After some time, Molly had collected herself and made her way to the bed. She was wondering how
she would deal with the fact that she had to be alone with Brian tonight. Her train of thought was
broken by the sound of Brian coming out of the bathroom. He seemed so clean and fresh post-bathing.
Slung on his body was a white bathrobe and his hair was wet and combed neatly backwards making
his angular face even sharper than it already was. Molly was blushing again. He slowly went up to her
and said flatly, "Go to sleep, don't wait up." Molly was a bit hurt at this words but she was more caught
up on the fact that she was hurt. Why would she be hurt? She lowered her head hastily in
embarrassment and didn't respond. As if he couldn't see her embarrassment, Brian continued, "I need
to catch up on work as there are some urgent concerns I need to take care of. So I'm gonna be late,
you can go ahead and sleep now."
Molly wasn't really sure what he meant. But since she knew Brian very well, she just didn't ask
anymore. She knew Brian had to have his way and she didn't really want to know what Brian's attention
was on, so she just nodded her head in assent. Brian walked out of the bedroom and went to his study
silently.
Molly was left all alone in the bedroom. It was strange but apart from the moments of disappointment or
embarrassment, she ultimately just felt empty. She was unsure about everything that she was sure of,
ironically enough. She bit her lips and sipped her milk while her mind wandered off. When she had
finished off her milk, she stood up robotically and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
The moon had gradually made its way to the center of the sky, which reflected softy on the window.
Everything was a peaceful calm and a blaring quiet. It was easy to get lost in one's mind on nights like
this.
Molly lay in their bed that smelled of Brian's familiar scent. She lay wide awake, unable to sleep as her
eyes stared blankly at the ceiling and her mind still racing.
Edgar, Eric, Spark and Brian... Her mind constantly thought of these four men in her life. She
remembered all the days she had spent with each of them in different ways—either the first intimacy
she had ever felt toward a man, or the rescue when she was in the devastating terror, or the warm
company in her infinite loneliness, or the struggle and desperation as she gave up on her eyes...
Everything she went through in life had something to do with these four men. Her life was so deeply
ingrained by these four men. They were stamped in her heart. She was a simple girl who had ordinary
dreams—the kind that most girls had. But she couldn't even have that and it was mostly because of
these four men. Her mind just kept racing—there were so many things to think about what with her
roller coaster of a life.
She remained soundless and lay in complete stillness as her mind ran through some memories, her
eyes fixed on the dim light above while her ears held on to the sound of the clock ticking.
'Molly, there's no recipe for forgiveness. Now that you've decided, you're at the point of no return.
There's no point in going back, you just have to make it through and continue moving forward, ' Molly
thought to herself, 'It doesn't matter if you're hurt or if he doesn't love you back or if you're afraid even
to be loved, or what anyone else thought of you. The point is there's nothing you can do now. You
made your choice when you decided to keep Mark so you have to take your responsibilities as his
mother. No matter what you went through, you just have to keep reminding yourself that Mark gave you
happiness. There's not a day that you regretted having him even in the rough days. You always thought
he was the calm after the storm.'
As if to ease up her tension, she bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. She drifted off with a voice
repeatedly echoing in her mind, 'Molly, don't look back and just move forward. It's time you stop being
afraid of what's to come. You can survive anything. You've hurt them and they've hurt you so no use
making the same mistakes again.'
The door suddenly flew open. It was Brian who was picking up a few things. He stopped by the bed for
a moment before going out the door again. Her calm and peaceful face as she slept fascinated him.
When he stopped by the bed for a moment, he sat down on the edge of the bed and stared into Molly's
face. The soft light that reflected on her face made her look radiant. She seemed to be so tenderly
beautiful in her luminous, resting self, her hair soft and silky falling idly along her neck. He couldn't help
but be mesmerized of her beauty. His eyes sparkled as he looked over her everything—her face, hair,
neck, even on the necklace that was sitting on her chest. The Firefly Stone was shining in adorable red
light as it moved slightly up and down as Molly breathed. He knew that the color of the stone manifest
its carrier's emotion, and right now, she was sleeping as calm and sweet as a little baby.
Brian ran his fingers through her silky hair letting its scent fill his nose. Gradually, an excess of
appreciation came over his mind. His body went stiff and hardened as the vibrating desire burned up in
his heart.
He'd never been able to resist her. She was the only girl that he couldn't ever resist. Even now, while
she was asleep, he still couldn't resist her. Brian frowned and sighed.
Suddenly, Molly furrowed her brows together and coughed lightly. Brian froze and was suddenly too
aware that his finger was fondling her face. He drew it back hastily not wanting her to wake up and see
him like that. Luckily, Molly didn't open her eyes; she just pursed her lips slightly and shifted her body,
continuing her sleep.
Brian sighed in relief. As if he had completely forgotten what he went in the room for initially, he
remained where he was just watching her sleep. Time slowly crept by. The atmosphere in the room
was warm and cozy as he continued to affectionately watch her sleep. After a while, Molly shifted
positions again trying to look for a comfortable spot, pursing her lips again. He couldn't help himself but
stoop down and touch his lips with hers.
However, he had gone too far now. The moment their lips touched, he couldn't hold himself back
anymore. Her scent and her breath was too much for him. He continued to kiss her, relishing the taste
of her soft lips. His soul felt like it was flying.
'Just a little more, ' his subconscious kept telling him. However, it was too late. Suddenly, Molly's eyes
sprung open. Their eyes met, in shocking amazement.
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