“Then why is there still so much distance?” he asked, tension seeping into his voice. “Why are you keeping yourself away from him when his life has been on hold, waiting this long for you?”
Mia looked at him, stunned, her hands tightening in her lap. “...This long?”
Magnus sighed and bent slightly, then sat down beside her. He leaned back against the chair, turning his body toward her so he could look at her properly.
“Hasn’t he told you yet?”
Mia stayed silent.
Her silence was answer enough.
Magnus exhaled slowly and continued, his voice lowering.
“Do you remember when you went to your grandparents’ house as a young teenager?” he asked. “You met a slightly older boy there—the one who used to bring you flowers. He lived across from you. The rich family’s house. One of the biggest houses in the village.”
Mia’s eyes softened as a distant memory stirred. A young boy with an arrogant temper and an oversized ego—yet oddly gentlewith her. The details were hazy, his face unclear, but the feeling lingered.
She nodded faintly. “Yeah… I remember a little.”
“That boy was Alexander,” Magnus said quietly.
Mia’s breath hitched.
“You might not remember him clearly,” he continued, his voice tight, “but he remembers everything, every moment with you. Do you know how he lived all these years? Looking for you. Waiting to see you again—only to find out you’d married someone else when he went overseas.”
Mia’s body stiffened.
Her fingers trembled as her chest tightened, the weight of his words crashing down on her all at once.
“That’s why he has so many pictures of you,” Magnus continued, his voice low but steady. He leaned back slightly in the chair, one arm resting against the armrest as his gaze stayed fixed on Mia. “He liked you back then. A lot. He planned to propose to you after finishing his studies.”
Mia’s shoulders stiffened.
“He wanted to prove himself,” Magnus added. “But before he could return… he found out you’d married James.”
The words landed like a blow.
Mia’s body went rigid, a faint tremor running through her arms as the meaning sank in. Her fingers curled into her palms, nails biting into skin she barely felt.
“And now that you’re no longer truly in his life,” Magnus continued, his tone turning colder, sharper, “he’s back to beinglike this again—breaking everything, picking fights, risking himself without a second thought. All for you.”
Memories rushed through Mia’s mind, sharp and vivid. She remembered those weeks long ago—the friends she’d made, Alexander’s quiet, lingering presence. She had never realized he’d been there for her… or that he had fallen in love with her. He had never said a word. Not once.
Never once thought that he had been there for her like that.
That he had fallen in love with her.
He had never said a word. Not once.
Magnus’ expression hardened as he continued.
“I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty,” he said. “Or to burden you with his choices. I’m telling you because maybe—if you stop being angry at him for hiding certain things, if you just… let it be—he might finally stop clinging to you so desperately.”
His eyes flicked briefly toward the operation theatre before returning to her.
“But if you keep pushing him away, ignoring him, provoking him,” he said bluntly, “he’ll only get more aggressive.”
A beat.
