I lifted my head and met his eyes. “But if you ever betrayed me, if you ever settled down with another woman, then yes, I would divorce you. I waited because I love you. But that doesn’t mean I’m some fool who’d forgive betrayal. So, Callum, in these eight years, have you betrayed me?”
He froze for a couple of seconds before smiling helplessly and reaching for my hand. “Why are you suddenly talking like this? Of course, I wouldn’t betray you. If I ever did, may I die a terrible death. How about that?”
He even raised his hand dramatically, as if making a casual oath, smiling like it was all a joke.
If I hadn’t met his comrade, if I hadn’t seen his wedding photo with Briar, I would’ve believed him without question.
But now, the cold in my chest was bone-deep.
He looked at me with a face full of affection and cooed, “Elara, you’re the person I love most in this world. Those hard years in the Northwest, I survived them by looking at your photos every night. All I dreamed of, these eight years, was working my way up, getting transferred somewhere better, buying a big house, and bringing you all to live with me, so you could finally have the life of a respected officer’s wife.”
“There was one time, I fell off a snowy cliff and was unconscious for days. The doctors said I might not make it. But the moment I thought about leaving you a widow at such a young age, I forced myself to wake up. Elara, come to Washington with me. From now on, I’ll never let you suffer again,” he even added.
I wiped the faint dampness at the corner of my eyes and gave a quiet reply. “Alright.”
Callum, you lied about never betraying me. So, I guess it was okay that I lied just now, too.
That night, we slept on the same bed. When he tried to hold me, I subtly shifted away. After the second attempt, he sighed and rolled over, no longer moving. Only then did I finally drift off.
In my dreams, all I saw were memories of us when he used to ride his bike every day to take me to high school in town, and after class, he’d pull a warm roasted sweet potato from his sleeve for me.
When winter came, he secretly sold the family’s eggs so he could buy me a bright red scarf from the supply store.
Once, while we watched a movie about a man proposing to a woman, he leaned close to my ear and whispered, “When we get married, I’ll buy you a wedding dress just like that.”