Evan stopped in his tracks, his face expressionless as he stared down at Megan, who lay prostrate on the ground. His eyes exuded a chill, and with a cold curl of his lips, he said, “A venomous woman like you does not deserve love.”
Megan burst into laughter, casting a malevolent glance my way. Her face, smeared with blood, looked even more grotesque fueled by her hatred.
Instinctively, I burrowed deeper into Evan's embrace. Feeling my fear, he gently patted my back, his soothing voice in my ear, “It's okay, I'm here; don't be afraid.”
His soft tone reassured me, diminishing the fear inside.
“Avery, you wretch, I will kill you!”
Enraged, Megan picked up a rock from the ground and ran towards us. Before she could reach us, Evan kicked her squarely in the chest.
Megan rolled twice and lay immobilized on the ground, her eyes, filled with malice, glaring fiercely at me.
Evan did not spare Megan another glance. Holding me, he walked away, his voice cold as he commanded, “Cripple her limbs, throw her into the open sea to feed the fish.”
“No, Evan, I love you, please don’t be so cruel…”
Megan’s cries of anguish followed us.
Warm water spread to my neck as I frantically rubbed my body, trying to erase the memory of those repulsive touches. I wished I could scrub off my own skin.
In the white mist, my skin turned red from the scrubbing, some areas even showing blood streaks, but the nausea and the lecherous laughter still haunted me.
Evan's large hands stopped my frantic scrubbing. He pulled me into a tight embrace, kissing my face, neck, and shoulders. His voice, laden with self-reproach, said, “Don’t do this; it pains me to see you hurt.”
I pushed his hands away and stood up. Water streamed down my body as I stood naked before Evan and shouted, “Take me, I want you to take me.”
He wrapped a white bathrobe around me and carried me out, a bitter smile on my lips as I stayed in his arms.
He laid me on the bed and gently dried my long hair with a clean towel.
“You despise me,” I said sorrowfully.
He stopped wiping, placed a warm, moist kiss on my forehead, and looked into my eyes intently. “I, Evan, need you in my life. There’s no question of disdain. Whether you believe it or not, I need to tell you I love you.”
Before I could respond, his face buried into my neck, a warm tear trailing down.
I froze, my face a mixture of disbelief.
He had cried, that indomitable man shed tears. I had never thought someone like Evan could cry.
My hand twitched, but I still did not return his embrace.
“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I should have protected you. I deserve to die…”
That night, he held me, repeating those simple words over and over.
When a new life was born, we took our child to see the spring flowers in March. The shy blooms faced the sun. Evan, holding my hand, suddenly knelt before me and our child. “Avery, I, Evan, hereby pledge my life to you and our child. Will you accept me?”
Our child, waving tiny fists, cooed. I kissed those little fists and said, “Let’s ignore the big fool.”
I carried our child and walked away. Realizing Evan hadn’t followed, I turned back to find him still kneeling, a look of profound sadness on his face.
“Evan, You don't even prepare flowers or a ring. It seem insincere to me.Next year, we’ll come back to see the spring flowers again.Hope that you will be sincere then”
Evan, with a joyful expression, quichly caught up with me and our child.
