Sienna had just wanted to push Silas away, but the man had already gripped her waist, lifted her forcefully, and set her on the kitchen counter.
The cold of the counter was a stark contrast to Silas Prescott’s burning hot hands.
It gave Sienna a feeling of being caught between fire and ice.
Her voice grew a little soft and coquettish: "Silas, stop fooling around, Julian is still here."
Silas propped his hands on the counter, moving closer to her, little by little.
Unfathomable emotions surged in those bottomless dark eyes.
He gently stroked Sienna’s head, his voice a little hoarse: "Sienna, do you rember this day ten years ago? The first ti I ever had you."
Hearing this, Sienna’s gaze froze.
That day, for her then, was the beginning of a nightmare.
She’d always blad herself—if only she’d denied liking Silas then, maybe things wouldn’t have gone that far between them.
Sienna’s lashes fluttered: "You rember everything?"
Silas’s eyes gradually turned red. With a hint of pain, he looked at Sienna and said, "That day I heard you were applying to an out-of-town college, and I felt such loss. I wanted to keep you by my side. I was afraid that if you left, you’d never co back, so I drank a lot of wine.
Taking advantage of being drunk, I forced you to confess your feelings. Do you know how thrilled I was when I heard those words from you?
It was as if a beam of light shone into the darkness of my world, so in order not to let that light ever fade from my life, I did everything I could to keep you with .
I thought as long as I loved you with all my heart, you’d feel happy, and then you’d never leave.
I never imagined that you’d rather risk your life to go to a war zone as a Doctors Without Borders volunteer than stay by my side. That blow was just too much for .
I couldn’t accept it for a very long ti.
Now I finally understand—what you want isn’t the kind of suffocating love I gave, but a space of freedom and an independent soul.
Sienna, these years, I made you suffer too much, even almost let you die in a war zone. Before you, I’m nothing but a sinner.
I’m begging you, give one more chance. Let love you well, let stay by your side.
This ti I promise I won’t be like before—I won’t smother you. I’ll give you enough space and freedom, let you slowly savor the love I can offer.
Sienna, would you be willing to accept a changed man like again?"
Hearing all of this, Sienna felt a sharp ache in her heart.
The pain from that imperfect love in the past mixed with her heartache for Silas now.
Silas’s ability to face his own wrongs so clearly ant that he had finally stepped out from that darkness.
The shadow of being abandoned by his parents no longer haunted him.
So, she had succeeded—she had truly healed Silas Prescott’s mind.
Sienna gently caressed the angular lines of Silas’s face, her voice a little raspy.
"Brother, have you finally co through it?"
Silas nodded: "It’s all thanks to you, Sienna, for not leaving your brother behind, for pulling out of the dark. Otherwise, I would’ve been trapped in pain all my life—not just hurting myself, but the ones I love most.
Sienna, I promise you, I will never hurt you again. Let’s start over—this ti our love will be beautiful. In this love, there will be no more doubts, no more hurt, only trust and adoration. Okay?"
His hands cupped Sienna’s cheeks, the shine in his black eyes brimming with sincerity and deep affection.
This Silas was almost impossible for Sienna not to be moved by.
This was the white moonlight from her girlhood—no matter what they’d been through, she could never forget the warmth and love he’d given her.
It wasn’t until this mont that Sienna finally saw her own heart clearly.
If she didn’t love Silas, even knowing he was ill, she would never have agreed to stay.
If she didn’t love Silas, when she saw him jump into the sea with a bomb, she wouldn’t have thrown caution aside and followed him in.
All of this proved that he had always been the one her heart loved.
Just like what Chloe Nash had asked her back in the war zone: If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you still fall in love with Silas?
Now she could finally answer with certainty.
She would.
Because from the first mont they’d t, their hearts had been entwined. It would be almost impossible to ever let go in this life.
Thinking back, hearing Silas’s confession from deep within, Sienna couldn’t help but let tears slide down her cheeks.
She nodded hard, voice choked: "Okay."
A single word, but it allowed Silas’s anxious heart to finally relax.
He let out a breath as if relieved of a great burden, his own eyes glistening with tears.
He pressed his forehead against Sienna’s, unable to hide the excitent in his voice: "Sienna, let your brother take you back to how it was ten years ago—this ti, your brother is sober."
This ti, he wanted her to sink with him, fully awake.
Before his words even faded, he bowed his head and pressed his lips to Sienna’s.
This kiss carried mories from ten years ago, and everything they’d been through since.
Within it, an uncontrollable passion, and a tenderness found only after loss and recovery.
Soon, their breathing tangled and their bodies rged.
The air between them, thick with intimacy, was tinged with the scent of tomato soup wafting through the kitchen.
By the ti Sienna was brought back to her room, she felt as if every bone in her body had co unhinged.
She didn’t even have the strength to pick up her phone.
Silas bent down and kissed the slightly reddened corner of her eye, his voice teasing and suggestive: "Baby, one more ti, okay?"
Sienna was so startled she dove under the blanket, her misty eyes full of fear.
She shook her head frantically: "No."
No one knew better than her how tireless Silas could be—he could go four or five tis, and every ti she felt like she’d stepped through death’s door.
This ti, though, Silas didn’t push her like before. Instead, he just looked at her, full of tenderness.
"Don’t be afraid. Without your consent, I won’t force anything. We have all the ti in the world—one ti less won’t matter."
Sienna was surprised: "Are you serious?"
"Of course. I promised you: a free and romantic love. I’m sticking to my word."
Listening to him, Sienna’s tense heart finally relaxed.
She rubbed her hot cheeks against Silas’s chest and whispered, "Silas, the way you are now—I really like it."
Silas frowned and chuckled low: "Sienna, are you trying to tempt into going again?"
"No, I an it. All the years we were apart, I kept thinking: If only we could have a love as healthy as everyone else’s couples, how wonderful it would be. I never thought, after all these years, my wish would really co true."
Silas kissed the space between her brows with aching tenderness: "Sienna, soday you’ll tell about what happened to you in the war zone, right? There’s so much I want to ask—like how you got the tattoo on your abdon, what you went through there, what happened with Chloe, how you beca friends with Albie Kane and Fries. I want to know everything about the years I wasn’t by your side and how you survived."
Sienna’s lashes fluttered: "When your mory cos back fully, I’ll tell you everything."
She still didn’t know if Silas was truly healed. She couldn’t risk it.
The war zone had been so dangerous—she’d nearly died several tis.
If Silas knew, he’d bla himself. He’d be wracked with guilt.
Besides, she’d given birth to their son there—and lost him there too.
If she told Silas everything, Sienna feared he couldn’t bear it.
Seeing her reluctance, Silas knew—sothing was wrong here.
He looked deeply into Sienna’s eyes, for a long while, before saying, "Alright. When all this is over, I want you to tell everything."
That night, the two of them held each other tightly, as if reborn—neither willing to let the other go, unable to fall asleep.
Everyone dreams of a love that’s truly beautiful.
Seeing Sienna so exhausted she could barely keep her eyes open, Silas gently patted her back with his large hand: "Sleep, I’ll tell you a story."
He took out his phone and found The Little Prince, reading it to Sienna in the softest, tenderest voice.
Even in her dreams, Sienna heard Silas say: "The stars shine so that everyone can find their own. My little star—goodnight."
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