The warmth of the day sought to envelope her, but she remained chilled, unable to escape the storm.
I loved him. I loved him. I loved him, and I thought maybe this time he could be mine.
And the tears went on to flow, rain from the storm that she knew would come but had been powerless to stop.
Alyx And Nathan
The Gray Knight had a scarred face, and his armor old and rusty. He was nothing like he was supposed to be, and the lady didn’t understand how it could be so.
“Are you disappointed I’m imperfect?” the knight asked softly.
But the lady had no Answer to give him.
He smiled gently. “Take your time, milady. Search the world for an Answer, and come back to me when you do.”
The Gray Knight pulled his sword, and he went down on one knee. “If you don’t want to wait for me…” He laid his sword at her feet. “Then I shall be the one to wait for you.”
~ The Lady and the Green Knight, Volume II
#relationshipgoals
For over two weeks now, it had maintained its lead over all other trending hashtags, ever since it was propelled to the top by a fan’s photo of Nathan Callis running after his ex-girlfriend at Miami International Airport. The photo had been wittily captioned, That moment when someone loves you enough to run after you, knowing the whole world’s waiting for you to fall---
It had become viral in mere minutes, liked and retweeted millions of times over. Nathan and Alyx had always been a subject of interest to the public, but more so when a so-called friend of Rima had spilled the beans to a tabloid. The exposé had gone on to share juicy details about the truth behind the picture-perfect marriage of Dr. Aetes Callis and his supermodel wife.
For so long, Aetes had hidden his homosexual desires, believing it would be a detriment to his career. He had gone as far as marrying and siring a child with Nathan’s mother, and when she passed away, he had swiftly sought a replacement in the form of Rima, ensuring that his sexuality would never be questioned.
But he had become complacent in hiding his proclivities over the years, and on the last day of their stay in Hong Kong, Rima had walked in on her husband cheating on her – with another man. Everything that she thought to be true in her life had fallen apart in that one instant, and feeling deceived, unwanted, and unattractive for the first time in her life, Rima had sought her stepson, hoping to rekindle their attraction.
All of these, Rima had shared with her friend over one wine-laden session, not knowing that the other woman was experiencing certain financial difficulties – difficulties that she knew would be quickly solved if she sold her story to a tabloid.
And so it was as if everyone’s lives had come full circle, Alyx had thought when she read the tabloid exposé, which had made things sound even more lurid by including graphic summaries of the doctor’s sexual activities.
In vino veritas.
Wine was what had made her talk to Nathan, and now the truth about Rima and Aetes’ marriage was exposed in the same way.
But it didn’t mean everything was fine…even if Nathan was acting like it should be that simple.
More than two weeks ago, Alyx had done what might possibly be the most irresponsible thing she had ever done in her life. She had withdrawn half of her life savings in cash, using it to pay for a trip around the world without leaving any kind of paper trail. She knew how billionaires operated, after all. They had countless minions doing their dirty work, and she knew if she used her credit card just once or logged in to any of her social media accounts, he would know where she was.
So she played it smart, she played it safe, and it should have worked if Nathan Callis didn’t have the world on his side.
She had been sunbathing in Rio de Janeiro when another beachgoer had tweeted a snapshot of her, and Nathan had personally replied to the tweet, thanking the girl in fluent Brazilian for tipping him off.
Eu machuquei a mulher que eu amo, então eu preciso encontrá-la e fazê-la me amar novamente.
I hurt the woman I love, so I need to find her and make her love me again.
And boy did that line fool millions of women into thinking he was a good guy, Alyx thought.
Since then, life had turned into a cat-and-mouse game between them, with Alyx barely managing to keep a step ahead of Nathan.
From sailing on the French Riviera to cruising down the Nile River, from making the arduous climb to Machu Picchu to skiing down the slopes of the Alps – he was always there, behind her, after her, waiting for her.