"I've come to take you with me!"
Those few simple words were like a shot of strength straight into the heart her parents had just broken.
Delia's tears spilled over again. They soaked the front of Linley's clothes, warm at first, then cooling.
All the waiting, all the hurt, all the restraint, all the longing of these past four years and more-at this moment, they all became those few words.
It had all been worth it.
This was the scene Deya Ryan and his wife saw when they reached the reception hall's entrance.
Inside the reception hall, two figures stood in an embrace. Sunlight poured through the high windows, bathing them in a golden halo. The light was so bright that it was almost impossible to look away.
Deya stopped at the doorway.
He opened his mouth but made no sound.
"Ahem."
He coughed.
Only then did Delia abruptly notice them. Her face flushed scarlet, the color spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. She hurriedly slipped out of Linley's embrace and stepped behind him.
But her hand never loosened its tight grip on the corner of Linley's clothes.
Her slender, fair fingers clutched the dark fabric so tightly that her knuckles turned slightly white.
At this moment, she had made her meaning perfectly clear-
There's no way you're keeping me from leaving!
Deya's gaze fell on his daughter's hand clutching Linley's clothes.
That hand was as white as jade, yet the force of her grip had turned it somewhat red.
It was as though she had grasped a treasure lost and found again, never to let go.
Just as the atmosphere grew delicate, another set of footsteps came swiftly from outside.
The newcomer's steps were hurried; he was almost jogging as he crossed the courtyard.
"Linley!"