CHAPTER 21. Sad Comeback
2014 Words
“You’re unbelievable, brother,” Axel mocked while leaning lazily against the railing of the yacht. “You just got engaged yesterday, and now you’re already thinking about another girl.”
Gabriel ignored the teasing tone and continued arranging supplies inside the yacht’s cabin—checking ropes, fuel containers, emergency lights, and other things he would need for sailing.
“She’s not just another girl,” he retorted flatly without looking at Axel.
Axel let out an exaggerated gasp.
“Ooh, listen to that,” he teased with a grin. “You said the exact same thing about Meryl before.”
Gabriel’s jaw tightened slightly at the mention of her name.
“But Crystal is different,” he said firmly. “She would never choose money over me.”
The bitterness in his voice was impossible to miss.
Memories of Meryl flooded his mind again—how quickly she accepted his father’s offer, how easily she walked away from him the moment millions were placed in front of her. Back then, Gabriel truly believed she loved him. Yet in the end, greed won.
That betrayal was one of the reasons he no longer believed in relationships.
And although he agreed to the engagement with Rachel, it was never because he loved her.
His father had sworn that the wedding would not happen for another two years. Rachel herself had no interest in settling down yet. At only nineteen, she still wanted freedom—parties, clubs, luxury vacations, and attention from everyone around her. The engagement was merely a formality to secure the agreement between their families.
Besides, Rachel had been obsessing over Gabriel for years.
Little did everyone know, Gabriel had already decided there would never be a wedding between them.
“You can’t really be sure about that,” Axel continued while following Gabriel around the deck. “You barely know Crystal. Meanwhile, you knew Meryl for years, and she still betrayed you the second someone offered her millions.”
He smirked.
“What a greedy sweetheart.”
“Shut up already,” Gabriel muttered irritably while pulling a thick rope with one hand and securing it tightly. “You talk too much. If you’re not helping, at least stop annoying me.”
Axel laughed loudly.
Gabriel exhaled heavily.
Ever since returning to Creekwood, Crystal had completely occupied his mind. No matter how hard he tried distracting himself—with work, meetings, business deals, or even thoughts of Meryl—it never worked.
Crystal always found her way back into his thoughts. He dreamed about her almost every night. And every morning he woke up feeling emptier than before.
Sometimes he desperately wanted to see her face again, but since he had no photograph of her, all he could do was close his eyes and remember every detail.
Her thick black curly hair.
Her cute narrow nose and her mesmerizing hazel silver-blue eyes that she clearly inherited from her father.
Her soft lips—how shyly they moved against his.
Her olive-toned skin that felt unbelievably soft beneath his fingertips.
And most unforgettable of all…
Her shimmering green-silver tail.
The way it sparkled beautifully beneath the sunlight. The graceful yet powerful movement of it underwater. The sharp fins that glimmered like precious gemstones whenever she swam. Even now, remembering her made his chest tighten painfully.
“Are you really doing this?” Axel asked, finally sounding more serious. “Does your father even know you’re leaving again?”
Gabriel grabbed another bag and placed it near the steering area.
“I already informed Ryan about my appointments,” he answered. “And Dad doesn’t need to know. I’ll only be gone for a few days.”
Axel slowly smirked again.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning to continue your unfinished business with her.” He wiggled his eyebrows teasingly. “Wow. Now this sounds interesting.”
Gabriel shot him an annoyed glare.
“And what about Rachel?” Axel added.
“I don’t care about her,” Gabriel answered shortly.
Then he paused.
For a moment, his expression softened.
“I just…” he murmured quietly while fixing the final rope on deck. “I just really want to see Crystal again.”
Axel stared at him with amusement.
Gabriel sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair.
“I feel like I’m losing my mind,” he admitted honestly. “Every day that passes without seeing her feels unbearable.”
Axel burst out laughing.
“What did you just say?” he asked dramatically. “Gabriel Anderson? Losing his mind over a girl?”
Gabriel ignored the mockery and leaned briefly against the railing.
“Last night at the Alonzo courtyard…” he began quietly, “I thought I saw her.”
Axel raised an eyebrow.
“But it wasn’t her,” Gabriel continued. “Just another woman.”
Still, his chest tightened at the memory.
“But her voice…” he muttered. “It sounded exactly like Crystal’s.”
Axel smirked knowingly.
“Yeah,” he said. “You’re completely demented.”
Gabriel surprisingly chuckled softly.
“I know.”
For a moment, silence settled between them, broken only by the gentle crashing of the waves against the yacht.
“You’re seriously making me curious about this Crystal,” Axel said while shaking his head. “I actually want to meet her now.”
Gabriel started the engine.
“I’m leaving,” he announced firmly. “Now get off the yacht.”
Axel crossed his arms.
“I suddenly feel like coming with you.”
“No,” Gabriel answered immediately. “Not even in your dreams.”
“Oh, come on—”
“Axel.”
His serious tone finally made Axel surrender.
“Fine,” Axel sighed dramatically while stepping away. “But don’t forget to mention my name to her.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“Whatever.”
Axel laughed while jumping off the yacht onto the dock.
“Good luck chasing your Crystal, brother!”
Gabriel ignored him completely and focused on steering away from the harbor.
It was already late in the afternoon when Gabriel finally arrived near the island.
He carefully docked his yacht beside the familiar shore where Crystal always waited for her transformation every sunset.
The moment he stepped onto the sand, excitement immediately filled his chest. A grin remained plastered on his face as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
Today, he looked unusually relaxed and carefree.
He wore black shorts and a fitted white v-neck shirt that perfectly outlined his muscular build. A navy-blue baseball cap shaded part of his handsome face while dark sunglasses completed his effortless appearance.
He looked like someone enjoying a vacation. But in reality, he came only for one person.
Crystal.
Thinking of surprising her, Gabriel removed his shoes and comfortably sat on the warm sand.
The ocean breeze brushed against his skin while waves gently reached his feet. He smiled to himself while imagining Crystal’s reaction once she saw him.
However, as time slowly passed, his smile gradually faded.
The sun was lowering already. Yet nobody appeared.
No Crystal, neither Christian or Aya.
Gabriel frowned slightly and stood up.
“What’s taking them so long?” he muttered.
Usually, they would already be preparing for Crystal’s switch around this time. But the shore remained completely empty. Only the sound of waves answered him.
Uneasiness slowly crept into his chest.
The sunset painted the sky with deep shades of orange, blue, and purple while Gabriel stared restlessly at the ocean.
“Crystal?” he called softly.
No answer. His worry deepened.
Without wasting another second, he hurried toward the path leading to the cabin hidden within the forest.
Dry leaves crunched loudly beneath his footsteps while towering trees surrounded him on both sides.
The deeper he went, the more uneasy he became.
Then finally—
Gabriel froze.
His eyes widened in horror. The cabin was gone. Everything had been burned to ashes.
“Oh, no…” he whispered breathlessly.
His heartbeat pounded violently inside his chest as he quickly ran toward the destroyed area.
“What happened here?”
The entire place was blackened and ruined. Burned wood, ashes, and smoke-stained debris covered the ground. Nothing remained.
Gabriel frantically searched around the area for clues.
Anything.
A sign.
A footprint.
But there was nothing.
Fear overwhelmed him.
“Crystal!” he shouted loudly.
Only silence answered him.
“Crystal!”
His voice echoed through the forest desperately.
Darkness soon swallowed the island, and the only source of light came from his phone. Gabriel hurried back toward the shore while continuously yelling her name.
“Crystal!”
The cold wind from the ocean blew harshly against him, but still there was no response. Panic tightened around his chest. He climbed back onto the yacht and immediately pulled up the anchor before starting the engine again.
He sailed toward the area where Christian usually docked his yacht.
But it was gone too.
Gabriel gritted his teeth and steered toward the other side of the island.
“She has to be here somewhere,” he muttered anxiously.
Again and again, he searched every place he could think of.
“Crystal!” he shouted desperately into the darkness.
“Where are you?!”
But the island remained terrifyingly silent.
The entire night passed with Gabriel searching nonstop.
Back and forth. From the burnt cabin, to the shore… to the surrounding waters…
Over and over again.
At one point, he even left a sign behind in case Crystal returned. Using ashes from the destroyed cabin, he wrote the word Gabe onto a white towel and tied it around a nearby tree branch.
Now exhausted, Gabriel sat weakly on the yacht’s deck. His limbs felt numb from fatigue. Slowly, his fingers tightened around the pearl bracelet Crystal once gave him.
He stared at it silently.
“Crystal…” he whispered brokenly.
“I’m back.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“So where are you?”
Exhaustion eventually forced Gabriel into sleep.
“Why are you crying?”
A young boy crouched down near the narrow space beneath the grand staircase of a mansion, peeking curiously at the little girl hiding there.
The girl sniffled loudly while wiping her wet cheeks.
“I feel sad for the poor lobster,” she answered between hiccups.
The boy blinked in confusion.
“What?”
“Grandpa killed the lobster!” the little girl cried loudly before bursting into tears again.
Her wailing echoed throughout the mansion.
Servants immediately began searching around in panic.
“Where’s the crying coming from?”
“Did something happen to the young Lady?”
“Hurry!”
The boy beside her only stared helplessly while the girl continued sobbing dramatically over the lobster.
Once again, he dreamed about the mysterious little boy and girl.
The scene felt strangely familiar.
But no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t remember whether it truly happened in his past or not.
Morning sunlight hit his face. Gabriel woke up abruptly.
For a moment, confusion crossed his face before reality returned.
Crystal.
Immediately, he forced himself to stand. But the moment he tried, his knees suddenly gave out beneath him.
He stumbled painfully onto the deck floor.
“Damn…” he groaned weakly.
His body was completely exhausted from searching the entire night without rest.
Still, he refused to stop.
Using a thick tree branch as support, Gabriel slowly made his way back toward the ruined cabin. Every step felt heavy. Yet he continued.
When he arrived, nothing had changed.
The sight of the destroyed home still felt unreal.
Gabriel placed a hand over his chest while breathing shakily.
His heart felt as though someone was crushing it mercilessly from the inside.
Slowly, he sat beneath a nearby tree to regain his strength before searching underwater again later.
The morning breeze moved quietly around him while he stared silently at the burnt remains in front of him.
And for the first time in years…
Gabriel truly felt afraid.
- Writer
