Chapter 7

I felt a pang of regret for letting things spiral this far. My voice came out small and shaky.

“Uncle… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” he replied, his tone flat and distant.

That indifference cut deep. I felt so small and hurt.

“I… I know you’re angry with me. I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

The words caught in my throat. My chest rose and fell unevenly, breathing suddenly difficult. Tears streamed down my dirty face.

Seeing me cry softened the cold darkness in his eyes just a fraction. He glanced at my frail figure through the rearview mirror. A trace of pity flickered in his gaze.

“Uncle… please don’t hate me. Don’t stop loving me.”

By the time I finished, my eyes were red and stinging. I couldn’t hold back the flood of emotion inside. I hated myself too—acting tough on the outside while crumbling so easily on the inside. One moment of coldness from him, and I was already sobbing like a child in the rain.

He sighed, looking at me, then reached over and placed his large hand on the top of my head. His fingers slid down through my long hair, stroking gently.

“Ava, I’ve never stopped loving you. But you can’t keep acting so childish and putting yourself in danger just to get my attention. What if I had arrived too late? What if they found your phone and destroyed it? I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you. The whole way here, my heart felt like it was being burned alive. Do you understand?”

His words moved me deeply, yet a stubborn thread of resentment still lingered inside.

“You didn’t worry about me. You didn’t care. You…”

“Ava, you know in your heart that I’ve always kept watch over you, no matter what. I just wanted you to realize your mistake after that day. I’ve been waiting for an apology from you.”

I knew it. I knew he still loved me. Hearing those honest words from his mouth filled me with happiness. So all that anger had only been because I was in danger. Sweet warmth flooded my chest. I smiled and hugged him even tighter. “I’m sorry, Uncle. I promise I won’t behave like that again. I… I missed you so much.”

He looked at me with satisfaction, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. His hand continued to caress my hair, gentle and reverent, as though I were something precious he was afraid to break.

“Good girl, Ava.”

Truthfully, I had so many questions I wanted to ask. How had he felt these past days? Did he miss me? Did he have feelings for me? And… when was he getting married? But I pushed them all aside. He was here with me now. I wanted my mind to stay quiet and simply soak in this warm feeling of leaning against him. For me, being held like this was enough. Even if the world ended tomorrow, I would be content.

Time passed too quickly. Before I knew it, we had arrived. His car pulled up in front of my house. It felt so short—half an hour already gone. Did that mean I had to say goodbye? I really didn’t want to. I wanted to stay in his arms just a little longer.

When I didn’t move, he spoke.

“Ava, you should go inside soon. Your parents will worry. I won’t tell them what happened today.”

I pretended not to hear. He chuckled softly—he knew my tricks too well.

“Ava, come on. I’ll come over tomorrow, okay?”

Maybe because of everything that happened today, the distance between us felt smaller. My love for him swelled even stronger. I shouldn’t have clung to all those negative feelings. Silently, I forgave him for abandoning me so cruelly this past week.

I opened my eyes, smiled at him, then climbed out of his lap. He got out and opened the car door for me. The cold night wind rushed inside, making me shiver and press my legs together.

Seeing me cold, his brows furrowed. He reached out with his strong arm and pulled me close against the warmth of his chest.

Right then, his phone rang.

“Ava, go inside first. I need to take this call.”

I started toward the house, but curiosity got the better of me. I stopped and listened in.

“Hello.”

“Eddie, are you really that busy? Why did you leave so suddenly without telling me? You didn’t pick up my calls, didn’t reply to my messages… How could you leave me to eat dinner alone like that?” A woman’s spoiled, whining voice came through the speaker, making my stomach turn.

Rage erupted inside me. My hands clenched into fists. I stormed back and shouted straight into the phone.

“LISTEN CAREFULLY—HE BELONGS TO ME!”

My scream startled him so badly that he immediately ended the call.

“Ava, why are you acting childish again? Didn’t you just promise you wouldn’t do that?”

I ignored him. I was furious. Why had he panicked and hung up so quickly?

“Why did you hang up? Guilty conscience? Is that the woman you’re going to marry?”

His brows knitted together. He looked helpless.

“Ava, go inside.”

His evasion made me furious. The anger reached its peak, and I screamed.

“You’re so unfair! Why would you agree to marry someone you don’t even love, someone you’ve only met once? Why not me? What’s wrong with me? In what way am I worse than her? I’ve been by your side for more than ten years… Why?”

“GO INSIDE!” he barked, voice sharp.

Raising his voice at me—for a woman he just met? Oh… I remembered now. He had left her at dinner to save me. That was why he arrived late… The realization made me smile bitterly.

Something heavy pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I tried to draw in deep gulps of air to steady myself. But no matter how hard I tried… I had never been able to hold back tears in front of him. I tilted my face up to the sky, trying to force the tears back inside. It took everything I had to control my breathing. The night wind felt freezing, but nothing could compare to the coldness in my heart right now. My eyes burned. I looked up at him and forced out one last shout.

“I HATE YOU.”

With that, I turned and ran into the house, slamming the door behind me.