Abandoned In Wasteland, He Rode To Me

Chapter 7

My mind went blank. A deafening buzz filled my head.

Damian's voice continued over the line. "Even if I don't agree, my parents will force me to marry... Vivienne, don't cry. I..."

His voice cut off the moment he saw me. A flash of panic crossed Damian's eyes, and he lowered his voice. "I'll call you back later."

He hung up in a hurry and walked toward me. "Celeste, when did you come out?"

I stepped back, I went numb with shock. Before I could even speak, tears spilled over, and my breath hitched in a tremor. "Damian, I never asked you to take responsibility, and I never forced you to marry me..."

Damian scrambled to pull out a handkerchief to wipe my tears. "That's not what I meant. You misunderstood..."

I clenched my fingers, my eyes red as I stared at him. "Then what did you mean?"

I had buried my feelings for him for years, but I couldn't do it anymore. I needed a clear answer, no matter how much it hurt. "Damian, do you like me? After all these years, what exactly is our relationship?"

Damian fell silent. After a long while, he finally said, "Celeste, now isn't the time to discuss this. Vivienne isn't doing well; I need to check on her."

For an adult, a refusal to answer is an answer in itself. It was as if I were being held underwater, unable to catch my breath. But I was stubborn; I needed that answer. "Damian, just answer my question."

He frowned, finally answering, "Celeste, I've always cherished you like a little sister and considered you my best friend..."

"Really? Just friends?"

This time, Damian didn't hesitate. "Just friends."

Inexplicably, though my heart ached, a strange sense of relief washed over me. Perhaps for all these years, I had been the one who was wrong. I shouldn't have let his words build up expectations, hoping that a childhood sweetheart would treat me like a boyfriend would...

I took a deep breath to steady myself and said to him, "Go."

Damian left. Before going, he left one final remark. "I'm just going to check on Vivienne. I'll be back for your father's sky burial. We can talk about this then."

I couldn't spare him another thought. I was busy keeping my father's remains at the monastery while we waited for the sky burial slot. I stayed there, too, listening to the tribal priest chant scriptures every day. I would also hear them speak of a powerful man who protected the peace of this land...

The tribal priest, seeing me looking so forlorn, tried to comfort me. "Why are you troubled, child?"

I bowed to the tribal priest and voiced the question that had been haunting me for days. "I have been obsessed with someone for a long time, so long that I've forgotten if I truly love them or not..."

The tribal priest pressed his palms together and whispered a prayer. "Child, companionship isn't love. Obsession and duty aren't love, either."

I didn't understand. "Then... what is love?"

The tribal priest chuckled softly. "The world is full of beauty, but only a racing heart is love."

A racing heart...

For some reason, at that word, the tall, robed figure in the moonlight flashed through my mind...

I stood there in a daze until someone called out to me.

"Miss Sterling, come quickly. We need to discuss your father's sky burial..."

I snapped back to reality and hurried through the long corridor, eager to see the schedule for my father's sky burial. Just as I rushed around the corner, the sunlight reflecting off the Sacred Peak blinded me for a second. Through the glare, I saw a tall man in a black tribal robe brushing past me, silhouetted against the light...

As I turned the corner, the familiar scent of pine resin drifted through the air.

My heart gave a violent jolt, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Instinctively, I turned back to chase after the figure, but when I ran back, the long corridor was empty.

Yet, I was almost certain it was Kael.

An indescribable sense of loss washed over me, and my fists clenched of their own accord. Before I could process this strange feeling, my phone rang.

I clutched my chest, answered the call, and was met with Damian's furious voice.

"Celeste! If you wanted to force me to marry you, you didn't have to go telling the whole world! What good does it do you to leak this kind of thing?!"

I was stunned by the sudden accusation. "What are you talking about? Who did I tell anything to?"

Damian pressed on, "Are you telling me you didn't leak this? You didn't hire the paparazzi? My parents are threatening to strip me of my responsibilities at the company. Are you happy now?!"

I took a deep breath, frowning, and opened Buzz, an app I hadn't used in a long time. As soon as it loaded, the trending topics popped up one after another.

#DamianAndAssistantInTheWildlands

#TheDeathOfLegendaryDirectorSebastian

#ChildhoodSweetheartsTornApart

#TheFutureMrsHawthorneReplaced