Chapter 333: Reunited

When Amanda fainted, the only thing she kept repeating was a single name.

And when she finally woke, she found the very person she had been calling for sitting across from her.

For a moment, it felt like a dream. A dream she was somehow seeing with her eyes open, leaving her mind too numb to make sense of what was happening.

She did nothing but rise from the bed, trudge forward on unsteady legs, and collapse into his arms.

"Kyle..." she breathed, feeling his warmth envelop her.

She lifted her arms and held him tightly.

"Kyle... Kyle... Kyle..."

She kept repeating his name, as though saying it aloud was the spell keeping the dream from fading.

Kyle held her just as tightly, gently drawing her into his embrace. He let out a soft sigh before whispering, "I’m here."

From the side, Veronica watched in silence. Her heart finally eased as she saw Amanda reunite with the man they had both come searching for.

Over the four days Veronica spent doing little more than sitting with Amanda and keeping her company, she came to realize just how deeply devoted the girl was to Kyle.

"Kyle... why did you leave me? Did I become unbearable? Did you not want to spend your days with me? Did you get tired of seeing my face? Am I too childish?"

Kyle’s expression softened slightly. He gently rubbed her back and reassured her, "Not at all, Amanda. I simply realized what I could have lost if I had stayed like that."

Veronica’s interest was immediately piqued.

Until now, Kyle had refused to speak about what had happened back then or what he had been doing during these past few days.

Whenever she asked, he simply told her it would be better if Amanda heard everything as well.

Now that the two of them were finally together, however, it seemed Kyle was no longer reluctant to reveal what he had kept hidden.

"First, sit down and eat something. You must be starving," Kyle urged.

Amanda merely groaned in response before settling herself comfortably in his lap.

"I am not going anywhere. Not even for a moment."

There was no room for negotiation in her voice. Amanda had made it clear that she would accept nothing less than a yes.

Kyle let out a helpless sigh. Then, without warning, the chair beneath him extended and shifted, transforming into a small couch spacious enough for all three of them to sit comfortably.

"Veronica," he said, raising his free arm toward her.

Veronica’s face immediately grew warm.

Her gaze flickered between Kyle and the small vacant space beside him. The longer she remained there, the deeper the flush spread across her cheeks.

Then Amanda snickered.

"What are you acting all shy for now, Commander? Haven’t you been dying to see him too? Don’t hesitate, or you’ll end up stuck on the sidelines forever."

Those were exactly the words Veronica needed.

She finally gathered the courage to rise and make her way over.

The moment she sat beside Kyle, their shoulders naturally brushed against each other.

His warmth seeped through her clothes, sending a strange shiver through her body.

Then Kyle slipped an arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her closer.

Veronica nearly melted.

It felt as though a hair-thin barrier had existed between them all this time, one that shattered the instant he touched her.

Now, with both women seated close beside him, Kyle drew a deep breath.

"I’m sorry for ignoring you two for so long and leaving without a word. But things turned out that way. I had to act alone, and I had to act fast."

Amanda looked at him, a biscuit still in her hand as she asked, "What exactly happened, Kyle? Everyone outside has been talking about you. They said you killed your father simply because he told you..."

She trailed off.

Kyle finished the sentence for her.

"...that I was adopted? No. That wasn’t the reason. I already knew. I simply needed to hear from him why he hated me so much."

Veronica’s voice was quieter when she asked, "Then... you killed him for everything he had done to you?"

Kyle shook his head.

"No. Not that either. I would have simply abandoned that family and been done with it. But then he risked the life of someone I cared about."

His voice hardened.

"Blake."

His eyes sharpened ever so slightly, and neither woman missed it.

They exchanged a brief glance before Amanda spoke again.

"Mathew Astortia was a sick man. I knew that. But I always thought he loved Brother Blake."

"Between his hatred for me and his love for Blake, he chose hatred," Kyle replied. "He sacrificed Blake just to corner me. And that was when the final thread between us snapped."

Amanda and Veronica fell silent.

Now that they knew the truth, Mathew’s death took on an entirely different meaning.

From Amanda’s conversations with Blake, it had never seemed as though he knew what his father had done. But when she remembered the footage she had seen of Kyle killing the former patriarch, the pieces finally began to fall into place.

Veronica finally broke the silence.

"What about Ava and Ethan?"

At the mention of his name, Veronica glanced toward the silent blond boy sitting off to the side. He stared into the far distance with a listless expression, as though completely detached from everything around him.

"Why the heck is he here?" Amanda suddenly exclaimed, apparently noticing him for the first time. She pointed at him with the half-eaten sandwich still in her hand.

"He is no longer Ethan. It’s only his face," Kyle assured her, gently rubbing her back to calm her down.

Amanda’s curiosity immediately deepened.

She settled more comfortably in his lap before asking, "Yes, Kyle. How did all of this begin? And how did you end up here in this Temple?"

She paused, her eyes widening.

"Wait... are we actually in the Temple?"

Veronica silently nodded.

Amanda blinked, then turned her attention back to Kyle. Veronica did the same, her gaze filled with barely contained impatience.

Kyle took a deep breath.

"I believe it’s time I told you everything."