Chap 82
It had been three months since Flavia ran away. The first week of her departure, she spent hiding in her private residence. She didn’t meet anyone except Abigail. Her close friend and cousin always met her, accompanying her.
Although they didn’t talk much, Flavia was grateful for her understanding. Then, in the third week, Flavia contacted her uncle and asked him to pick her up at the airport. And here she was now, in Turkey. Flavia had been living with her uncle and aunt for two months. Visiting several places she wanted to visit. And yesterday, Flavia received news that Abigail was on her way to meet her. Abigail’s arrival in Turkey was what made Flavia decide not to return to her uncle’s house.
The doorbell rang, and Flavia smiled happily. She walked to the door with enthusiasm, but the smile vanished instantly, replaced by tears of joy when she saw a slender figure with dark circles under his eyes and disheveled hair standing before her. Although looking tired and disheveled, the man still appeared very charming to Flavia.
“Honey…” he whispered before entering the man’s embrace.
Gladwin hugged his petite wife’s body tightly as if he didn’t want to let go, repeatedly kissing her head accompanied by tears streaming down his cheeks.
For three long months, he had endured longing, and finally Flavia asked him to come after her. Without a plan, without many words, Gladwin immediately booked the fastest flight available. He didn’t care that it was the dead of night. He didn’t care about Abigail’s groans of fatigue as she had just returned from a photoshoot outside the city. And he also didn’t care about the patients waiting for his care.
“Come in,” Abigail pushed her uncle’s waist. “Can’t you two hold off on hugging at the doorstep like this?” Abigail grumbled wearily. She continued to push the couple further inside with both hands. Without releasing their embrace, Flavia guided her husband’s body towards the sofa. Meanwhile, Abigail lay down on the bed due to exhaustion.
Yes, Abigail was very tired because she had just returned from a photoshoot at a location far from her home when suddenly Flavia contacted her and asked her to convey to Gladwin to follow her to Turkey because Flavia couldn’t return anytime soon.
Stupidly, Abigail didn’t wait until the next day to convey this news to Gladwin. If only she had restrained herself and told Gladwin about Flavia’s request the next day, she could have given herself time to rest and recover from fatigue.
Abigail thought Gladwin would wait until the next day to leave, considering he should at least prepare their necessities. But it turned out, what her uncle did was beyond expectations. The old man entered their room, changed his clothes, grabbed a bag containing only two sets of spare clothes and important documents, and pulled Abigail out to follow him.
God, they weren’t just going to another city. They were about to embark on an international journey.
Her uncle immediately hired an online taxi service, and they headed straight to the international airport, booking plane tickets and enduring hours-long journey to Istanbul. Not to mention the nearly two-hour journey from the airport to the hotel. Abigail’s bones were already shattered.
But Abigail couldn’t scold her uncle because she knew how much Gladwin missed Flavia. Abigail could only comply with his wishes. And now, she regretted the intimacy she saw between the couple, which made her feel like nothing more than a decorative pillow for the bed.
Flavia was still in her husband’s embrace, which he hadn’t released since hugging and kissing her head and entire face. The pent-up longing had finally burst. Flavia accepted all of Gladwin’s gestures. The fear of being scolded by Gladwin for her sudden departure had vanished.
“Do you want something to eat?” Flavia finally asked.
Abigail groaned. She was too tired to feel hungry but didn’t refuse Flavia’s offer to order food. It was eleven o’clock at night when Flavia called the hotel and requested dinner for three.
“It seems we need to rent another room,” Gladwin said after Flavia finished her call.
“Do we have to?” Flavia asked, puzzled. She felt there was no need to rent another room because she planned to take Gladwin and Abigail to Gian’s residence tomorrow morning, but Gladwin nodded firmly.
Without much talk, Gladwin left the room and went down to the reception area to rent another room for himself and Flavia, while the room Flavia rented would be given to Abigail to occupy alone. Gladwin was sure that tomorrow-they, especially Abigail-would choose to spend time resting at the hotel rather than traveling again. Gladwin felt truly guilty towards Abigail for forcing his niece to leave immediately, especially when the girl was still very tired.
Gladwin already held the key to the other room, deliberately asking for it to be on the same floor as Flavia’s rented room. After that, he returned to the room and saw his wife coaxing Abigail to get up from her bed and eat.
The three of them ate together, and after everything was finished, Abigail collapsed back onto the bed.
Gladwin took Flavia out of the room, walking through the corridor to their own room. Gladwin’s rented room was slightly different from the one Flavia had booked. If Flavia’s room had a queen-size bed, Gladwin’s room had a king-size bed equipped with much more comprehensive facilities than what Flavia had ordered earlier.
As soon as the door closed, Gladwin hugged Flavia again and kissed her face gently, filled with longing.
“Sweety…” Flavia whispered.
“Never leave me again, please,” he pleaded, briefly kissing Flavia’s lips. “I truly felt pain, here.” Gladwin reached for Flavia’s hand and placed it on his left chest. Flavia bit her lower lip, trying to hold back tears, while Gladwin didn’t hesitate to shed tears.
“Forgive me. I know I’ve been cruel to you, but I did all this for us. I want Mom to know that you need me because I also need you so much. But I have nothing to guarantee that you can keep me.” He said, tears streaming down his face.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.