Arwen had been waiting to discover it all for a long ti. But now that she had finally uncovered it —now that she knew —she didn’t know how to react.
Just the fact that Aiden wasn’t her imagination, but he did exist in her past, felt surreal.
They shared a past together.
And that alone opened the doors to so many possibilities.
Possibilities like ... everything that happened between them wasn’t just fate’s whim.
The familiarity that she felt around him wasn’t just a fleeting emotion born from longing and loneliness.
Their marriage —wasn’t just a coincidence.
They weren’t a coincidence, but ...
Arwen’s pupils dilated as a bold, audacious thought crossed her mind.
If all of this wasn’t a coincidence ... then how could their eting at the Civil Affairs Bureau have been?
Alice frowned in concern when, even after several minutes, Arwen remained silent. She knelt beside her, studying Arwen’s expression carefully.
Placing her warm hands over hers, she asked softly, "Queen Sister, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying anything?"
"Alice ..." Arwen finally looked up, her voice calm but her gaze filled with a mix of disbelief and urgency. The weight in her eyes confused Alice more.
"Thank you for fixing this picture," she said, her voice gentle yet resolute.
Alice was about to brush it off and say she hadn’t done much, but Arwen didn’t give her the chance.
"But right now ... I need to return."
"Huh?"
Arwen nodded, already standing, cutting off whatever protest Alice might have had. "I have to find soone and get so answers. I will leave first."
And just like that, she grabbed her bag and strode out of the room, not sparing another glance back.
Alice stood behind, dumbfounded. Before she could even react, Arwen was already out of her cabin.
"Queen Sister, you are leaving already?" Aled called, clearly startled by the expression on her face.
Sam joined in, looking surprised. "Didn’t you say you had ti today?"
"You favour Alice over us, Queen Sister. And we don’t complain," Harris huffed. "But you ignoring us completely is unfair." He whined, but Arwen walked past them without a word, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.
"Queen Sister —"
Nic ca and placed a hand over Harris’s shoulders. "Let her go. She seed to be in a hurry. She will co back another day."
The others nodded, although Harris remained unconvinced. He turned and walked toward Alice’s cabin.
"Alice, co out," he called, "Co out and tell us —what exactly did you say or do that made Queen Sister leave without even greeting us properly?"
Alice ca out, rubbing the corner of her brow in both confusion and hesitation. "Honestly, I have no idea. She barely said anything. When I asked, she simply said she had to find soone."
"Find soone?" Aled asked, furrowing his brows.
Alice nodded and humd.
"Who?" Nic asked, clearly curious. Arwen had always been poised and collected. This was the first ti she had looked so ... desperate.
"I am not sure," Alice said slowly, shrugging in doubt. "Maybe her husband."
————
anwhile, outside the building ...
Arwen walked straight to the car.
Alfred, who never let his guard down for even a second, imdiately noticed his approach. He stepped out and went to open the door for her —but paused when he saw the look on her face.
Before he could ask her anything, she said, "Alfred, take back to the residence. Fast."
He quickly nodded and closed the door after her before returning to slip into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.
As the car started, Arwen’s thoughts went back. She was reminded of Gianna’s words.
"Wenna, did you know my Uncle before? I an, by any chance, could it be possible that you have been the white moonlight my uncle has always cherished?"
At that ti, Arwen could bring herself to believe it, but now, she couldn’t help but be drawn to that possibility.
Her heart thudded in anticipation while a small smile curled her lips at the corners.
"Could I really be the woman he has always had in his heart?" she muttered under her breath. For once, her stomach didn’t clench in envy.
But soon her brows drew in a frown. If she had been the one in his heart, why had he never told her anything about it? Why did he hide and make her imagine that it was soone else?
She had forgotten him and everything they shared, but he didn’t. All he had to do was to tell her all, and she would have believed ...
Then why had he never told her anything?
Why?
"Alfred," she suddenly called before looking up at him. "You have been around Aiden for quite a while. Can you guess under what circumstances he would hide away things?"
Alfred was taken aback. At first, he didn’t understand what Arwen wanted to ask. "Madam, sir has always been a very private person. Not many people know about him. He would never reveal much about himself."
"That’s not what I am asking, Alfred," she shook her head. "I am asking if he hides away sothing ever, why would he do that?"
Alfred felt himself in a difficult position. Although he had been around Aiden for years, he never got a chance to know him so closely. "Madam, I cannot be sure. But generally, if people hide things away, they have reasons. Either they don’t want to hurt soone, or they are hurt."
Arwen paused at that.
Revealing the truth wouldn’t have hurt her. Could it be that he was hurt?
She thought back and realized, she had forgotten him. It was pure cruelty. How could he not be hurt?
If she had been in his place and she would have forgotten him, even she would have felt hurt —betrayed even.
How could he not feel the sa?
Her heart twisted at the thought, and her finger clenched. She closed her eyes and felt the disappointnt spread through her soul.
How could she?
"Madam, did Sir hide sothing from you?" Alfred asked, staring through the mirror with worry in his gaze.
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