Moments that Change the Past (Part Two)

Gallahan ended up spreading the news that night despite Kai's request to keep it to themselves in the meantime.

This exasperated him to a degree, of course. The fact Gallahan eagerly told everyone further showed how much he couldn't stand Aria. Because of this, his mood was more than ruined.

'Everything's really stressing me out.'

Kai had just returned from greeting his grandparents when some of his cousins approached him and started gushing about. The one to lead the pack and bring it up was Essie, who seemed to be not as pleased by the news as the rest were. She had only given Kai a vague look of either concern or sympathy before slipping out of the crowd.

Except for Essie, everybody's reaction ticked him off. They would usually appear passive whenever Aria was around. But this time, Kai learned everyone's true perception of her.

"Goodness, what an ungrateful woman."

"To think she would demand such a thing, and from Kai no less."

"If anyone had the right to want a divorce, shouldn't it be him?"

"Any woman would surely be more than happy to be Kai's wife."

"I mean, does she even really deserve him, to begin with?"

"Perhaps, this is for the best then."

Even though they'd all expressed their surprise, it's obvious they were just feigning it, so rather than making it seem like they were in disbelief, it gave the impression that they'd long predicted it. Kai was bewildered. He felt like he was the only one there who didn't know, or maybe he did, but he's too caught up in his busy work life to pay enough heed.

"I've been a terrible husband," Kai bemoaned, leaning against the taffrail of the ship's rear deck. "A terrible person even."

For the past few months, he'd noticed the changes in Aria. They were subtle at first, yet the moment she told him that she didn't want to share a room with him anymore, the alarms started blaring. Then, before Kai knew it, she's too out of his reach.

'Where did it start going wrong?' he would ponder for hours on end but only to realize that he was ignoring a more important question, 'How could I make it right again?'

'Let's divorce, Kai,' his wife's words echoed in his head like the rolling waves beneath.

For the briefest fraction of a second, while she was muttering those words, her eyes looked the deadest he'd ever seen them. 'Just how much have you been suffering all this time, Aria?' With how huge the gap between them had become, he doubted she'd still open up to him, especially when she couldn't even do it with less important matters.

'Maybe she'd gotten tired of this life, of all those people, of me-'

"I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Soleste," a voice called from behind him, abruptly snapping him out of his gloomy thoughts. Kai was startled to come face-to-face with members of the security staff. They appeared to have been dispatched, and as for why, the one who called him explained, "We're looking for someone."

"I don't think I've seen anyone else here," Kai said. "I've been alone for a while now."

"Are you sure there's no one else? We determined there's a little girl who went this way. Maybe you just didn't notice?"

Kai frowned. "Did one of the guests lose their child? That's pretty dangerous, especially if she'd really gone here. Not only is it dark in this area, but there's no guard either. Maybe the kid went off somewhere else?"

"Right, you have a point. To answer your first question, no, she didn't come with any of the guests, which was why we're searching for her. Some of your family members spotted her roaming around, and soon many more, but what led them to ultimately report to us was when she suddenly disappeared. As it turned out, nobody recognized her."

"Huh? What?" Kai blinked in puzzlement. "You mean to say she's an outsider?"

"That we're about to confirm. In which case, we'll check this area, just to be certain. Thank you for your cooperation."

With that, the security staff zoomed out.

Kai wondered what was going on. They were acting like this unidentified kid was some sort of a threat rather than a missing child. It gave quite a concern to Kai.

"Sir Kai?" a new voice chimed moments later, and he turned to meet a familiar face. "I didn't know you're here, Sir."

Micah Hawthorne.

He's a fine young man of mixed blood, brown-haired and golden-eyed with incredible sex appeal that could rival even a famous model like Kai. Due to Micah's profession, he's often dressed primarily in white clothing, which always came along with a vintage-styled vest.

Micah was a top psychology expert who turned down all kinds of job invitations from abroad and decided to become a psychologist in this city, and of the Soleste family by extension. Kai knew him best for his very gentle temperament, though never a weak scholar for he's reliable in critical moments, and with his ability to maintain a perfect disposition, no one knew any weakness he had.

Also, he's crazy popular with the ladies.

"What brings you here, Dr. Hawthorne?" he asked, hoping Gallahan didn't send him there to drag him back inside.

Micah scanned their surroundings. "By any chance, did you see a little girl here?"

"You're also looking for a little girl?" Kai somehow found the coincidence uncanny.

"What do you mean? Is someone else searching for her too?" he asked back, blinking at Kai in a rare display of bewilderment.

"Some of the guards were just here. I'm not sure if it's the same kid, though."

"The security's involved?"

"Hmm? I don't see why not. You're dealing with a missing child, after all."

Micah stilled, almost as if he realized something crucial. "Right. Of course."

"Did something happen?" Kai questioned, not used to seeing him unsettled.

"Nothing I should bother you with. Now, if you'll excuse me. I must take my leave," he said, continuing on his way and leaving Kai perplexed.

The odd string of encounters didn't end there. Shortly after Micah hurried off, Essie appeared. The same little girl and her unknown whereabouts were brought up. Then, as if three instances weren't enough, his grandparents, Hortencia and Layton, took their turn.

"We just want to thank the young lady for something she did for us," they said without offering any further context, though compared to Micah and Essie, that was better since they took time to say their reason at least.

It's getting very strange. Something's definitely going on.

'Just who is this little girl, and what in the world did she do?'