The night was almost dark when Luana stood right at the edge of the balcony.

Jovi stayed for a few tens of minutes, during which they talked like friends. Luana was grateful that she could still talk to him, even though Mare had to stay at the mansion and couldn't be with her for a few days.


Sometimes, loneliness teaches many things.

To think clearly, to make choices, and to love yourself.

Jovi's words were still ringing clearly in Luana's ears, as she hugged herself with both hands. The breeze that blew was enough to cause a cold sensation, but not to pierce the bones.


Staring up at the sky above, Luana was lost in thought.

Do I have to survive?


Is it true that getting hurt together is better than getting hurt alone?

If I stay here, can we face all the scorn and injustice that awaits?

Do I deserve to be the reason for Rey to let it all go?

Would our unrevealed love for each other be that great to overcome all?

And various other things that flew through Luana's mind, which made her still stuck like a tangled thread.

Taking a deep breath, it took a lot of time for Luana to make a choice. Moreover, now she is not alone. There was something she might have to fight for.

Will they separate us later?

Am I allowed to let 'that' something come from me?

Do I have to give her up and not even be able to see her eyes again in the future?

For Luana, this was the most difficult decision she had ever considered. In the twenty years she had spent as a maid, Luana had never had to think this hard. Life was fine, she had enough to eat and saved some of her paycheck for when she married a waitress too.

But who would have thought that she would be involved in the life of top nobles like this? A life that is valued by how high one's social status is?

In the middle of the breeze, Luana had already made up her mind.

Nodding her head with a swipe of her hand on her arm, the young woman reassured herself. No matter what happened, she would make this decision.

A decision that hopefully, she would not regret later on.

Stepping into the large and grand room, Luana reached down and grabbed her cell phone that lay on the bed.

Swiping the screen once, she selected a number listed there. Pausing and reassuring herself, Luana finally had the courage to press the call button. She waited until the waiting tone sounded, before a man's voice greeted her on the other side.

"Luana?"

***

[Orchard Cafe, Munich]

Valerie took a few sips of her drink.

"Are you sure you're going back to Heidelberg?" Her gaze was fixed on the man sitting directly in front of her, his hands busy picking at a plate of snacks.

Pedro Viscout nodded.

"I've considered everything," the tattooed man replied. One hand rested on the table, while the other was busy feeding himself. "Besides, what you said the other day was true, Val. Nothing ever works with one-sided love."

Valerie seemed to chuckle. She really didn't ask who Pedro's crush was, because Valerie assumed it was all in the man's privacy. The man who was supposed to be her husband since last year.

"You sound like a man now, Ped."

"Hey, haven't I all along?"

Valerie laughed even more. "I mean, a mature gentleman."

Pedro laughed back, but wasn't done with his food.

"Are you going back to the company?" Valerie now asked.

Pedro shrugged, but then he gave a faint nod.

"I think so," he said. "I've had a year to play around with being the other me, and now it seems like it's time for me to start contributing to my family. You know, Val, I'm not the type to care about other people's judgment. But now, I'm going to try to feel that I was born into this kind of family and situation."

Valerie nodded, still smiling at the corners of her lips.

"I'm glad you think that way," she greeted positively. "Of course, Pedro. We can't ask to be born into the circumstances and situations we want, can we? That's how love sometimes doesn't take sides."

There was a two-second pause as the two stared at each other.

"Do you still love Gosse?" shot Pedro suddenly. No wind, no rain.

Valerie looked half surprised, but now she could only laugh.

"Yeah, no!" she quickly denied. As if she was laughing at herself. "How could I love my own brother-in-law, are you crazy?"

"Yeah, you know." Pedro pulled out a glass of americano and took a sip of the blackish liquid to quench his thirst. "You really need to see another man, Val. Believe me you should be loved by the right person."

Valerie swirled the dropper in her glass, looking down at her drink. She could only sigh softly, before looking back into Pedro's eyes.

"And you?" She asked back. "Are you ready to start a new life?"

This time it was Pedro who leaned back in a more relaxed position and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not giving up," he said honestly. "But it doesn't seem like I have a chance. She's no longer alone, Val."

There was a different tone of voice in the air, now that Valerie had come over to pat Pedro's tattooed arm.  "Hang in there, champ!"

"How about we get married, Val?" suggested Pedro, which automatically made Valerie unable to help but laugh. Shaking her head quickly, she laughed.

"Are you serious about spending the rest of your life with me?" she asked meaningfully. "I'm still thinking about it."

Pedro laughed along, letting his distinctive voice fill the atmosphere between them. Of course, this wasn't the first time they had discussed the subject of arranged marriages between the two extended families.

However, since Pedro and Valerie have known each other for a long time, this kind of discussion doesn't seem difficult. It was as if they were discussing what to eat for breakfast tomorrow morning.

"Think about it," Pedro said again. "Instead of me having to find another woman, maybe it should be you." He moved forward to take another sip of his americano, deliberately taking his eyes off Valerie who was staring intently at him.

"Well, I'll consider it," Valerie finally said.

"Maybe we can make both extended families happy about it, because-"

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted the fighter's sentence, as he reached into his pants pocket to check the caller's identity.

His eyeballs widened for a moment, as Valerie also seemed to notice. Not waiting long, Pedro quickly swiped the screen before answering the call.

"Luana?"