She stayed by the side of a man broken by grief for his lost lover—under the false name of “friend,” just as he wished.
The moment she thought she had finally opened his heart…
The woman returned.
Watching the back of the man who would let go of her hand to chase after his old love was an agony too great to bear.
“Ian, I’ve loved you for a long time. I was never just a friend—not from the very beginning.”
Knowing they would never meet again, Elcia managed to throw her painful confession at him for the first and last time—before running away.
But then…
❖
After she had finally given up on her long, relentless love and fled, he tracked her down with great difficulty and spoke.
“Elci…”
“Stop! Don’t call my name!”
Her voice rang out louder than even she had expected, and almost instantly, a crushing emptiness followed.
The moment she heard Ian’s voice—the one she had tried so desperately to forget—she realized she had still not abandoned that weary, tormenting love.
For her, he was her eternal first love, her last love, the one and only man who had branded her heart with an undying love.
Facing Elcia, who was struggling with all her might to reject him, Ian spoke.
“From the moment you came to Usley Castle to wake me, our fate must have already been decided. Whatever time I have left, wherever you are, I’ll spend it looking only at you. Here and now, I, Ian Kypris, swear to you, Elcia Bennett.”
Her heart… began to beat again.
