“Smartass.” Theo chuckled under his breath even though the situation was much more severe, but he couldn’t help but enjoy the sarcasm slipping her lips like nothing had changed. “I would love to have it. If you don’t mind? I think I would make a wonderful father.” He always dreamed of becoming a father, whether to a daughter or son, watching them grow old and taking after their parents. Hearing the words: ‘You raised them well’ was his life goal. Theo felt the anger she spewed towards the man he never met, the room channeling pure hatred for someone who put her in this position, but he had no reason to think of him during their time together. All he wanted to think about was her. “I wanted to see you. If you ever decide to come back, then I will be there. It doesn’t matter how much time passes, and I will always be right where you left me.” Theo clutched his wrist, forming a brave face, knowing he could never ask her to return with him. This was a choice she had to make on her own; besides, begging her wouldn’t be very charming of him. As his ears picked up on the words, his eyes stayed glued to the window as doves flocked by, and to his surprise, Custos had been blessed to always stay in a breezy season. It was always interesting to see how the lesser gods blessed their houses, and it was fitting for the house to be glimmering in warmth. “You still feel something for him.” Theo managed to turn on his heels, allowing himself to break the rules she had set for only a brief moment to address his feelings for that moment. “The only thing I feel for you is love. I blame only myself for what happened at the ball; I should’ve seized the moment when I had the chance. I am not angry about what you decided to do with your own body, Minji. Those are your decisions to make, but I am angry at myself for not returning fast enough to avoid it from happening.” His words were genuine; even the nurses surrounding the halls had stopped in their tracks to hear them. Theo never took his focus off those pretty eyes he adored, and with cautious movements, he raised his arms. Fingers coming into contact with her cheeks, lips slowly yet delicately pressing a kiss to her forehead. “How did you know my new profession? I suppose you’d want a bright-colored funeral? I will invite everyone you know, and they’d all have to give a speech about how such a warm woman you were. How does this sound?”
“I feel for him, I can’t say I don’t. He’s all I’ve ever had, but I know better now.” It was much too late to learn her lesson, Minji had allowed Phoenix to burn every bridge and in the end, he had stranded her - alone with limited choices. “You shouldn’t feel any love for me, Theo. I’m not worthy of it, not before, not now.” Her voice didn’t hold its usual strength, it wavered instead, turning into a whisper by the time she’d finished speaking. Her eyes found his momentarily, a regretful decision when her heart thrummed with further intensity. ”My body has never been my own to make decisions with.” A tinge of sadness crept into her voice, her hardened exterior flaking away with every day she’d spent in her self-made solitude. “Only that doesn’t take from what happened because I could have tried to leave, but I was so angry.” She didn’t catch his eye, her gaze shifting over his shoulder and out the window instead, a view of a happy family that made her uneasy. “He said you’d never want me and he might have been wrong, but he did you a favour, he’s saved you from me instead.” A hand grazed her stomach, the miniscule bump that felt volatile and wrong, the perfect reason for no other man to want her. Yet, he had kissed her forehead and suddenly all the torment in the pit of her stomach stilled for a moment, replaced by a soft fluttering. More so that he had taken the doom that rested over her head and added a breath of life to it. “Make sure they know I lit up a room.” A smile threatened on the edges of her mouth, a brief flicker that fell away as fast as it made itself known. Her hands raised to cup his, and there was a brief moment of hesitation before her fingers grasped his and slowly lowered his hands away from her face, although she didn’t release him. Her eyes softened once she set her focus on his gaze, the gnawing at the pit of her stomach difficult to ignore; undeniable that she felt for him. But he had been an unachievable dream; happiness that she was never meant to know. “You’ll be sad to hear the only warmth in stories people will have about me is my penchant for setting people on fire.” She clutched his hands tighter for several seconds before she released him, her feet rooted in place while her eyes danced over a face that soothed her more than she cared to admit.







