Chapter 426: Why Did You Leave Like That?
Over two decades had passed, but Lariette still remembered the boy, whose face was a blur in her mind. She also had told Ruediger about the child before[01].
The one who suddenly appeared one day, brought by his ’parents’, who seemed to despise his existence.
The one who was always quiet, but taught her to climb trees.
The one who dragged her away when she was almost in danger before fates forcibly separated them.
’Why does he bring the boy up?’
The steady beating of Lariette’s heart suddenly quickened. When she looked at Ruediger, it was with a gaze full of expectation. She had momentarily forgotten about his earlier remarks.
The man’s heart was also pounding rapidly. He unknowingly held his breath as he waited for her to speak.
What was she currently thinking?
She looked happy instead of angry or sad. Did she understand what he meant? But he should still make himself clear, right?
"Lettie, I—"
He had just spoken when her action of reaching for his coat, and her fingers clutching its hem, stopped him. He instinctively swallowed the words that almost left his tongue.
Lariette tried to steady herself, but hard to do so. Staring into Ruediger’s eyes, she asked with a suppressed excitement, "Eddy, did you find any news about him?"
Was that why he mentioned the boy?
Lariette couldn’t help but wonder if Ruediger utilized his vast connections to trace the boy’s current whereabouts, including learning more about his life. Knowing how capable her man was, the guess didn’t sound far-fetched.
She wasn’t aware that her question had taken him aback. Blinking, he stared at her for a moment before he realized that she hadn’t made the correlation.
A sense of helplessness washed over him, spilling soft chuckles from his lips. At the same time, the previous worry dissipated.
"Eddy?" Lariette tilted her head, feeling something was wrong. She let go of the coat hem, now rubbing his face, "Your eyes are wet. Are you... sad about something?"
The basement parking lot was illuminated by recessed lights, but the surroundings were still quite dim. Even though she couldn’t see clearly whether his eyes were red or not, the gloss was still noticeable.
Unsure of what he should do, Ruediger grasped Lariette’s hand that lay on his face. He put on a smile as he decided not to beat around the bush.
"Lettie, I didn’t have to find him," he said, voice as soft as ever, "Because that boy is me."
"...huh?"
Under Lariette’s surprised gaze, Ruediger reiterated, "That boy from your childhood is me. This is the last secret I’ve kept from you."
That boy... was him?
That boy was Eddy?!
She blinked, blinked and blinked again, unable to give any proper reaction, until he suddenly leaned in and kissed her face. Flustered, she reached for his collar, grasping it with both hands.
"E-Eddy! You’re not joking, right?" Lariette asked anxiously, tears swelling her eyes, "H-how... How could the boy be you?"
Ruediger smiled in helplessness. He gently held Lariette’s wrists, letting her clutch his collar. Through the touch, he felt her body tremble.
He replied, voice laced with patience, "I lied when I said I first knew you from Maddie. I’ve known you since we were children, Lettie. But Maddie still played an important role. Without her, I wouldn’t have met you again."
Lariette’s breath hitched, overwhelmed by the sudden revelation. This disclosure was the most surprising among the previous ones Ruediger had done.
"Eddy..." she called, almost choking on her sob, "You... Is it true?"
Smiling, he cradled her face with both hands before brushing his lips on her right eye, "Yes, my love. I’ve been meaning to tell you this. I’m sorry that it took me so long."
If not for Lariette saying how much she wished for the boy to live a better life instead of blaming him for his sudden disappearance, Ruediger wouldn’t be this brave.
In front of her who was a dazzling star, he was nothing but an inferior pebble.
Lariette bit her lower lip, trying to hold herself back from crying out loud. Even though she was still surprised, she knew deep down Ruediger spoke the truth. He was never one to lie to her.
"T-then... tell me," she sniffled, "Why did you leave like that?"
Was it because of his damn father? Or was there any other reason?
"Lettie," he whispered, his warm breath fanning her face, "That day, I didn’t mean to leave without any words. That man... he threatened me. If I didn’t leave, he would blame your family."
Lariette’s anger flared.
Sure enough! It was because of that man!
Ruediger still remembered the day he was rescued and returned to the Alvord family. Instead of being grateful, his father cursed him, asking why he didn’t die too in the hands of the kidnappers.
Then, Matthew Alvord discovered the little Lariette who was involved. He quickly looked for her ’mother’, Alyssa Evans, and told her to leave Amberwood as soon as possible.
That was the reason why Lariette and Mrs. Evans moved to Moonville not long after the incident.
He exhaled a sigh before pulling away. As he bore his gaze on her, his low voice continued echoing in the small space of the truck.
"I didn’t dare to find you until I was already an adult. But then I heard you’ve moved to the city with your biological family. I stopped because I was still afraid. I also didn’t want to disturb your new life."
Ruediger began by telling Lariette of his visit to the north, from Amberwood Village to Moonville Village. Upon learning that she had long relocated to the city, he quit searching.
Then, as if the thread of destiny still linked them, he found her again because of his cousin. Because of it, he began paying attention to her life until his feelings sprouted into love.
"So, Lettie," he lowered his voice further, laced with both anticipation and uncertainty, "I want to tell you that the boy’s life has indeed turned better. He has even found the love of his life."
The tears she tried so hard to hold back finally ran down her face before his lips gently kissed them away.
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