My Former Lover Didn't Die And Came Back - Chapter 53

She loved Cedric. When she thought he had died, she loved him so passionately that she wanted to follow him in death. She still dislikes him now, but not hate. However, she refused to be swayed by him again. She hoped her peacefully built life wouldn’t shatter. She didn’t want her daily life to break.

Most of all, didn’t Alvin say it? That he only needed his mom.

“……”

The man looked as if his heart was being torn apart. As a citizen, she felt guilty for distracting the heart of a general facing an important war that would decide the country’s fate. But she couldn’t lie.

She was tired of being deceived and of deceiving.

The man returned to his expressionless face, picked up the red box on the counter, and slowly turned his bulky body before shuffling out of the store door.

* * *

“The imperial army is about to set sail soon.”

Her employee, Kay, said to Blair, her bobbed hair swaying.

“Is that so? Well, it’s about time they left. That way, they can protect our country.”

Blair answered calmly, keeping her gaze fixed on the counter.

“Boss, please tell me honestly.”

“What?”

“That man, he’s Alvin’s father, isn’t he?”

“……”

It was obvious to anyone that Alvin closely resembled Cedric. She couldn’t lie even if she wanted to.

“…Yes.”

“I knew it! Right? He’s proposing a reunion, isn’t he? The baby’s father?”

The employees asked as if it was their own business, making a fuss.

“…I won’t do it.”

“Why! He’s Alvin’s father! He came all this way to propose to you!”

Thump!

Anna hit Kay on the back of her head for making a fuss.

“Ow! Why did you hit me?”

“…Sigh,”

Blair sighed and went upstairs, while the employees lowered their voices and resumed their conversation.

“Geez, don’t you have any tact?”

Anna said to Kay.

“What did I do?”

“The boss came all the way from the capital to this remote place because of the baby’s father.”

“So what?”

Kay is kind, but she has no experience in love. Anna added with an exasperated expression,

“Think about it. If he was a decent guy, would she have left him? He’s the father of her baby.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Kay vigorously nod her head in understanding.

There was a small shadow eavesdropping on the employees’ conversation in the corner of the store, but they were too focused on their chatter to notice.

“……”

The small shadow moved its short limbs and disappeared outside the store. This too went unnoticed by everyone, even the child’s mother.

* * *

“Alvin! Alvin! Where are you?”

Blair’s desperate voice echoed through the streets.

Alvin was missing. The daycare said he definitely went home, but he hadn’t arrived. Blair roamed the village like a madwoman, checking every place a child might go.

“…!”

Suddenly, a memory popped into her head.

「Then Mom, you’re allowing me to raise a rabbit, right? Huh? You agreed that a rabbit can be part of the family, right?」

Last night, the child had said those words. She was half asleep at the time, and it seemed she had nodded in agreement without thinking.

“…Alvin went into the forest alone. To look for a rabbit…!”

But the thrill was short-lived. It was soon evening, and the village became pitch black as night fell, unlike the brightly lit capital that stayed illuminated until late at night. For the first time, Blair cursed herself for raising her child in the countryside.

No, I can do this! I just need to find him before it gets dark…!

Thud, thud.

Uh…?

That’s when it happened. Cold droplets fell on her face.

Looking up at the falling droplets, she saw storm clouds gathering. This was a setback. If dark clouds covered the sky, it would darken earlier than usual. This village, being close to the sea, was not easy to navigate if a proper storm blew in.

“…Ah, what should I do.”

Blair held her face in despair. But her legs kept moving. She had to go to the back mountain.

I need to stop by home to get a light…!

Clatter, clatter.

Blair ran towards her store first.

Oh, my goodness. Alvin. My baby. You must be safe.

Rumble, crash.

The sky darkened rapidly. Raindrops hit her face as she ran fast, so she didn’t even realize she was crying.

…Am I being punished?

Blair thought as she ran through the raindrops.

When she found out she was pregnant with Alvin, when she suffered from morning sickness, when she felt overwhelmed by the unfamiliarity of being a first-time parent – at every difficult moment, Blair regretted not giving up on Alvin. Even though she knew it was out of her control.

But that wasn’t my fault… Why do these things keep happening to me?

She knew deep down it wasn’t just happening to her. Children were like balloons that could pop off at any time. Disappearing into the forest and chasing rabbits was common for kids his age. But she wanted to blame something anyway.

The hem of her skirt and her shoes were completely dirty with sticky mud from the rain. When she reached her destination, she stopped and caught her breath, clutching her knees.

“Huff, huff…”

Cedric was standing in front of her house, standing still.

“…Blair, are you okay?”

The large man approached her, unable to hide his panic.

“…Huff, huff… I need to get a lantern.”

Blair continued speaking without catching her breath.

“Why do you need a lantern?”

Cedric held her as she roughly gasped for air. Her cheeks were entirely red from running non-stop, and her hair stuck to her face with sweat and rainwater. No, on closer look, there were traces of tears.

“…Were you crying?”

Blair unknowingly burst into tears at that question. Cedric grabbed her forearm and supported her back so she wouldn’t fall.

“Are you okay?”

Blair shook her head with a trembling voice,

“The child went to the back mountain… It’s going to get dark soon…”

* * *

Swoosh. Boom boom.

The sky turned a deep gray and poured down rain. A flash of yellow lightning illuminated the distance.

Shiver shiver.

A boy holding two small gray rabbits in his arms was crouching in a cave. One rabbit was of a reasonable size, and the other was very small.

“It suddenly rained… How do I get down…”

It was good that he had entered the cave to avoid the rain. The problem was that it became so dark when nightfall came, and he couldn’t see anything.

“Ugh… Can’t I see mom anymore…?”

Alvin started to sob. His clenched hands wiped the moisture around his eyes.

“Wah…”

That’s when it happened.

“…Alvin! Alvin! Where are you?”

It was a man’s loud, deep voice. Someone was calling his name. Alvin ran to the cave entrance.

“…Alvin is here!”

The child answered with the loudest voice he could muster.

“…Alvin is here!!!!!!”

Amidst it all, he didn’t forget to take care of the rabbit he was holding.

How long had it been since he screamed with all the strength in his belly? A large shadow appeared at the entrance of the cave. It quickly approached and turned into a tall man.

‘Oh, that man is…’

He was the man who had entered our house, a place only my mom and I had ever entered. He had black hair and golden eyes like a tiger.

Alvin watched with a blank face as Cedric approached him.

The tall man looked at him for a moment with his shining eyes, without saying a word.

Cedric hugged the child tightly. Alvin was a bit surprised but made no sound. Alvin glanced at the man’s thick arms enveloping him. They seemed twice the size of his mother’s arms.

“Uncle.”

“…Yes.”

“The rabbit might get hurt.”

It was a plea not to squeeze too tightly. Touched by the affection, Cedric let out a small chuckle.

Swoosh. Before long, the rain had become stronger. The steady rain dyed the whole mountain in a deep green.

* * *

Thank goodness. It was truly fortunate that they found the child.

Cedric thought as he held Alvin in his arms.

Blair, unable to hold back her tears, couldn’t let go. Finding the lost child was naturally his duty as a father, after all.

He had called out the child’s name loudly. He felt strange as he called his child’s name with his own voice. Something welled up from deep inside him. It was odd. Something… a feeling he had never experienced before.

“Alvin is here…!”

The child’s frail voice faintly reached him. Cedric ran madly towards the source of the sound. The child was standing at the entrance of a cave piled with gray stones, holding rabbits.

Without realizing it, he hugged the child. When he hugged him, he thought that he could never give up on this child now. That he was this child’s father. That it was right to be a father. That it was fate. That today’s events were heaven’s will. That he would now take Blair and the child to the capital. That they were a family.

A shiver ran through his entire body. Was this what blood ties felt like?

Cedric spoke to the child.

“Hello, Alvin.”

“…Uh. Uncle.”

“Remember me? I saw you and your mom at the store?”

“Are you a friend of Mom? Did Mom send you to find Alvin?”

When Cedric nodded, the child beamed with joy.

His eyes disappear when he smiles, just like Blair. The child didn’t only resemble me.

Boom-!

At that moment, thunder shook the heavens once more. Cedric glanced at the dark sky and then said to Alvin,

“Alvin, your mom is waiting, shall we go down quickly?”

“Yes…!”

Cedric held the child, and with the child holding two rabbits, they descended the rain-soaked forest path.

As they emerged at the foot of the back mountain, Blair, who had been pacing anxiously, ran towards them.

“Alvin!!”

Blair immediately took Alvin from Cedric and hugged him tightly, squeezing him.

“How could you go to the mountain without telling Mom!”

“I did something wrong…. It’s just,”

“Just what!”

“Last night, Alvin asked if we could keep a rabbit but mom didn’t answer… so I thought if I brought them home, mom would agree to keep them…”

“……”

“I did something wrong. Waaah…”

Seeing Alvin burst into tears, Blair couldn’t scold him any further. She just held her child tighter and stroked him.