Chapter 4

 “Samuel!” Arthur ran in the direction of the tall brown-haired man with yellow eyes.

 “Sir, you’re alive! I knew it! Triton is a good horse, he led us to this place. We found him wandering in the fields near this region and he led us to this forest” Samuel expressed with marked emotion.

 “Who are they?” Sam approached Arthur with trepidation.

 “They are my trusted men, they found me thanks to Triton. He stroked the horse's forehead. You're not a crow, after all,” he kissed him.

 “Then you'll be back,” Sam commented with sadness in her eyes.

 “Sir, you must come with us immediately, the Jones have declared you dead and want to take your land," the big man reported.

 “They don't miss a chance!” he said, amused. “We'll start our journey today, then. I can imagine the chaos there must be in the ranch.”

 “Not just chaos, abuse,” A boy of about sixteen, with black hair and dark eyes, broke into the conversation. “The Jones and the Deltons sent their men to your territory and some of our people support them, they even beat Nidia when she opposed them taking over the place.”

 “Bastards!” Arthur said, clenching his fists. “How is she?”

 “She is better. But they disgraced her granddaughter and her boyfriend had dump her because she was no longer a virgin. The girl is devastated,” Samuel explained with sadness and anger in his eyes. Arthur froze. That girl and he were raised as siblings because she was the granddaughter of his nanny and manager of the house. They were his only family, for his parents had died years before.

 “Poor Anabela! She doesn't deserve such a thing. Ivan never loved her, then. If he had loved her he wouldn't have abandoned her when she needed him most.”

Sam wiped away some tears that escaped her since hearing that kind of abuse made her feel helpless. She more than anyone else knew the pain of having your innocence damaged and being treated like dirt.

After lunch, Arthur went for one last walk with Sam. They were near the pond sitting under a lush tree with yellow blossoms, which fell in a manner resembling snowflakes in winter, giving them a beautiful setting with a delightful scent of wildflowers, wood, and wet earth. He held her hands and left a chaste kiss on them and looked at her with a depth that pierced her soul.

 “Are you sure? You have a place in my home and I can take care of you. I can assure you that, by my side, no one will be able to harm you, you can even turn your ability into a business. I can give you a place on my farm to set up your laboratory and help you with sales.”

 “Thank you, but I can't. Besides, I don't want to be a problem in your life, it seems you have too much burden on your shoulders. It was a pleasure meeting you, Arthur. I only ask you to be discreet on your way out of here and keep this place a secret,” Sam asked in a pleading tone. He was dissatisfied with her decision, but he couldn't force her to do anything, she was used to that life anyway.

 “All right,” he smiled and stroked her cheek over the veil. “Can I...?” he looked at her nervously, "May I kiss you goodbye?” he closed his eyes and lifted the thin fabric, then left a sweet, short kiss on her lips. They both hugged each other tightly and Sam dared to caress that beautiful hair she loved so much. He was like a prince who gave her a beautiful month and she would always remember him as her only beautiful romantic experience.

Watching him disappear into the trees on his horse caused her an immense emptiness and when her eyes stopped seeing him, the tears came freely. He was hardly gone and she already felt the loneliness penetrate her bones. How she longed to run after him and accept his offer! How she longed for a normal life!

(...)

Several days later...

Sam was sitting on the same log where Arthur had first kissed her. It was amazing how she had grown accustomed to his company in that month. She missed him and his absence left a void in that place and her heart. Why did it hurt so much if they hadn't known each other long? How was it possible that she had felt like she had known him all her life?

She looked up at the dark firmament full of stars, an, and e crescent moon covered by the foolish clouds, which prevented it from shining freely. That was the image that described her. She longed to be free of her past and her fears, to move forward, and to find love. It would be very sad if she spent the rest of her life alone and without knowing the beauty of loving and being loved. More than two years ago she believed she had found the love described in romantic books and felt like the happiest woman in the world.

Flashback

 “Samay, my dear, sit beside me,” her father stretched out his arms to receive her at his side. She was already twenty years old and had grown into a beautiful woman, but to her father, she was still his little girl and, to Samay, he was her life. Her mother had died in childbirth and her father was so frustrated by her death that he devoted himself to caring for her and creating drugs. He taught her everything he knew and always bragged about his daughter's innate ability with plants.

She sat down next to him and blushed as she noticed Daniel's gaze on her. That boy with light brown hair and green eyes was examining her with great interest, which caused her heart to flutter in her chest.

 “Samay, you know that since we met I liked you a lot and I fell in love with you,” the boy said with a smile on his face. For Sam that was the most beautiful of all. “That's why I came to ask for a proposal, if you accept, of course.”

She was speechless and began to hyperventilate. Her father took her to the kitchen to get some water to calm her down.

 “Samay, dear,” her father approached her with concern. “You don't have to accept if you don't want to, it would make me very happy to see you married, but it will only happen when you are sure of it and find love.”

 “Father," she said softly, for she was just recovering from her astonishment, "I want to marry Daniel, I... I love him. I have been in love with him for a long time, but I thought it was not reciprocated; father, to know that he feels the same for me fills me with happiness,” two tears rolled down her cheeks and her father embraced her with great joy, for he trusted the young man very much and liked him as the husband of his most precious treasure.

End of flashback 

Sam wiped away the tears that had escaped her and went to sleep. She could still smell Arthur's scent on the sheets and sometimes she felt that he was there and even asked him questions or commented on something, not receiving an answer confirmed his absence and brought her back to her reality: she was all alone.