Chapter 2
3041 Words
"Yes, my love. And you owe me big time."
Vermont said it with an evil smile.
Therese gulped.
For a moment, she could only stare at him. There was something unsettling about the way he looked at her-as if he were studying a
memory he had spent twenty years trying to bury.
She had never seen this side of him.
One look at his face was enough to tell her that she had made a terrible mistake.
He was a threat.
And she must never, ever make the mistake of underestimating him.
"Vermont..." she whispered.
His smile widened.
"Oh, don't look so frightened, Sister Therese." His voice was almost playful. "I haven't done anything to you."
"Yet," she thought.
He tilted his head. "What's wrong? You used to be quite fearless."
"That was a long time ago."
"Yes." His eyes darkened. "It was."
The warmth disappeared from his expression.
Therese lowered her gaze.
For a moment, she allowed herself to breathe.
Then she slowly pulled herself together.
She refused to let him see how much his presence unsettled her. She lifted her chin, composed herself, and offered him a small,
almost effortless smile.
It was the kind of smile she had learned to wear through years of silence, prayer, and service.
But Vermont saw through it immediately.
Therese met his piercing gaze again.
"It's good to see you again, Vermont, after so many years." Her voice was calm, though her fingers were quietly tightening
around one another. "I never thought life would bring us together again in this way."
Vermont stared at her.
Then he chuckled.
A low, amused sound.
Therese's smile faltered slightly.
"Twenty years," he murmured.
"Yes."
"And that's all you have to say?"
She blinked. "What else should I say?"
"I don't know." He shrugged casually. "Perhaps something more interesting."
"I only meant that it is a strange coincidence."
"Coincidence?"
"Yes."
He smiled.
"No, Therese. I don't believe in coincidences."
She fell silent.
Vermont leaned back against the table, crossing his arms.
He knew exactly what she was doing.
She was trying to change the subject.
Trying to make this encounter polite.
Safe.
As though twenty years had erased everything that happened between them.
How convenient.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Fine.
If she wanted to play pretend, then he would play along.
"You're right," he said lightly. "It is good to see you again."
Therese looked surprised by the sudden change in his tone.
Vermont smiled more warmly.
Almost like the old Vermont.
Almost.
"So," he continued, "tell me, Sister Therese-"
"I am so happy to know that you really won in life." Therese quickly cut him off, her voice turning noticeably brighter. "What I mean is... look at you. You're a millionaire-"
"Billionaire," he corrected.
Therese blinked.
Then she gave a small laugh.
"Yes. Billionaire."
She smiled at him, deliberately keeping her tone cheerful, as though she could somehow lighten the atmosphere between them.
"I am so proud that you've come this far."
Vermont stared at her for a moment.
Then one corner of his mouth lifted.
"Proud?"
"Yes."
"That's an interesting word."
Therese tilted her head. "Why?"
"Because I don't remember asking for your approval."
Her smile froze.
Vermont gave a quiet chuckle, clearly enjoying the discomfort he had caused.
"But thank you," he added casually. "I suppose."
Therese exhaled softly.
"You've always been ambitious."
"Have I?"
"Yes. Even when we were young."
"Were you paying attention to me back then?"
The question caught her off guard.
"Of course I was."
His smile faded for just a second.
"Apparently not enough."
Therese's heart skipped.
But before she could respond, Vermont's familiar cold smile returned.
"Anyway," he said, almost dismissively, "I'm glad you're proud of me."
"If only you knew how rich I am now, maybe you'd regret leaving me."
He said it with a smile, but the bitterness beneath his words was impossible to miss.
Therese forced a small smile.
"It's great for you. When you have a lot of money, you can be a blessing to others as well. But as for me, I am happy with where I am now. Maybe we really have different paths ahead of us, that's why-"
"Different paths?"
Vermont repeated the words slowly.
The smile remained on his lips, but something in his eyes changed.
Therese swallowed.
"Yes."
"That's what you call it?"
"What else would you call it?"
He gave a quiet laugh and looked away for a moment.
"Vermont..."
"Tell me." He turned back to her. "Go on. Tell me about these different paths."
Therese hesitated.
"I don't mean anything bad by it."
"Of course not."
His sarcasm was unmistakable.
"You found your path," he continued. "I found mine. You became a woman of God. I became a billionaire."
He paused.
"And somehow, we're supposed to believe that everything that happened between those two paths was just fate?"
Therese's expression softened.
"I never said that."
"But you implied it."
"I was only trying to say that perhaps life simply took us in different directions."
"Life?"
Vermont chuckled.
"That's a convenient word."
Therese frowned. "What do you mean?"
He stepped closer.
"Because blaming life is easier than admitting that we made choices."
Her breath caught.
Vermont watched her carefully.
"You made yours."
His voice was quieter now.
"And I made mine."
Therese looked down.
"I don't regret becoming a nun."
"I didn't ask if you did. Why are you defending yourself?"
She fell silent.
A satisfied smile slowly appeared on his face.
"There it is."
"What?"
"That look."
"What look?"
"The one you always had whenever you knew you were losing an argument."
Therese almost smiled despite herself.
"Anyway, the past is the past. Let's forget it. It doesn't sound significant anymore."
Vermont said it casually as he took a few steps away from her.
Therese released a slow breath.
Only then did she realize how tightly she had been holding it.
For a moment, she felt as though she had finally been freed from suffocation.
Maybe the conversation was over.
Then Vermont stopped.
He turned his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
"I never thought you owned this facility."
Therese looked at him.
His lips curved into a faint smile.
She frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
He turned toward the door again, then casually added,
"And don't think I made this effort because you're here."
Therese's eyes widened slightly.
"I never thought that."
"Good."
He reached for the doorknob.
"Everything was just random."
The words were delivered with such indifference that Therese felt a strange ache in her chest.
Random.
So that was what their reunion was to him.
A coincidence.
An accident.
Nothing more.
She forced herself to remain composed.
Then Vermont looked back at her.
His gaze swept over her habit, lingering for a moment before returning to her face.
"I have to admit..."
A faint, almost amused smile appeared.
"I'm disappointed. Seeing you become a nun."
The words were simple, but they struck harder than she expected.
"I just expected more from you, " he added.
Therese stared at him. Before she could say a thing, he stepped outside.
The door slowly began to close behind him.But just before it shut completely, his voice came one last time.
"Take care of yourself, Sister Therese."
A beat of silence.
The door closed.
Therese remained frozen in the middle of the room. She didn't know what frightened her more- the hatred in his voice, or the fact that beneath it, she could still hear the feelings echoed from the past.
Therese shook her head and took a deep breath.
She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering the pieces of herself before whispering a prayer.
"I just pray for him. May he find forgiveness in his heart."
Her voice was soft, almost pleading.
She opened her eyes and hurried out of the office.
She walked faster through the corridor, her habit brushing lightly against her ankles as she made her way back toward the veranda where Sheila and Vermont had been earlier.
Perhaps they were still there.
Perhaps she could at least say goodbye properly.
But when she reached the veranda, she stopped.
They were gone.
The chairs were empty.
The quiet presence that had filled the place only moments ago had vanished, leaving behind nothing but the fading traces of their visit.
Therese looked around.
Only the facility staff remained, busy gathering their things.
"Where did they go?" she asked, slightly breathless.
One of the staff members looked up.
"They left a few minutes ago, Lady."
Therese nodded slowly.
"Oh."
She turned toward the driveway.
Nothing.
Not even the shadow of the car remained.
For some reason, she felt disappointed.
She didn't understand why.
She had spent the entire conversation wishing for it to end.
Yet now that Vermont was gone, the silence he left behind felt strangely heavier than his presence.
Therese pressed a hand lightly against her chest.
"Lord..."
She lowered her gaze.
"Please guide him."
She paused.
Then, almost unconsciously, she whispered,
"And forgive him... for whatever pain he carries."
She didn't know that somewhere beyond the gates, inside the black car disappearing into the distance, Vermont sat silently in the back seat.
His face remained cold, his eyes fixed on the passing scenery.
But his hand was clenched tightly around something hidden in his palm.
The rosary.
The one Therese had just given him.
He looked down at it.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
His thumb slowly moved over the smooth beads, remembering the way her fingers had placed it in his hand earlier.
A bitter smile touched his lips.
"So you still haven't changed," he murmured.
He should have thrown it away.
He should have left it behind on the desk.
He should have refused to take anything from her.
Instead, he had slipped it into his pocket.
And now he was holding it like it meant something.
Vermont scoffed at himself and tightened his grip.
"Ridiculous."
He turned his face toward the window.
Outside, the world continued moving as though nothing had happened.
Vermont closed his eyes.
The steady hum of the engine faded into the background, and for a moment, the world around him seemed to disappear.
His fingers tightened around the rosary.
And then-
Twenty years ago.
A different world.
A different Vermont.
Before the money.
Before the power.
Before the bitterness that had hardened every corner of his heart.
He could almost hear her laughter again.
Soft.
Pure.
Unrestrained.
Therese
It was Therese's eighteenth birthday.
The garden had been transformed into a little world of its own.
Warm lights hung from the branches of the trees, glowing like tiny stars above the gathering. Colorful ribbons swayed gently in the evening breeze, while flowers decorated the tables scattered across the lawn. Laughter filled the air, mixed with the clinking of glasses and the lively music of a local band playing near the center of the garden.
Her classmates had come dressed in their best.
So had Vermont's closest friends.
It was the kind of night that felt too beautiful to end.
And at the center of it all sat Therese.
She wore a simple but elegant gown that made her look almost ethereal beneath the golden lights. Her hair fell softly around her shoulders, and her face carried the unmistakable glow of an eighteen-year-old girl celebrating one of the most beautiful nights of her youth.
Then the music changed.
The guitarist played the opening chords of a familiar song.
A few of the guests cheered.
Vermont stepped forward.
He was young, handsome, and completely unaware of how effortlessly he could make Therese's heart race.
He took the microphone from the singer and exchanged a playful grin with his friends.
"Happy birthday, Therese."
Everyone applauded.
Therese laughed shyly.
Then the music began.
Vermont started singing "Love of a Lifetime."
His voice wasn't perfect.
But it didn't have to be.
Because he wasn't singing for everyone.
He was singing for her.
Throughout the song, his eyes kept finding hers across the garden.
Therese tried to look away.
She couldn't.
Every time their eyes met, Vermont smiled.
And every time he smiled, her heart seemed to forget how to beat properly.
Then came the line-
"I finally found the love of a lifetime..."
Therese's heart throbbed.
Her cheeks warmed.
She lowered her gaze, trying desperately to hide her smile from her classmates.
But when she looked up again, Vermont was still looking directly at her.
The song ended with a final strum of the guitar.
For a heartbeat, the garden fell quiet.
Then the entire gathering erupted into applause and cheers.
Vermont lowered the microphone, grinning as his friends whistled and shouted from the crowd.
He looked toward Therese.
She was already blushing.
Vermont's grin turned mischievous.
He slowly walked toward the edge of the makeshift stage, then turned his attention toward a distinguished man seated among the guests.
"Mr. Caleb Marshal?"
Therese's eyes widened.
Her father looked up.
Vermont raised the microphone again, barely able to contain his laughter.
"Can I finally kiss your daughter, sir?"
The garden exploded with laughter and teasing cheers.
Therese covered her face with both hands.
"Vermont!"
Her classmates laughed even louder.
Mr. Marshal shook his head with an amused smile.
For a moment, he simply stared at the young man who had been courting his daughter with such earnestness.
Then he finally nodded.
The crowd erupted.
Cheers, whistles, and applause filled the garden.
Vermont laughed, clearly delighted by the permission.
He handed the microphone back to the singer and stepped down from the stage.
Therese's heart pounded as he approached.
"Don't you dare," she whispered, though the smile on her lips betrayed her.
Vermont stopped in front of her.
"Your father said yes."
"You're impossible."
"I've been waiting for his permission for years."
"You're exaggerating."
"Not at all."
He offered his hand.
"Come on, birthday girl."
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