You could have called

You could have called
Arielle shook her head, tears still flowing. “No... I don’t know.” The confusion and anger bubbled up again, choking her. “Ryle is alive, Kyler. I thought he was dead. How could he just come back like that?”
Kyler reached out, gently taking her in his arms. Their shared silence was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps.
They looked up to see Ryle standing in front of them, his face etched with regret. Ryle knelt down, his voice trembling. “I am sorry, Arielle. At that time, I was really injured... I couldn’t come back even if I wanted to.”
Arielle’s eyes burned with unshed tears, her voice cutting through the still night air. “You could have called.”
Ryle’s expression turned to one of sorrowful resolve. “I had various assassination attempts on me... I didn’t want to endanger you.”
“Lies... who would go against you?” Arielle spat, the words filled with venom.
Ryle shook his head. “The Mercenary Guild.”
“That doesn’t make any sense... they’ve now added you to this mission,” Arielle retorted, disbelief tinged with bitterness.
“Yes, to lure me in,” Ryle admitted.
Arielle laughed bitterly through her tears. “Do you even hear what you’re saying?”
Ryle’s eyes pleaded for understanding. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s the truth.”
“You said there were assassination attempts, but who would dare lay a hand on you even under the guild’s orders?” Arielle’s voice broke, the pain of betrayal evident.
Ryle glanced at Kyler, then back to Arielle, shaking his head. “I don’t know, I didn’t see his face...”
Throughout the conversation, Kyler kept a protective arm around Arielle. He didn’t fully understand the depths of her relationship with Ryle, but from their exchange, he began to piece it together. And Ryle... he could have said the truth. Kyler was the one sent to take Ryle’s life. Yet Ryle was lying.
The memory flooded back to Kyler, vivid and haunting. The day when he was almost successful in killing Ryle, he had caught a glimpse of Arielle.
She was younger then, her cries wrenching at something deep within him. He couldn’t bring himself to launch the final attack at Ryle.
He was about to leave Ryle alive, but Ryle fell off the cliff. Kyler had left, believing Ryle was dead.
But in reality, he hadn’t gone far.
He stayed, wanting to comfort the crying girl, a stranger who had awakened a dormant part of his heart… which he felt couldn’t feel anything..
From then on, he always observed Arielle, unseen and unacknowledged, but always aware of her life, her struggles, and her fierce determination.
When he saw her again in Eldoria City, he was startled. She had grown, and her strength had only increased. For the first time, she saw him too.
On the surface, he appeared cold and detached, but inside, he was shocked and moved by the sight of her.
Now, as he held her close, all those memories and emotions surged back, as if the past was unraveling before his eyes.
Kyler’s protective grip tightened around Arielle as he watched Ryle, anger simmering just beneath his composed exterior.
He couldn’t understand why Ryle would lie about such a crucial detail. Why not reveal that it was Kyler who had been his would-be assassin?
The man who had almost ended his life and, unknowingly, altered Arielle’s fate forever.
Ryle looked weary, his eyes reflecting the weight of his hidden truth. “Arielle, I know it’s hard to believe, but everything I did was to protect you.”
“Protect me?” Arielle’s voice cracked. “You left me to mourn you for four years! You let me believe you were dead!”
Ryle’s voice softened, laden with guilt. “I thought it was better that way. Safer.”
Kyler’s jaw clenched.
Arielle’s body trembled in Kyler’s arms. “You don’t get to decide what’s best for me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “You took away my choice. My chance to fight for you.”
Ryle’s head bowed, his shoulders sagging with regret. “I’m sorry, Arielle. I never meant to hurt you.”
Just then, Ryle's phone rang, piercing the heavy silence. He looked at his phone, his expression darkening. He glanced at Arielle. “I’m sorry, I need to take this.” He moved aside, answering the call.
Due to her martial arts training, Arielle could hear what he was saying from a little distance, and so could Kyler.
Ryle's voice was tense, authoritative. “I know. I’m fine... I’ll be there.”
Ryle ended the call and walked back over to them, his demeanor conflicted. He knelt again in front of Arielle. “I have something to do, Arielle, but I promise I will come back soon.”
Arielle's heart, already heavy with the weight of betrayal and confusion, twisted further. She felt the familiar ache of abandonment, the raw edges of wounds she thought had long since scarred over. Her eyes searched Ryle's face, looking for answers that eluded her grasp. “You’re leaving again? Just like that?”
Ryle reached out, but she pulled back, her body instinctively recoiling from the uncertainty he represented. “It’s not like before, Arielle. I swear. This is something I must do. But I will return.”