Irresistible Touch

Chapter 10

William:

I had always been in love with Lilian ever since I was a young boy. She was the prettiest girl I had ever seen in my life.

So that I could protect her, I trained myself as hard as I could, and through countless toil and hard work, I finally came out as the most outstanding Beta in our town.

Many girls professed their love for me, but I rejected them all. That was because Lilian had been occupying my heart for a long time. It was filled up by her, leaving no space for any other woman.

I loved her so much that I was willing to give my life for her.

I thought that we would surely have a happy end together. We would make a happy family, have our own kids, and enjoy a blissful life together.

However, something happened to Lilian's family when I was 19.

Her father was tricked and forced to take on a large debt. The loan sharks broke into her home and snapped her father's leg. They even tried to capture her to pay the debt.

By the time I ran over to help after hearing the news, the usurers had been driven away by the angry neighbors. Their house was a mess and her mother was crying with her crippled husband in her arms, whereas she sat in a corner with a hollow gaze, in shock from what she had just experienced.

I hurriedly ran over and shook her to try and wake her from her stupor, calling her name anxiously, "Lilian, Lilian!"

I was truly afraid then, worried that she would go mad from the sudden happenings.

Fortunately, my efforts seemed to pay off. Light returned to her eyes and she went back to normal.

"William! I… I need money, lots of it…" Her speech was very soft. If I had not leaned in, I might not even have caught it.

I had already heard about the insane debt that her father was forced to take on. For ordinary people like us, it was an amount that we could never come by even if we sold all our belongings and stopped eating and drinking for the rest of our lives.

I wanted to help her, but what could I do? It was simply impossible for me to have such an exorbitant amount of money.

In an instant, I was seized by my own powerlessness.

William, did you not say that you loved Lilian? Did you not swear that your love for her was stronger than your life? Then, why were you so weak when she needed your help?

I was useless, useless… William, you useless bastard!

I was unable to help. I could not answer her, I could not pull her out of this muddy swamp she was in, and all I could do was curse myself for everything I could not do for her.

A few days later, Lilian left town. Her parents told me that Lilian had met a wealthy old woman and that the kind woman had offered to pay off the debt for her on the condition that she worked as her maid for three years.

Could such a generous person really exist? To pay off one's debt with just three years of menial labor?

I was very suspicious of that claim.

Nonetheless, I dared not voice my opinion in front of her parents.

They loved dear Lilian so much and had encountered so much misfortune already. I did not wish to burden them further with such worries.

Lilian disappeared almost overnight, evaporating like a wisp of smoke. I searched desperately for three years to find any sign of her, but I found nothing.

A grueling three year wait. It was enough time for me to assume the worst.

I was worried and afraid, yet so powerless to do anything.

See, William? You were just a useless man who could not even protect the woman you loved!

When the three-year time period was reaching an end, my feet brought me to Lilian's neighborhood each day by instinct, hoping that I could see that familiarly beautiful face once again.

One fine day, thank God, Lilian had finally returned! She was finally home!

I was so nervous when I saw her again that I had no idea where to put my hands.

She became far more charming than I could ever remember, and she smiled at me, a smile long-missed, one that I thought I would never see again.

I just wanted to run up to her and pull her into my arms, to tell her just how much I loved her, but I feared rejection.

Even more than that, being the coward that I was, I was worried that she had someone else she fancied. I visited her family often so her father knew well about our close relationship. However, I had no idea how he would react if I asked for his daughter's hand in marriage.

I stumbled over a clumsy question, asking how long she would be here. When I found out that she planned to stay indefinitely, I was about to stop, drop, and roll on the ground out of sheer happiness.

In the end, I ran away after blurting the barely coherent question.

I did not get a wink of sleep that night, because my mind was full of her.

I had no idea what she had gone through in the past three years nor did I want to know. I knew I loved her just as much as I did before so it did not matter to me what she did. I was just happy that she could return safely.

I made up my mind to confess my feelings for her, but she was not at home that day. I wondered whether she would be at the hill she frequented as a child, so I looked for her there.

Praise be to God, she really was there, and she was treating me the same way as she did before as if the three years had never happened.

I was too nervous to approach her, but I had never expected that it would make her angry.

When I saw her scowl and viciously accuse me of suspecting her of being a witch, I did not feel angry at all. I even found it cute, so cute that I ended up getting a reaction down below. I just wished I could pin her down right then and have my way with her.

Oh no, William! How could you be so shameless? She was supposed to be your goddess, the love of your life!

After scolding myself inwardly for my uncouth thoughts, I plucked up the courage to confess to her. Unexpectedly, the confession scared her so much that she ran away.

In order to avoid me, Lilian had even gone to the town nearby to stay with her aunt for a few days. I was frustrated, but not discouraged.

I counted the days and just before she was about to return, I hand-picked plenty of her favorite fruit and sent it to her home.

I could tell that her parents were very fond of me, and I also tried my best to gain favor with them. That was because I knew that her parents were the people that Lilian cherished most in her life.

Of course, I would also become one of her cherished ones in the future.

Lilian had finally returned. She was clearly perturbed as to why I would suddenly show up at her house, but she must have known that she could not hide from me any longer, so she asked me to follow her to the top of that hill.

I was rejected. I expected it, but at the same time, I did not.

In fact, I had long known that Lilian bore no feelings for me, but I had been waiting for a miracle all this while. Reality proved, however, that though miracles existed, I was not lucky enough to receive one.

I was sad, completely shattered, but I could tell that Lilian did not wish to lose the best friend she had grown up with.

I love you, Lilian. I love you so much, so I would do my best to fulfill any wish you had.

Since you hoped that I could be your friend forever, then I would stay by your side as your friend for as long as I lived, until the day you need me no more.

I never thought that someone would try and kill Lilian, however. Why would anyone try to hurt such a pretty girl? Who could be behind this?

Worried that she would be in danger again, I followed her secretly to protect her. Sure enough, her life was threatened again the very next day.

With God as my witness, I swore that I would find the bastard behind this and make them pay the price for their actions!