That Lady’s Stalker - Chapter 44
“Asher…”
Olivia traced her fingers gently over Asher’s face. She couldn’t believe that he was standing right in front of her. Hot tears silently soaked her face.
“Liv, I’m sorry I’m late.”
Asher wiped away Olivia’s tears, but no matter how many times he wiped, they wouldn’t stop flowing, and it broke his heart. Finally, with a tortured expression, he pulled her into his arms.
Her small, fragile shoulders trembled sorrowfully in his embrace.
“I missed you. I missed you so much.”
Unable to hold back any longer, Asher also broke down, tears streaming uncontrollably. Emotion surged from deep within him, spilling out.
Asher cupped Olivia’s face in his hands, bringing it closer, and kissed every inch of her face that he had longed for, even in his dreams. Her reddened eyelids from crying, her damp cheeks, her nose, forehead, and finally her lips.
Asher briefly looked down at Olivia, accepting her quietly in his arms, before kissing her rough, swollen lips once more. He gently pried open the slight gap between them, seeking her out, and tenderly soothed her, caressing her carefully and softly.
“Asher, Asher.”
Olivia pulled away from his lips and called out to him.
“Mm.”
At last, Asher responded, not with an empty, cold silence, but with a hoarse, shaken voice that stirred something in her. She could see the burning gaze of someone who was looking at her and only her.
The reality finally sank in, and Olivia pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him again.
Between them, there was no s****l tension, but rather a tenderness, as if they were simply confirming each other’s presence. Without breaking the kiss, they slowly undressed each other.
They were desperate for warmth, wanting to feel each other with every part of their bodies.
“I knew you’d come back. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Breathless from searching for Asher’s warmth, Olivia looked up at him.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I was late.”
Guilt washed over Asher’s face. Seeing Olivia, thin like a bare winter tree, made him feel like he was tearing himself apart.
“I’ve waited so long. I cried so much. I missed you so much.”
Olivia reached out and touched Asher’s face once more.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Liv.”
Asher rested his face in Olivia’s palm, overwhelmed with self-loathing for causing her so much pain.
“You’ve come back, and that’s enough. That’s all I need. Truly, that’s enough.”
It seemed Olivia understood his thoughts, as she gently soothed his heart.
“I missed you, Asher.”
Hold me. Olivia whispered softly. Asher, desperate, sought her warmth. Their bodies, burning with heat, tangled together.
He burrowed into Olivia’s embrace, moving gently as if to lick away the wounds she had borne.
Wrapped in her scent, feeling her presence, the tension in his body melted away in an instant. He was home again. Back to the sanctuary of her arms.
“Thank you. For waiting for me, for believing in me.”
Their bodies, pressed tightly together, comforted each other endlessly.
“I love you.”
The joy of their reunion, breaking through the wounds, slowly began to envelop them.
“I love you.”
Their foreheads touched, and with soft smiles, they shared a moment of beauty, as always.
* * *
Oliver stood on the third floor, looking out the window. He gazed down at the two faces below, radiant like flowers blooming in the morning dew.
Olivia’s joyful laughter echoed up the walls, tapping at the window. A small smile tugged at Oliver’s lips as he listened.
The Olivia who had once been brittle, like a winter branch, was no longer there. By Asher’s side, she looked more vibrant than the first buds of spring or a flower on the verge of blooming.
And, of course, Asher had changed as well. The man who had once stammered with a gloomy expression now carried a quiet smile on his face.
His gaze was fixed on Olivia, unwavering. It was clear from a distance that all his attention was on her.
“She’s really getting married…”
A bittersweet feeling stirred in Oliver. The smile that had come to his lips slowly faded into a trace of bitterness.
“If you’re happy, that’s all that matters, sis.”
Oliver genuinely wished for Olivia’s happiness. He hoped that their future together would always be bright.
But perhaps his wish had been too great. Olivia was too exuberantly, too roughly happy.
* * *
“Why! Why can’t I! It’s already summer!”
Suddenly, Olivia stormed into her father’s office, slamming her hands down on the desk, throwing a tantrum. With a frustrated sigh, her father, Duke Fernando Flonari, furrowed his brows and pressed them together with his fingers.
Oliver, who had been gradually learning his father’s work, also covered his ears at Olivia’s outburst.
“Liv, I’ve said this more than fifty times! There’s a process for marriage! And especially when it comes to a union with the imperial family, that process is even more complicated! How many times do I have to say this?!”
Her father, red in the face, pointed a finger at Olivia as she persistently insisted on marrying Asher.
But who was Olivia? The stubborn, spoiled one in their house. If her determination could be swayed so easily by her father’s temper, she would never have earned those nicknames at home.
