Swallowing hard, Molly picked up her purse from the floor and walked out of the room. She didn't feel
the pain all over her body until now. Walking in the hallway silently and slowly, She was so tired that
she didn't notice someone was watching her behind in the dark.
Molly took out her cell phone and texted Eric, pretending that she didn't know that he stood outside the
room earlier and saying that she had gone home early because she wasn't feeling very well.
A stiff smile slowly appeared on Eric's face when he read Molly's message. He felt the needles sticking
in his heart again, and wondered whether he had crossed the line this time. Anyhow, he didn't have any
problem with Molly. This was an unresolved problem between Brian and him. Long before both their
parents got married, both Eric's father and Brian's father had fallen in love with the same woman,
Brian's mother. But somehow along the way, Eric's father had had to give her up. Eric thought that it
might have been the reason why he wanted to disrupt what Brian and Molly were doing in the lounge,
but it had nothing to do with Molly.
Brian and Wing left after Brian had found her waiting in the banquet hall. But before that, Brian and Eric
had looked at each other for a second without saying anything, and they seemed to have sent each
other a message through it.
Meanwhile, Eric sent back a text to Molly, saying that it was okay. Then, he walked out of the manor as
well and drove home alone.
He knew that Molly wouldn't want to see him right now. Perhaps, they would run into each other
tomorrow, but Eric knew that Molly would try to keep her dignity tonight.
Laughing at himself, Eric couldn't believe that he would consider her feelings.
He pressed the accelerator until the engine screamed as he tried to leave everything behind him. Soon
after, his car disappeared in the dark of the night.
In the garden of the manor, Molly was curling herself up on a bench. All she wanted to do now was sit
there alone quietly. She knew that she had to go straight back to Brian's villa after she left, but the mere
thought of it sent shivers throughout her body.
Pursing her lips, Molly felt miserable and sorry for herself. She couldn't believe that she let herself feel
a surge of desire for him. She also felt sad that she wasn't strong enough to resist and say no.
"Why are you here alone?"
Said a low elegant voice all of a sudden. That voice and the man's scent were familiar to Molly. Raising
her head, she found Edgar standing in front of her with his hands in his pockets.
He walked to Molly and sat next to her. Looking at her hollow eyes, he took off his coat and put it on
her. Just then, he saw the marks on her neck partly hidden by the shawl.
"I, I need to go home now," said Molly suddenly, as she was afraid that Edgar might see what she was
hiding underneath the shawl. She took off his coat, placed it on the bench, and turned around,
panicking.
"Is something wrong? I haven't seen you in years. Every time I see you these days, you always leave in
a hurry," asked Edgar with a confused tone in his voice while looking at Molly's back leisurely.
Molly stopped silently and pursed her lips. She knew that she had to leave now, but her feet seemed to
have been nailed to the ground. She wanted to just walk away, but she couldn't.
"Sit with me. Just talk to me for a while," Edgar insisted. His insistence was nothing like Brian's. Molly
felt it hard to turn him down.
Molly did what Edgar had asked her to without thinking. Without her knowing it, she had already sat
next to him, and he had put his coat on her again.
"Why are you dressed like this? You've always disliked the cold," said Edgar with concern. "Didn't you
say that you would take care of yourself?"
He added. His remarks reminded Molly of their past. She felt weepy, and her eyes moistened. Raising
her head to stop herself from crying, she bit her lips and said,"I've taken care of myself."
"So why would you end up sitting here alone, dressed like this?" asked Edgar with a gloomy face.
Frowning, he held her hands, only to find that her hands were freezing cold. He said seriously,"Do you
still remember what you promised me before I left?"
Molly couldn't hold her tears any longer when she heard what Edgar had said. The warm tears
streamed down her face which had gotten red with cold and she felt the stinging pain in her face. Edgar
held her hands, just like he did in the past and she felt the warmth of his hands, just like she did in the
past.
Molly still remembered the day he left, it was winter. He had nagged her angrily for hours, telling her
that he had to join the army the following day because of a military headquarter's order. That same day,
he had been holding her hands to warm them while they were talking.
Growing up from a family of military men, he had always been expected to follow the footsteps and
thrive and stand out on the same path. For generations, his family members would devote themselves
to the army. He had lived up to everyone's expectation, made a name for himself in the military, and
now had achieved such an important position.
Molly had always known that they had been living in different worlds since they were young. But now,
the gap had gotten wider.
The last thing he had done for her and her family was help them move out of the military compound
before he left. That was also the reason why they hadn't seen each other for so many years even if she
wanted to see him again so badly. But now, everything had changed. She couldn't be with him as she
did in the past.
Molly kept her gaze at his hands which were holding hers. She had a mixed feeling of fear and
sadness, and felt at a loss.
The party in the banquet hall was still going on, but it seemed that both of them had forgotten all about
it. They just sat there, holding hands, as if time had stopped and neither of them wanted to ruin this
moment.
But unknown to them, someone had been watching them in the dark.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda