Lilia tiptoed and rubbed Jean's head, like a mother comforting her sad child. That woman finally understood why Jean never took off his clothes in front of Lilia, even if only to change clothes. The man must have been hiding his scars.
"Jean…" just as Lilia whispered his name, the man's body stiffened.
She was surprised when she looked into Jean's eyes. But the man immediately looked away. Lilia tried to hug him even tighter, but that action actually made Jean's body stiffen.
"Jean, what's wrong?" Lilia asked in a worried tone.
"… You… hate…" Jean incoherently muttered in a small voice that disappeared in the wind.
"Sorry, what did you say? I can't hear you clearly." Lilia tiptoed and put an ear close to Jean's mouth so she didn't miss a word.
"I thought… you might hate me. Because I'm not the ideal man you can imagine." Jean said in a stiff tone.
Hearing that, Lilia's first reaction was to laugh out loud. The sound of her crisp laughter echoed through the neglected village. She controlled her laughter with great effort as Jean stared at her with a sullen face.
"Jean... I can never hate you." Lilia said while looking straight into the man's eyes. "No matter what, I'm on your side. I still remember how you protected me 14 years ago. Even if you are exhausted and seriously injured, you are still willing to sacrifice yourself for the little girl you don't know. I really admire you!"
A warm smile adorned Lilia's lips.
"Besides, I don't want to marry an ideal man!" Lilia continued cheerfully. "I want to marry a man who loves me with all his heart, is attentive even if a little overprotective, and willing to accept me as I am. I don't need the perfect guy — I just need the right guy. And you're the right man for me, Jean."
The man was stunned by Lilia's answer. His arms subconsciously moved on their own and hugged Lilia tightly. Jean's embrace felt much stronger than before, as if he was trying to merge into one with her.
The two of them hugged each other in silence, until the sun had completely set. When Jean finally released Lilia, their surroundings had turned dark. The atmosphere of the neglected village became even more terrifying than before.
Lilia rubbed his neck and asked something that had been bothering her from the start. "Jean, is the old friend you want to meet actually yourself?" Lilia asked.
Lilia and Jean's lives had never intersected until 14 years ago. None of them thought that they were destined to meet. Lilia guessed that Jean brought her here to remind her of their past. But more than that, Jean went here so that he could part with all the negative feelings he had had for 14 years.
Even Lilia, who never discriminated against someone based on their appearance, couldn't recognize that stray kid as Jean. She couldn't imagine how tormenting the life of being abducted would be for such a child. No wonder Jean looked so relieved when Lilia returned safely from the kidnapping in Milan.
But in Lilia's eyes, Jean was still the man she loved. Even if the same thing happened and the man fell into a tramp, Lilia wouldn't stop loving him. She fell in love not with Jean's good looks nor his wealth, but for something much more precious — his kindness.
After a long silence, Jean finally opened his mouth. "…Yes, you are right." He answered Lilia's question in a deep, cold voice.
Even though Jean had revealed their first meeting to Lilia, that didn't change what happened 14 years ago. Jean's blood always boiled whenever he remembered the torment he had endured. The man never stopped hating those who tormented him, but he was also grateful that he was able to meet this little girl.
Five days after Jean failed to escape for the eighth time, the Widjaya Family finally came to rescue him. All thanks to Lilia's call. The little girl provided the Widjaya Family with enough information to focus their search in the right place. They were finally able to find their young master who was kidnapped by the rival family.
At that time, the situation within the Widjaya Family itself was in chaos. It was caused by a plane crash that killed the head of the family and their wife and second son. The rival family took advantage of the chaos to kidnap Jean and locked him in a remote place far from civilization.
*****
The night grew cold and made Lilia start to shiver. Jean then took her back into the RV. The lights inside the RV were warm and illuminating against the darkness of the night.
Lilia initially thought that they were going to tour the village, but after hearing Jean's story, she abandoned her intention. This place only brought painful memories to Jean. Why did Lilia deliberately dig into that man's past wounds?
The two of them sat side by side on one of the beds. For a moment, they both fell silent. Lilia was trying to find something to say, while Jean waited patiently for her.
After a long silence, Lilia bit her lip and lowered her gaze. Then she muttered, "I lost my dad's cell phone after helping you call your family at that time."
Hearing that, the corner of Jean's mouth twitched as he suppressed a smile. The man looked at the side of Lilia's face with a gentle gaze. "I'll compensate you for that." he promised.
Lilia finally looked up and looked at Jean. Her expression was serious as she said, "I'm not sure if your compensation is enough. That cellphone was really expensive, you know. I guess you need to pay me… for the rest of your life."
At the end of her sentence, Lilia's lips puffed up into a wicked smile. She hoped that Jean grasped the meaning behind her words. Lilia wanted to show that she never hated Jean's past. Whatever happened back then wouldn't change her view of that man. She still loved Jean with all her heart!
For the first time since they arrived in the village, Jean laughed out loud. "You really…" he said as he pulled Lilia into his arms.
The two of them fell silent, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere between them. Lilia hugged Jean back, her hand stroking the man's back gently. She could feel the warmth of Jean's body through his thin clothes.
Then Lilia remembered something. She took a little distance from Jean and looked at the man with a serious face. "Jean, didn't you get whipped on your shoulder so badly? Then what happened? Does that leave a scar?" Lilia smacked the man.
Lilia still remembered the moment when the thorny whip tore into Jean's skin. She guessed that the man never took off his clothes in front of her because of the terrible scars from the whip.
Hearing Lilia's question, Jean reached out and stroked the woman's cheek. "Do you want to see it?" he softly asked.
Lilia immediately nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Yes, I want to see it." she replied.
She wanted to see the scars Jean suffered in order to protect him. No matter how bad the wound was, Lilia would not look away. At least, that was what she could do for the man who had protected her.
Surprise crossed the man's expression.. His fingers stopped moving as he studied Lilia's face closely. He asked in a careful voice, "Are you sure you won't regret it?"
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel