Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Forty-eight hours before the Northern operation began, Lavinia woke and brought up Brock on her own.

"I didn't stop you when you sent that boy away." Lavinia gazed into the distance, her voice heavy with guilt. "But not a day has gone by these past years when I haven't wondered—if I had stopped you then, would he have turned out differently?"

Edward sat in the wicker chair beside her, silent for a long time. "You were right not to stop me. He'd already gone down the wrong path. Keeping him here would only have made things worse."

"All those years you were in a coma, I kept thinking about what I'd do if you never woke up. But now you're awake. Don't dwell on the past anymore."

Lavinia turned to look at him and patted the back of his hand. "Edward, these years have been hard on you."

Edward said nothing, his eyes reddening.

"Just having you awake is enough."

Alexander received this news while crouched behind rocks outside the research facility perimeter in the North, waiting for a supply vehicle.

He dimmed his phone screen, slipped it into his inner pocket, and kept his head down, adjusting the clasps on his gear.

When the metal door to the research facility opened, Mireille's voice echoed from the stairwell platform leading to the third floor.

Alexander looked up and froze, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Mireille held an access card in her hand, as if she'd just walked out from inside.

"After I woke up, I thought a lot about your father. I couldn't do anything while I was locked up. But now I can walk."

Mireille met his gaze. "Section B isn't upstairs. It's downstairs. The third floor is empty."

She turned and headed back down the corridor.

Alexander followed behind her. Isabella brought up the rear.

At the end of the corridor, a staircase led downward—much narrower than the main stairs, like it had been added later.

At the bottom of the stairs was an ordinary wooden door. When Mireille pushed it open, the light inside was dim.

Isabella peered over her shoulder into the room. About a hundred square feet. A bed against the wall. A man sitting on the edge of the bed, turning his head toward the doorway.

He looked older than in the photos, but the shape of his eyes hadn't changed.

When he saw Mireille, his whole body trembled. He tried to stand immediately.

But he nearly stumbled, as if he wanted to get up but his knees wouldn't quite cooperate. He braced himself against the edge of the bed and slowly straightened.

Mireille's voice was soft as she walked in. "He's here."

Alexander stood in the doorframe, locking eyes with the man in the room.

Time seemed to stop in that moment.

The man's voice came out hoarse, like he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time. "You've gotten so tall."

Isabella's heart stirred. Everyone who saw Alexander said the same thing.

After Alexander's father was extracted from the research facility, Isabella received another message from Harold in the northern town: Theodore had been transferred from the care facility.

The local embassy had intervened to confirm his identity and freedom. He was currently staying at a small medical facility in Frost City. His condition was stable.

Harold attached a new photo. Theodore sat by a window wearing a clean shirt, his hair trimmed, looking much better than before.

Isabella: [Are the burn scars on his hands old or new?]

Harold replied: [Old. I remember them from over a decade ago.]

Isabella put away her phone and turned toward the window.

In the northern sky, low clouds hugged the mountain ridges, moving slowly.

Alexander came in from the next room carrying two cups of coffee and sat down beside her.

"How's your father?" Isabella took the cup.

"Sleeping." Alexander's profile in the window light looked incredibly gentle. "He said the dreams he had most often these past fifteen years were of my mother and me. He thought he'd never wake up."

Isabella said, "Theodore's in Frost City. Harold says his status as a free citizen has been restored. Do you want to see him?"

Alexander thought for a moment. "I could. But I want to stay with my dad for a couple days first. Let him get his bearings."

Three days after Theodore was settled at the Frost City medical facility, Raymond took a taxi straight from the airport.

A staff member led him to Theodore's door. Warm lamplight spilled through the crack, along with the soft rustle of turning pages.

That evening, Isabella received a brief message from Raymond: [My dad says he remembers me. I was seven when he left. He still recognized me. Thank you for helping me find him.]

Looking at the message, she replied with a single word: [Mm.]

She didn't say "you're welcome" or "congratulations." Just "mm." Then she locked her phone and set it on the table. Alexander sat in a chair on the other side of the room looking at his phone, glanced up at her once, then went back to his screen.

Outside the window, in the Frost City winter night, a faint aurora band drifted slowly across the dark sky.

One weekend after they returned from the North, Alexander mentioned that Edward wanted to host a "small family dinner" at the Radcliffe Estate.

When Isabella arrived, she found Edward at the head of the table, Lavinia beside him, and Mireille on Lavinia's other side.

The Fairfax family had arrived too. Olivia and Henry sat on the side by the window. Michael was craning his neck toward the kitchen until Matthew pressed down on the back of his head, forcing him back into his seat.

Edward stood and cleared his throat. "Today's just family having a meal together. Nothing major."

Then he shot a look in Alexander's direction.

Alexander came around to her side and pulled a small navy-blue box from his jacket pocket.

Alexander dropped to one knee and opened the box. "The first time I saw you... I thought you were beautiful. Every time I've seen you since, I've thought you were a little more incredible than the last time.

"Will you let every time I see you from now on be a chance for me to love you more than the time before...?"

Isabella sat in her chair looking at him, slowly extending her hand, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly. "Yes."

Alexander slid the ring onto her finger, his hand trembling slightly.

Lavinia sniffled softly at the other end of the table. Olivia ducked her head, pretending to dab at her eyes.

Edward said, "All right, the food's getting cold."

The engagement party was held in the garden at the Radcliffe Estate. The weather was perfect that day—autumn sunlight filtered through the locust trees, scattering across the ground like shattered gold.

Not many guests came. The Radcliffes and Fairfaxes sat together. Layla had rushed back from out of town the day before, wearing a pale yellow sundress, weaving through the crowd.

Lavinia sat at the head of the table in a navy blazer, looking much better than before.

Mireille sat beside her.

Henry and Olivia sat across from them. Olivia's eyes were red.

Michael wandered around the table until Matthew pressed him into a chair, where he finally stayed put.

Layla sidled up to Isabella with a glass of juice and lowered her voice. "Victoria didn't come?"

Isabella scanned the other end of the long table. "No. She sent something through someone else."

Victoria had someone deliver a bouquet. A card tucked in the middle read, "Good luck."

Selene had someone send a pair of bracelets. The card read, "Give my regards to Olivia."

Olivia opened it, glanced inside, closed it again, and set it aside without a word.

Isabella leaned against the base of a tree, looking down and turning the ring on her finger.

When she looked up again, Alexander had just extricated himself from Layla and was walking over.

He stopped beside her. Didn't touch her. Just stood shoulder to shoulder with her, looking toward the head of the table. "Pretty quiet."

"Mm."

A breeze came through the treetops, carrying a dry, cool edge.

The laughter from the long table rose and fell, scattered in the air like light glinting off water.

The sunlight on her shoulders was warm enough to feel surreal. "There's still a lot left to do."

Alexander turned his head to look at her, his expression calm. "I'll be with you. We should go in for the meal."

Morning light spread out behind him, outlining him in a thin, warm glow.

In the next instant, he lowered his head and kissed her.

After a moment, he pulled back a step, his eyes full of love. "Isabella, I love you..."

"Me too..."

The End