NOVEL WEB Chapter 8: Chapter 8
"Welcome to my humble abode, my dear beloved."
Portia turned around and froze when she saw him.
A man stood before her.
A man who looked eerily similar to her husband, Cristiano Lockwood.
He was of the same height with the same dangerously deep eyes that seemed to pierce through her. But there was something different about him. Like something softer.
His eyes weren't cold or calculating like Cristiano's. Instead, they brimmed with love.
A love so profound that it unsettled her.
And yet, the pain in his eyes mirrored that of her husband's as if they shared a deep and inexplicable sorrow.
What sorrow had this man suffered? Her husband lost the greatest love of his life. A woman who was destined to be with him by the moon goddess herself left him on the altar and broke the bond that connected them. Cristiano was bound to feel the pain of his failed love.
But what has this stranger lost?
A love so great like Cristiano or worse?
Suddenly Blue barked and pulled her out of her thoughts.
"I... I'm sorry," Portia stammered as she realised that she had trespassed a property that she was not supposed to. "I didn't mean to intrude. Blue... he—"
"Blue is as naughty as ever, isn't he?" the man interrupted with a soft chuckle escaping his lips. The way he called Blue's name was filled with so much familiarity.
Portia blinked, confused. "He is, but... how do you know that?" she asked cautiously. "Your Highness, may I ask who you are?"
From his ancient-looking robe, she could tell that he was someone from the royal family. Someone she was not acquainted with. As for how could she tell him that he was a royal? The aura that he was emitting. It was even more profound than the king. The moonglow he was bestowed with. The moonglow only a royal family member possessed. And the stranger seemed to possess the moonglow even greater than the king.
The man laughed again. A sound which was both joyous and heart-wrenching. "I will tell you," he said. But then, his expression shifted and his eyes filled with longing so intense it made Portia's chest ache. In a whisper, he added, "Can you hold my hand? I have been waiting for you forever."
Portia's breath hitched. "Who... who are you?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her heart was pounding, and an inexplicable ache spread through her chest. Tears welled in her eyes and began to trickle down her cheeks.
Why was she crying?
Why was she feeling his pain?
She did not even know him.
Just who was he?
The man stepped closer, his gaze never leaving hers. "Your soul recognizes me, even if your mind does not," he said softly. "Hold me. Please, Selene. Hold me. I am cold. I am tired. I have waited for you for an eternity. Hold me now."
The name struck her like lightning. Selene.
Her tears flowed freely now, though she didn't understand why.
Her body reacted to the name he called her.
Her hands trembled as she reached out and the moment her fingers touched his, it was as if something deep within her awakened.
The man clasped her hands tightly as though he feared she might vanish. For what felt like an eternity, they stood like that.
With a final, bittersweet smile, he whispered, "Thank you. Thank you for returning to me, even if just for one last time. Until we meet again."
And then, before Portia could say anything, his body began to dissolve.
He broke apart into countless silver and black butterflies whose wings shimmered as they flitted into the air. They swirled around her in a mesmerizing dance before disappearing into the day.
Portia stood frozen with her hands still outstretched. She turned to the black marble structure behind her, only to see it glowing silver as if it had been touched by magic.
The last thing she saw before collapsing to the ground was the luminance of the transformed structure.
And then, darkness claimed her.