Her Return

Chapter 001.

Aurelia's POV. 

"I can't marry you, Lia"

Asher sat across from me; his expression was cold and distant. Was this really the same man who had always been so gentle with me?

"What do you mean, Asher? Did I do something wrong?"

He waved his hand up and down in the space between us, looking me over from head to toe. 

"Do you really think this can work? I can't spend the rest of my life settling for something that was only supposed to be fun, Lia.”

For a moment, I thought I heard him wrong. 

The man I donated part of my liver to save three years ago after a fatal car accident and severe liver failure was now telling me he could not marry me.

I stood by him through everything. I risked my life to save the man I loved.

And now, he could not even settle for fun.

Me? Fun?

"Asher... we've been together for three years. I saved your life..."

The words died in my throat when he interrupted me.

"Here we go again! Talking about saving me! You donated part of your liver; stop making a big thing out of it!" He paused for a deep breath, and his hands went up in the air dramatically. 

"I tried my best to repay you for the past three years; isn't that enough? Do you expect me to serve you for the rest of my life?!"

"Huh! That's impossible, Lia. If it wasn't for the donation, we wouldn't be together in the first place"

Bang! It hit hard. 

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I blinked, trying to ignore them. I stared at him, wondering if he was the same man who told me the number of kids he wanted to have. He told me we could make it work together, and I had always imagined a day like this. 

A day when he will go on one knee to propose to me. 

A day when he will finally take me to meet his family. 

A day when he will walk down the aisle with me and call me his wife.

But the picture I had imagined was nothing like the reality unfolding before me. He never loved me from the beginning; he only started this relationship because I saved him. 

Nothing else! I'm just a burden of debt to him all these years. 

"Have you ever loved me? You shouldn't have led me on if you know you don't love me!" I screamed, letting my frustration out as my voice grew hoarse. My chest tightened, and my breathing became hard.

Asher burst into laughter. "Look at you! You are the one chasing me! I never loved you, Lia. You are suffocating me!"

"I only chose you because you are available to care for me! I can't do that anymore!"

My legs became weak, and I sank onto the floor. I sat there with my lips parted, trying to steady my breathing.

That's the truth. I fell in love with him first; I chased after him and showed how much I cared for him. He rejected me because his first love had left him, but I was blinded by my feelings to walk away. 

I stayed, hoping that one day I could change his mind. I believed I could make things work out between us.

I didn't think twice before undergoing the surgery to donate part of my liver, even though I knew he had been in an accident while trying to get over his first love. 

The last thing I remembered before the surgery was the ceiling above me and the doctor's voice telling me everything would be fine. I believed him. When I opened my eyes again, everything felt heavy.

 My body refused to move the way I wanted, and even breathing took effort. I slowly turned my head, expecting to see Asher beside my bed, but the chair was empty. I stared at it for a while, telling myself he had probably gone to speak with the doctor or get something to eat. 

Maybe he hadn't gotten better. I kept making excuses for him before he even had the chance to make one himself.

3 weeks after his discharge, he finally came into the room. He looked tired, but he was alive, and somehow, that was enough to make me smile.

 “Are you okay?” I whispered.

He looked at me, then at the machines beside my bed. “You shouldn't have done this, Lia.” 

I swallowed the pain in my throat and gave him a small smile. “I would do it again.”

He did not answer. I should have noticed the silence, but instead, I reached for his hand, and when he let me hold it, I convinced myself that was all that mattered.

For two months, I stayed in that hospital bed, learning how to sit up without wincing, how to walk without feeling pain, and how to sleep despite the ache in my abdomen. 

Asher came and went, sometimes staying for minutes and sometimes disappearing without explanation. 

I never complained. 

I was simply grateful that he was alive. 

Then one evening, he sat beside my bed and looked at me differently. “Lia.” Will you be my girlfriend?” 

I stared at him, certain I had misunderstood. After everything, he wanted me. I had spent so long loving him from a distance, accepting every rejection and telling myself that someday he would see me. Now he finally did.

 “Yes,” I whispered, and I had never been happier than I was that day.

I thought the surgery had been the greatest thing I could give him, but I was wrong. The greatest gift, I believed, was finally being loved by him. So I loved him without holding anything back. I treasured his messages, his calls, every meal we shared, every time he reached for my hand. Whenever doubt crept in, I pushed it away because I wanted to believe that all the efforts of chasing had finally meant something. 

Now the truth is obvious. 

I had simply been there at the right time, with a piece of my liver keeping him alive and a heart willing to give him everything else. I was not the woman he wanted. I was the woman who helped him forget his first love, and somehow, I had mistaken his gratitude for love.

I sniffed the tears as I tried to push the memories away. "If you don't want me anymore, is there someone else?"

I knew the answer already, but I wanted him to speak and admit it.

I watched his shoulders relax as he slipped his hands into his pockets. A small smile appeared on his face.

“Elara is back, and I don't want her to get the wrong idea or mistake us for something we're not.”

He crouched in front of me, lowering his voice as if he were explaining something to a child.

 “Everything I did was for your sake. You don't deserve to be in the same category as me. You have nothing to offer me, so I'm giving you the chance to find someone more suitable for you.”

Just then, I heard footsteps.

A woman walked in, looking sharp and elegant, her heels clicking against the wooden floor.

“Hi, baby.”

Asher rushed toward her and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Welcome, baby.”

I looked at the woman closely and noticed the resemblance between us. From her curly blonde hair to her brown eyes, there was something familiar about her.

I don't need anyone to tell me that she was Elara, his first love. I had been her substitute over the years. 

Elara stared at me, her eyes trailing me from head to toe. “Who is she?”

"Oh! She is my nanny!" Asher answered without any hesitation. It was as if he had been waiting for the question his whole life.

Elara smiled. "Oh, really? That's nice" She turned to me. "Hey, you can bring my bags from the car. Be careful with it; your ten years' salary couldn't afford that. It's a Chanel bag"

Asher groaned as he closed the gap between them, his hands tightly wrapped around her waist. "Babe, I missed you" He brushed his lips against hers, slowly, and she responded smoothly. 

I watched them in disbelief. I guess it was the time for me to return to where I belong. I stood up and wiped my tears. 

I gripped my phone tightly as I walked out the door, leaving the memories I made with him in the house behind me. I was almost out the door when a moan stopped me in my tracks.

An idea came to me.

If I was going to leave, at least I could give him one final reminder that I wasn't the helpless woman he thought I was. Then I tricked them.

"Is this the bag?"

They both broke apart and looked in my direction.

The moment Asher's eyes met mine, I stepped closer.

Smack!

My palm landed hard against his cheek.

A red mark immediately appeared on his face.

"You asshole! Rot in hell!" I stormed out before either of them could say a word.

No matter how I tried to fight it, the tears wouldn't stop. After three years of protecting what never belonged to me, I became completely lost. 

I gritted my teeth. "Asher, you will pay for this!"

I dialed a number on my phone, and the call connected almost immediately. 

"Dad, I'm coming back home"

I had neglected my responsibilities and hidden my true identity just to chase after a man who wasn't worth my attention. It was time to go home and make things right.