Chapter 135: One Last Goodbye

The door creaked open a little, and the maid in the room immediately shot up to her feet in alarm, "Who’s there?!"

The door opened even more, and then a wheelchair rolled in carrying the figure of a woman that was wrapped in bandages from head to toe. The movement was soundless, the tyres making no sound as they came in contact with the stone floors.

The maid looked at the woman in the room, still panicking, "What happened to the guards?"

"Don’t worry about that," Annelise stepped in too, nodding once at the maid, "I brought her here,"

The maid understood, and then she kindly walked out of the room.

Della’s eyes never left the bed. She never stopped staring at the bundled figure lying on the bed and facing the other way, his chest rising and falling steadily.

She was already tearing up before she knew it.

"A few minutes is all I can spare. We have to leave once you hear me knock twice on the door, with a second interval," Anne wasn’t even sure if Della was listening to her.

She took that as her cue to also excuse herself from the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Della moved the lever forward and the chair rolled to the other side of the bed. Her heart was so heavy, and she wasn’t even breathing as she stopped right next to him.

Most of his body was inside the duvet, but his face was right there — just as she remembered.

And his brown hair was still as scruffy as ever.

Quickly, she folded her lips inward and pulled in a harsh breath to keep her cries from getting too loud.

Lian!

He was right here.

She was actually in the same room with her. After countless nights of praying he was ok, after even more nights of knowing he was ok, she couldn’t actually believe he was right here.

Slowly, she reached out and touched his face. Her touch was insanely light because she was so scared she was going to wake him up.

She couldn’t wake him up. Or else, she might not be able to leave anymore.

She just wanted to see him one last time. She wanted to see him with her own eyes, listen to the sound of his breathing and know that he was faring just fine.

That he might just make it.

She ran a finger over his forehead, a watery smile on her face. Lian was always, and would forever remain, the reason she’d lived this long.

He loved her so much, and she adored him so much more.

And oh! She wished she could give him the life he deserved. She wanted to show him the world, wanted to watch him play around with his mates, and throw tantrums as a teenager.

All she’s ever wanted for this boy was for him to live a good life.

But this illness...

She would have to ask Annelise later if he had begun improving.

Lian murmured something in his sleep and stirred a little, pulling the duvet even tighter against his body. He was curling the same way he used to whenever returned to her quarters and found him fast asleep.

Like he wasn’t planning to let go of whatever warmth he’d managed to get a hold of.

"I’m so sorry I left you that night," She whispered, her thumb stroking a little of his hair, "I told you I was gonna come back... but I couldn’t. I—" She sighed, "I failed you, and now I have to leave again and I do not know when I will be coming back,"

Her vision turned blurry again, and the tears fell down her cheeks.

This was so difficult for her. Not knowing when she would return to see him again. Not knowing...if either of them would be alive to see each other again.

"Della?"

Her heart literally jumped all the way to her throat, and her eyes widened. The tears in her eyes worsened the moment she saw that his eyes were now fluttering open, and the look of awe was spreading fast across his face.

Lian shot up from the bed into a sitting position, his large brown eyes swelling with tears while his mind still tried to process if he was actually seeing her there or it was just another dream.

"Della?" He squeaked this time.

Della fought back the tears and cupped his face properly this time, wiping away the tears that were already rolling down his handsome face, "Hm?"

Lian shot forward once again, vibrating from shock and relief and happiness. His hands wrapped around her neck, and he crushed her with his arms and body.

The pain that registered through her battered body didn’t matter to her at all. She was so overwhelmed and too happy to see him again that she defied it all and raised her bad arm, wrapping it back around his back and holding him like she’d sworn to the Moon Goddess never to let this boy go again.

"Della... Della!!" Lian cried hard, "You’re here...you’re actually here...!" Lian’s body shook against hers.

Della closed her eyes, pressing her cheek against his hair, "I’m here," she whispered. "I’m here, Lian."

"You left me." The words were muffled against her shoulder, and Della’s heart shattered.

"I know."

"You said you’d come back."

"I’m so sorry,"

Lian pulled back just enough to look at her, his face wet with tears and his eyes filled with the kind of hurt Della had spent months imagining but never actually wanted to see, "You suffered, didn’t you?"

Della froze, "What?"

"The maids. They told me...that you have been suffering because you’re a rotblood," His eyes slowly fell to her neck, where the collar still sat, and his eyes watered again, "What have they done to you?" He was getting angry now, properly registering all the bandages around her body, "What did they do to you?!"

The words came so violently that Della flinched, but she immediately softened, reaching for his face again despite the pain shooting through her wrists, "No, no, sweetheart. You do not have to worry about me,"

"That’s what you always say!" His eyes were red now. Red from pain and frustration and anger.

"Because I am," She smiled at him, "I’m always fine. I have you in my life, remember?!"

"Then how did you get hurt? You’re always nursing one injury or another! Everyday!"

"This happened due to something I couldn’t control."

"Are you... okay?"

That question coming from him shattered her.

It wrecked her.

It damaged her.

"Of course," She lied smoothly, the tears still falling, "I always survive, remember?"

Lian stared at her, mostly because he didn’t believe her. Then he asked, "Are you going to leave again?"

Della’s smile trembled, "I have to,"

His expression immediately crumpled, "But—"

"Hey." She quickly touched his cheek. "Don’t cry. Look at me."

He did.

Della swallowed the lump in her throat, "I don’t know when I’ll come back, but I need you to know something."

"What?"

"I would never abandon you on purpose and I would take you with me if I could,"

Lian’s eyes filled again.

She leaned forward until her forehead rested against his, "I thought about you every single day."

"I thought about you too."

A broken laugh escaped her.

"I asked about you. Alpha Malachi said you were safe,"

Her smile disappeared for a moment.

Malachi told him she was safe? That was a very big lie but it was probably the best answer to have given him so he wouldn’t worry too much and for that, she was grateful to Malachi.

"He...did?"

Lian nodded, seemingly unaware of the significance of what he’d just said, "He said you were somewhere safe and that I shouldn’t worry."

Della stared at him, then Lian’s arms tightened around her again, "I missed you so much."

Della closed her eyes, "Me too," She kissed the top of his head.

At that moment, a knock fell on the door.

A second ticked.

Then, another.