5. A Connection to me?

Third-Person Point of View

"Those are Cunningham twins. The one who tried to attack the journalist is Eash. The other one is Ezra." Elsa said as Riley stared at the TV, even after the news about the twins was over.

With her voice, Riley shifted her gaze to her. Eash and Ezra...

How could Riley tell her that she knows about these twins way more than anyone else in this world knows about them? They have made her the happiest on the Earth at one time of her life but then she was pushed back to the darkest abyys of no return...

"Their mate has disappeared all of a sudden on the same day you got into an accident. Since then, they have been searching for her desperately all over the world. I don't think there is any place left for them to search more... They almost always appear on TV, literally begging the public to help them find their mate. They have even declared an unbelievably huge cash prize for anyone who gives tips about their mate's whereabouts. Poor guys! It must be really tough on them." Elsa sighed, and her face was filled with genuine sympathy.

Riley’s mind was a whirlwind of chaos, spinning with unanswered questions. Why in the world were the most powerful twins in the country so desperate to find her? Was it because they wanted to use her, a mere pawn in their grand chessboard of power and ambition? Or was it the irresistible pull of the mate bond that brought them crawling back?

Mate bond? What utter nonsense! Riley’s thoughts filled with bitterness. She clenched her fists as the memory found its way back into her mind, the betrayal, the unforgivable moment when they, her supposed mates, had tried to strip her of her dignity. Love? Respect? Those words didn’t belong in the same sentence as those men.

And yet, they were searching for her, digging the Earth as though their lives depended on it. But why? Was it guilt? Regret? Or had they developed yet another twisted game, with her as their pawn to move at will? The questions burned, but one thing was clear: she did not intend to let them make her an idiot again.

Observing how Riley was still absentmindedly staring at her, Elsa played her trump card to get Riley's attention back.

"And you know what is more unbelievable?"

"Hmm..."

"Their mate's name is Riley, too!!!" Elsa sounded excited as she said, but she couldn't see the reaction she expected from Riley.

"They were searching everywhere, even with the tiniest clue they got about their mate's whereabouts. They even came here when they heard someone called Riley got into an accident and was admitted to this hospital." Elsa was simply still trying to get Riley's attention.

"What?" This time, Elsa succeeded. As Riley's eyes widened, she almost screamed.

Elsa and Ashley looked bewildered by her sudden reaction, but trying to mask it, Elsa kept on explaining.

"Yeah, they came here. When they found out you were not their mate but our little girl, they were so heartbroken. I still can remember how depressed both of them looked when they heard it. "

"However, they turned out to be best buddies with Leo. He even lets them come to your room and see you so they won't have any conflicts in their hearts. That day, they looked so sad when they were in front of you. Eash that one who fought with journalists earlier, he actually cried. " Elsa sounded heartbroken as she was explaining.

Cried? Eash cried?

"It was not just him. I also saw tears in Ezra's eyes, even though he tried to be indifferent in front of us. I believe he is more affected by this than Eash, but he is trying his best to conceal it by being indifferent and aloof." Ashley added.

Tears in Ezra's eyes?

Eash's face, once radiant with a warm, sunshine smile, was now engraved with tear-filled eyes and flushed cheeks. Ezra, whose gaze had always been cold and unreadable, now filled with unspoken sorrow, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

This wasn’t something Riley could even imagine. Those two men were Extremely Dominant Alphas who clearly knew how to keep their emotions behind the line. Their hearts were blackened by the cruel, animalistic nature of winning at any cost. So how could she even picture them crying and being so vulnerable in front of others?

It was she who cried until her eyes were sore and there were no tears left to shed. And it was them who made her cry like that. So what are they doing now, shedding tears after she left them?

"Yes... Yes... Both of them were so sad... We all felt so sorry for them. At that moment, I thanked the moon goddess because she let you be with us even if you were in a coma. I couldn't even imagine how hard it would be if we didn't even know where you were. " Elsa said.

"Those poor boys... They must love their Riley the same way we love our Riley..." It was Ashely.

"As you came to us again after one year, I hope she will soon come to her mates too. I pray the moon goddess for that!" Elsa said.

No! Please don't ever pray for that! Riley begged inwardly as her eyes began to fill with tears. I don't want them to find me! I don't even want to see them. The moon goddess has given me a second chance to make my mistakes, and please let me spend this lifetime away from them and all the heartbreak they are going to cause me!

Even though the reason for Riley's teary eyes was something else, Elsa thought Riley was feeling sad for those twins, too.

"You are feeling sorry about them too, right? When they come to see you next time, you can say a few words to them to heal their wounded hearts. Let them keep on believing."

Riley's mind completely ignored the rest of the words Elsa said and focused just on, 'When they come to see you next time'.

"The next time they come to see me?" Riley asked as her heartbeat got rapid.

"Yes, they will surely come to see you when they hear you are finally awake. They are Leo's friends, after all, so they visit you at least once a month. They say they can feel some connection to you whenever they look at you, and it gives them hope that they will one day find their Riley, too."

What? A connection to me? Why on Earth!!!

Dear Moon Goddess, what kind of twisted game are you playing with my heart now? I thought I was given this chance to heal my wounded heart and start fresh. Why the hell did I lose my body and wake up in a stranger's body if you still let them be connected to my life?