..." I shook my head. "How did you have a child?"

His brows drew together as he searched my face. He didn't answer right away.

"I just..." My voice softened. "I need to understand how that was possible."

I held his gaze. "Because it wasn't for me, Owain."

Silence settled over the room again. Finally, he spoke.."It's a long story." His eyes didn't leave mine. "But Caterina's daughter isn't my child."

I blinked. "What?"

"Our marriage..." He let out a tired breath. "...was nothing more than an agreement with her father."

I stared at him, unable to process what I'd just heard.

"After prison..." he continued quietly, "I had nothing. He was the one who got me out. My freedom came with a condition."

His jaw tightened. "He wanted someone to be a father to his granddaughter. And I..." He looked away for the first time. "I didn't have the luxury of refusing."

The pain in his eyes was unmistakable. For the first time… I realized every word he was saying was the truth.

"So..." I drew in a shaky breath. "Why did you leave like that?"

He stayed quiet.

"I don't understand." I searched his face now. "How could you disappear without saying a single word?" My throat tightened. "I looked for you. I searched everywhere. My calls never went through and everywhere I turned, people kept telling me the same thing..." My voice cracked. "'He's gone. 'Forget him. He's never coming back.'"

I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Do you know what the worst part was?"

He didn't answer.

"I believed them." I lowered my eyes for a second. "I forced myself to believe them because I had no other choice." My gaze found his again. "And then Collins..." I swallowed hard. "He knew. He knew where you were. And he let me spend four years believing you walked away from me."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You're the smartest man I've ever known. So how..." A tear slipped down my cheek. How could you be so stupid? How could you get yourself into something like that?"

My voice broke completely. "I loved you so much..." The words escaped before I could stop them. "I couldn't..."

I froze. The room fell silent. His eyes widened. Then… For the first time since I'd walked into the suite… Hope lit up his face.

"You love me.” As if that was all he was waiting to hear.

"Don't look so surprised," I muttered, fighting the heat creeping into my face. "You already knew that." My chest tightened. "But that doesn't mean I've forgiven you because—"

I never got to finish. His arms suddenly wrapped around me. Firm. Careful. As though he was afraid I'd disappear if he held me too tightly.

The warmth of his embrace swallowed every unfinished sentence. My forehead rested against his shoulder. For a second… Neither of us needed to say anything. His heartbeat echoed steadily beneath my ear.

I closed my eyes. Maybe… Love was never about finding two people who never broke each other. Maybe it was about finding two hearts willing to find their way back after they did.

We had lost years. We had lost memories. We had lost pieces of ourselves. Yet somehow… We had found each other again.

I still didn't know what tomorrow would bring. There were still wounds to heal. Still truths to live with. Still a future waiting to be rebuilt. Still stories left unfinished. Still relationships left unrepaired.

But for the first time in a long time… Tomorrow no longer scared me.

I tightened my arms around him. And this time… I didn't let go.

…. Perhaps… this was what love had been trying to teach us all along. No matter how far life pulls two hearts apart... if they're truly meant for each other, love will always find the way back home.