Filed to story: Sweetheart Do You Still Love Me
Noticing the tense atmosphere between the two men, Elspeth gave Yelena a look and said, “You have done so much, Yelena. Why don’t you head back with Hank first? He spent a lot of time and effort searching for you.”
Federick curled his fingers slightly when he heard Elspeth’s words.
“Alright, then.” Yelena immediately knew what Elspeth meant. Then, she wrapped her arms around Hank and left.
Hank hummed in satisfaction before leaving with the woman.
When the duo left, the atmosphere lightened a bit. Callum sat beside the bed and started talking to Federick.
“Why did you suddenly become a secretary at such a place, Federick?”
Callum and Federick were childhood best friends. He remembered that Federick had studied abroad when he was young. After some time, he returned and immediately opened a publishing house. Hence, Callum never expected that he would become a secretary at such a remote place.
Federick smiled and replied, “Here’s the thing. Our company is writing a series of novels of the same genre, and we need some inspiration. Hence, I asked my dad to help me become a secretary for a village.”
“And he just sent you there?” Callum was shocked.
“Well, not quite. Initially, he refused my request. However, after begging him for some time, he obliged and told me to return within two years.”
“Won’t he be worried sick if you went home injured?” Callum asked worriedly as he looked at Federick’s wounds.
“You can’t tell him about this matter. Otherwise, my company will be gone.” Federick knew what his father was capable of. Although his father was strict, he loved Federick to the fullest. Thus, if his father were to know that he had been severely injured, he would do anything to avenge Federick. Moreover, he might think Federick was unsuitable to start a business and forcefully shut down his company.
“I’ll keep this a secret. If your father asks about it, just tell him you are unwell due to the environment. In the meantime, I happened to be traveling, so I brought you with me.”
“Thanks.” Federick bumped his fist with Callum’s. He knew that Callum was a friend he could count on.
“No worries. What are you going to do next? Are you going back to the publishing house?”
Federick nodded and replied, “I will return to the publishing house. I promised my dad I would accept the family’s engagement after two years.”
“Engagement?” Callum was in disbelief. “How are you willing to marry someone you have no feelings for when you are such a carefree and wild person?”
Federick had the most freedom among them. At times, Callum even envied him. However, he never expected Federick to accept his family’s engagement.
“Yeah. Initially, I refused to get married because I was in love with someone else. However, now that she is happy, I think it’s time for me to let go.”
When Callum heard his words, he immediately knew what Federick was implying.
“Are you talking about Yelena?”
“Since you guys have guessed it, there’s no point in keeping this a secret. Yes, I have had a crush on her for ten years,” Federick said calmly. However, everyone knew how painful it must have been for Federick when he saw Yelena with someone else. After all, he had loved her for a decade.
Callum stayed quiet and said nothing. After all, there was no way he’d tell Federick to snatch someone else’s girlfriend away. Plus, Max didn’t stand a chance when Yelena was with Hank, much less Federick.
In the end, Callum said, “Still, you can’t do this to yourself. You can’t marry someone you don’t love just because of this.”
Federick smiled and shook his head. “I have prepared myself for this ever since I accepted the outcome.”
He loved Yelena for ten years. In fact, he had loved her for so long that he couldn’t love anyone else. Thus, he would rather marry someone his parents were satisfied with. Moreover, it might even help his business grow. Federick felt that this was a happy ending for both sides.
Seeing that Federick had everything planned out, Callum didn’t say anything else.
Soon, the room fell silent again.
On the other hand, Elspeth was deep in thought when she heard their conversation. Suddenly, she asked him, “Do you still remember the book you wrote, Federick? It’s called ‘To Catch the Light’, right?”
Federick was familiar with this book. He nodded and said, “Yes. What’s wrong with it?”
“There was a quote on the title page of the book. I burned my hands when I touched the light. Thus, I let it go and became one, just like you.”
Federick was startled when he heard the quote. He didn’t realize she had such a good memory.
“Yes. That’s correct. Well, what’s your point exactly?”
“The so-called light is Yelena, right?” Elspeth said straightforwardly.
Federick didn’t expect anyone to know his little secret. He couldn’t help but blush. “Yes. It is her.”
“You know you can’t have her, so that’s why you decided to break up. However, you weren’t devastated, nor did you give up on life. You chose to be like her-to be the light of your own.” Elspeth smiled as she looked at him. “I’m sure this is the meaning of the quote, right?”
Federick sighed and smiled. “As expected from you, Elsie. You understand the quote correctly.”
“Elsie?” Callum immediately frowned when he heard the nickname.
Federick realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly explained, “Elsie is Elspeth’s pseudonym. Thus, we call her Elsie.”
Hearing his words, Callum remembered what Federick had told him when they went to the mountains to rescue Yelena.
Elspeth is really a writer, huh? he thought.
“Did you do it, though?” Elspeth didn’t want to linger on her pseudonym. Instead, she stared at Federick and said sternly, “You didn’t do it. When you wrote that quote, you were still having expectations for Yelena. However, when you see her with another man, you couldn’t become the light you swore to be. You have never once let her go.”
As Federick heard her words, he lowered his head and said, “You’re right.”
Although Federick had told himself to let Yelena go, he knew it was just a precaution when he didn’t know the truth. After seeing her with another man, his first thought was to give up on life and choose to marry a woman he had no feelings for to punish himself. In the end, he was still stuck in the abyss.
“You know what to do, Federick. You know what’s the right thing to do.”
Federick seemed to have lost all his strength as he leaned against the pillow devastatingly. “I know. I’ll think about it.”
Elspeth knew she couldn’t push Federick too much since he was heartbroken at the moment. However, she knew he was in the right mind since he told her he would consider his decision.
Federick wasn’t severely injured, so they instructed a nurse to help him if needed. After Elspeth and Callum stayed for some time, they left the hospital.
…
When Yelena returned home, she first posted an update on Twitter. She told her fans that she was rescued and had arrived home safely. Thus, they could rest assured. However, some fans felt that this was an excuse made by the company. As she sighed, Yelena posted a video of her briefly explaining what had happened.
Since Yelena was safe, her fans would no longer gather together and save her from the mountains.
At the same time, many fans sent their concerns to Yelena.
‘We were worried sick about you, Yellie!’
‘If anything happened to you, I won’t have the will to live anymore.’
‘You must be the first person ever to be rescued. Thank goodness. As expected from the idol that I love!’
However, there were also harsh comments about her.
‘Most kidnapped women are sold to the village’s bachelors. I wonder if Yelena has been deflowered.’
‘That might be true. Did you see how skinny she’s become after coming back? She must have been abused.’
‘My innocent and naive goddess has been deflowered!’
‘What nonsense are you guys talking about? No one said those people are abused once they’re kidnapped.’
‘Do you know what kidnapping means? Most people who are kidnapped will be sold to the locals. I suggest you learn more about this before talking.’
“Ugh…” Initially, Yelena wanted to post a video of her to reassure her fans. However, she had never expected rumors to start spreading. If she were to clarify herself now, the netizens wouldn’t believe her. Moreover, they might think she was lying to prove her innocence.
In that split second, Yelena didn’t know what to do.
While sitting beside the woman, Hank saw the comments as well. He patted her shoulder and comforted her, saying, “Don’t worry. I will find someone to handle these negative comments.”
“No.” Yelena bit her lips. “I have to do something to stop this. Otherwise, I will forever be bonded by this matter.” She knew that if she didn’t solve this problem thoroughly, she would never be able to do anything in the future.
“Let’s not panic just yet. I should talk to Elspeth first,” Yelena murmured to herself. After all, she was a talent under Elspeth; if anything happened to her, Elspeth would suffer a significant loss. “Yes. She must know about it now too.”
