Adrian stares at Cassidy for what seems like an eternity - by seeing her alone, he feels like falling all over again.

His once empty expression turns into a loving and fond one. He brightens up, looking like he has been finally imbued with life. His gaze softens like how he knows it has used to before, and his pounding heartbeat picks up pace as if matching the sound of the ocean waves.

Then, before he knows it, he is already running towards her.

"Cassidy!

"

Much to her surprise, he unceremoniously wraps his arms around her as soon as he reaches her. He seems so exhilarated that he practically envelops her entirety and lifts her a little off the ground, which takes her aback even more. Her eyes bulge wide in surprise at how the gesture comes out to be filled with many emotions that she can't quite describe well -

Bliss, contentment, relief and desperation.

Among them, the last one is probably the strongest.

Cassidy can feel Adrian trembling for a bit as he proceeds to hold her tightly. This is not how he usually hugs her - this one is different. Going by his small quivers, tight grip, and overall response to her return, she can already tell that her absence has affected him much more than she can ever imagine.

"Thank goodness... You're alright...

" Adrian whispered in her ears as he leaned in deeper and nuzzled his nose into her hair, raring to feel her more in hope to reassure himself that this was not a dream.

"Are you really fine, though? Are you hurt anywhere? Where had you been? Did someone-

"

"I'm fine. Everything's fine,

" Cassidy cut him off and looked away, piercing his heart a little with how distant she seemed to be acting out of nowhere - but even then, he only continued smiling at her, not wanting to ruin this moment.

"I see... You can tell me more later. Thank you for coming back.

"

Right then, she finds herself steeling her resolve to depart soon.

For some reason, the way he is acting now is giving her the impression that leaving will not be as easy as returning. It shows with how he looks so relieved and happy that he appears to have been knocked out of breath. His touch is firm yet gentle - trembling as if cold yet soothingly warm at the same time. It is as confusing as that, she thinks. Whatever this is confuses her.

"Cassidy...

" Adrian continued before pulling away to look at Cassidy once more and cupping both of her cheeks.

"Welcome back home.

"

With a dazzlingly bright smile, he beams down at his wife. All she can do is stay silent and stare back at him, unsure of what to feel anymore.

That is when he inches his face nearer to her out of nowhere, catching her off guard. Without saying anything, he then pulls her closer to him and dives down to capture her lips. A small surprised gasp escapes her mouth at the very second they make contact, but even then, he only proceeds to kiss her with so much softness and passion.

'W-Why... W-Why is he...?' was all she could think of at that moment, feeling torn between pushing him away and understanding what he desperately wanted to convey with this gesture.

Just before her thoughts became a jumbled mess, she wondered why his movements became so tense all of the sudden. Indeed, he seems so desperate to convey something to her - something he can't put into words. Much like how he can't apologize enough for how bad he has treated her before, he can't tell her whatever he is feeling right now through mere words.

While Cassidy remains in a world of confusion, Adrian feels like he has been brought back to life in a matter of seconds.

'Soft... She feels so soft... And warm... Very warm...'

It was easy to lose himself in the kiss - the fiery passion and raw need made it easy for him to do so.

Adrian kisses Cassidy as if his whole life depends on it. He deepens it as if he wants her whole as well. This kind of feeling is something he can't live without anymore - he doesn't know how to live without her anymore.

He didn't want to stop as he felt like she still didn't understand enough. In fact, he knew she would never understand. To her, this may have just been another meaningless gesture, but even so, he did it while thinking that she was his everything. Nothing made sense without her. He doesn't want her to leave ever again.

He loves her.

He loves her so much.

As Adrian possessively gripped Cassidy by her waist, he tried to convey just how much without taking advantage of her. He needs her so much. Every small quirk of hers - he needs it.

With those in mind, he pulls back and grits his teeth, letting both of them catch their breaths at last. He then closes his eyes before leaning his forehead against hers. Even until then, she was not saying anything. He was beginning to have a feeling that she was already distancing herself without doing it physically.

Yet no matter the reason for that, he couldn't afford to lose her again.

"I know I've promised this before, and I will say it again because I want a chance...

" Adrian said breathlessly, almost pleading.

"Please, give me a chance, Cassidy. I promise I'll be a better partner to you. I'll get this one right.

"

Once more, Cassidy only finds herself steeling her resolve on her prior arrangement - she needs to leave.

---

While it may have been a little harsh of Cassidy to treat Adrian so coldly even after he had saved her life, she knew that she was already running out of time.

'I promised Asher that I would leave in a month or two. I only need to earn enough money to support the children and invest in their business...' she thought as she sat down across her husband at the dining hall.

'I only need enough to start a whole new life.'

At the moment, dinner is being served.

After their emotional reunion at the beach and that one-sided confession of his, he has taken her back inside their resort house and invited her to have dinner with him. So far, he has not asked her anything again - most probably because he wants her to say it herself. He is also acting too calm and natural that it does not seem like he has only been in a car crash a few days ago.

Edward was at the beachside with them earlier, but after expressing his relief that she came back safely and exchanging a few more words with her, he already excused himself and took his leave. It turns out that he is the one who is dealing with the search operations, which is why he has to go ahead and inform the others about her return.

"Cassidy, is everything okay...?

" Adrian questioned, making her snap out of her train of thoughts.

"You did not touch your food yet.

"

"Oh, ummm... I just have no appetite,

" Cassidy lied and averted her gaze.

"Did you eat already? I can have others prepared for you if this is not to your liking.

"

"N-No, it's fine. This is enough.

"

In fact, this is more than enough.

Apparently, he has set up quite a banquet. Different kinds of meals, drinks and desserts were already on the dining table before she knew it. Even before that, the maids had all lined up to serve her. The whole place became busy from that point on. They helped her freshen up before dinner came - preparing her bath and assisting her with the evening dress she would wear.

Everyone has really become more accommodating and polite than before.

"Do you want to go home tomorrow? We can stay here if you still want to,

" Adrian continued - at that point, he had chosen to watch her in silent adoration instead of finishing his meal.

"Home...? Oh, you mean... Back to that place...

" Cassidy blurted out, still looking withdrawn.

"It's fine. You can do what you want.

"

"Only if you also want to.

"

"Is it even alright for you to travel with your injuries?

"

"I'm still recovering, but it's only a one-day trip. No harm can be done.

"

"You sure you don't feel hurt anywhere at all?

"

"I will be okay. Thank you for worrying.

"

Cassidy didn't mean to be so concerned that she was almost affectionate, but with how Adrian kept smiling all brightly and warmly, that must be what he was thinking.

While she does want nothing to do with him anymore even if she is still going to say there, it is a little hard to draw a line, especially now that she knows that he is the same guy she has fallen in love with a hundred summers ago. She keeps telling herself that continuing to carry those feelings will only be a burden. After all, it has long been proven that they are not just meant for each other.

Almost everyone around Adrian is coming after her life - and compared to his family, Cassidy knows that she is nothing but a forgotten memory.