Avia turned on her heels and run out of the room.
It was all too much for her to bear. Her fragile heart wasn't ready to see or hear the truth that Joem had to tell.
His hatred had cut deep into her heart. Nevertheless, she had come to believe that she deserved the cold look that he gave her.
Joem was the beat of her heart, being apart from him left a scar in her life. Now she wished she had looked back.
Avia has always believed that she was doing right by Joem by leaving him. But for a moment she couldn't help but think that she was as bad as her parents.
She ran in her wedding dress, wishing to be anywhere but there. For the last four years, her only wish had been to see Joem again and be reunited with him.
Now that her wish had become a reality, she wanted the distance that existed between them to return. For her to go to sleep and wake up to realize that everything was a bad dream.
To wake up as Nathan's bride instead of Mrs. Jonquire. A loveless life was better than the fate Joem had written for her when he returned to her life.
Avia found a corner in the house. She dropped to the ground and hugged her knees. Avia silently cried, trying her best not to let any sound come out.
Her heart was in her throat, and Avia trembled. Everything was crashing down at her at that moment.
She had gotten used to what it was like when he was gone. Avia tried to pretend that there was happiness in missing him from a distance. That it was okay to hold on to the memories of the love that once was.
However, seeing the love she held onto from someone else's perspective hit the wounds in her heart. In Joem's eyes, she was a monster that had cast him away like he had no value.
While in Beabianca's eyes, she was the heartless lady that happened to have a past with Joem. For a long time, Avia had thought of herself as a victim of circumstances however the truth was different from Joem's point of view.
It was like a bullet to her chest.
Avia broke down into more tears. The scene where Joem jumped over the bridge flashed in her mind. Frame by frame haunting her for the choice that she had made with him.
She buried her head in her arms. Her days had been empty away from Joem and even now that he had found his way back to her.
Avia felt guilty.
She regretted her decision on that day. She wished she could restart everything again. There was nothing she wouldn't do to avoid ending up on that bridge with Joem.
Unknown to her, she wasn't alone.
Joem stood in the distance watching her. Her every movement was picked up by him. He was lost and confused.
Was she crying because she felt bad for hurting him? Or was it because she missed Nathan? He wished that the former and not the latter.
He didn't know why he couldn't stand the possibility of her crying over another man.
Joem tried to convince himself that he liked the sight of her. She had hurt him and it was her turn to receive the same pain that she put him through.
However, standing there so close to her. He had the urge to walk over to her and comfort her. To wrap a lingering warm hand around her and assure her that all will be well.
It was what he used to do for her back then when they were together. Whenever she was upset, it was his comforting hug that brought her peace.
Joem closed his eyes, her beauty was all she could see.
Even after four years, his heart was aching for her. Underneath all the anger and hatred. There was something else that scared him, something that longed for Avia.
Subconsciously, he sauntered over to the spot where Avia was. A part of him couldn't see her in tears.
He went down on one knee and hugged her. Avia melted into his arms. She didn't need to lift her head to know that it was him.
His rich smokey cologne engulfed her nose, calming her nerves. It felt just like old times. Avia leaned her head into his chest. He was warm.
It was a first since they met again that morning. Her wish had been granted. She got to see her Joem. Not the wealthiest man in the country, not the hateful ex-lover or Beabianca's boyfriend but her lover.
The love of her life. A man that was never able to see her down. It was comforting to feel him against her skin once again, pleasing to her soul to feel his care for her.
Joem had no idea why he took her into his arms. Her stay in his house was supposed to be punishment. He planned to torture her every day until it sank into her mind that she should never have hurt him the way that she did.
Hugging her wasn't part of the plan.
Yet it oddly felt comforting to his soul. The emptiness in his heart seemed filled with the bream from a mare hug from Avia. The parts of him that left him restless and angry all the time were relaxed.
He was surprisingly not angry.
Avia braced herself and hugged him back. She tightened her hands around his back and cried out her heart.
The time seemed to slow down. Avia closed her eyes, tears slowly wetting her cheeks. In his arms, she found peace of mind. All her thoughts cleared up and she felt at ease.
It wasn't forgiveness for her mistakes. It was a starting point of something she couldn't quite pinpoint.
Hope for a new start. One that held untold promises and happiness. And she felt lucky to have that.