Chapter 35

"Taria, are you sleeping?" Tian whispered as he couldn't sleep

"No, I'm still awake", Taria said, turning around to face him while being surrounded by his arms

"I forgot an important thing, are you ready to have a conversation or should we postpone it till tomorrow?" Tian said while Taria was still laying between his arms and surrounding his waist with hers, but his serious words made her rise up fast

"What is it?" Taria said

"Well, our family will hold the yearly party in two days, and I was planning to introduce you as my girlfriend", Tian said, moving her long hair away from her face while he was still laying in bed

"D..do you mean meeting the whole family at one night?" Taria said with her eyes widely opened

"There is not many people you must meet, only Josephine and aunt Marry, you already met Kai", Tian said calmly

"Aunt Marry! ISN'T SHE THE ONE WHO RAISED YOU AND VE? SHIT.. IT FEELS LIKE MEETING YOUR PARENTS", Taria said with a cute worried voice that made Tian laugh

"Don't laugh. I'm really nervous. What if she didn't like me? what if she forced us to break up?" Taria said while scratching her head.

Tian sat down on the bed like she was doing, then he patted her head softly, and looked into her eyes to make her worries fade. He kissed her cheek gently as if he was treating a child, then he said "don't worry, sweetie. I will never leave your side even if that meant fighting against the whole world. I'm a villain, not a hero"

Taria's heart beat faster with every word he said. She smiled brightly as she always do, then she said "yeah, you are my villain"

Taria and Tian couldn't sleep that night, so they decided to play truth or dare together

"How many girls have you kissed before?" Taria asked

"Zero, you were my first", Tian said calmly while picking another card

"What does happiness mean to you?" Taria asked after it was her turn again

"You", Tian said calmly, then it was finally his turn to ask

"When have you fallen for me?" Tian asked

"... I don't know, maybe when we played basketball together, or before that", Taria said

"What is a secret you want to keep hidden?" She asked, but he passed to dare just after she asked

"So you still have secrets, deep Tian. Anyway, you have to show me a thing that no one have seen before", Taria said while smirking

"You already saw everything", Tian said

"Don't use your dirty mind now. Think of a thing other than your body", Taria said after she realized that he misunderstood, then he drowned deeply in his thoughts. After a while of silently thinking, Tian's eyes got wider all of a sudden, then he stood up and started looking at the bottom of the closet.

"Here, it's my mother's ring", Tian said, holding a golden ring with a black diamond in the middle

"Wow, it looks… amazing", Taria said with her eyes full of sparkles

"It was the thing I saw first when I opened my eyes after that night, but I couldn't remember what it was until recently", Tian said

"What happened that night?" Taria said, but once the words got out of her mouth she covered it with her hands, regretting being curious as what she said would force Tian to remember some bad memories

"You don't have to answer. I'm really sorry for asking. I will go bring something to drink", Taria said quickly while getting up, but Tian pulled her and made her fall in his arms. She was on his lap, holding her hands close to her chest, and looking straight into his black eyes that were so close to hers. He closed his eyes after he showed her a warm smile, then he started talking

"That night, everyone was at the main hall as it was the yearly party. I entered the room while holding my mom's hand with Ve and father walking in front of us. They both were blocking the view at first, but once they moved aside, I saw many people so I hid behind my mother. (Don't worry, they can't hurt you if you didn't give them the chance), she said, then the party began. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their time, then the music started. My mother and father were dancing together gloriously, then suddenly, my mother did a move that wasn't a part of the dance, and she fell to the ground after being shot in her back. I felt scared, so I ran towards her as she was the person who used to make me feel safe, but when I reached her, she said (I love you, Tian. I love you all), with her usual warm smile that was her last. I started shaking her, but she never woke up. Father was already in a hysterical state, while Ve was standing beside me with his face pale, then he hugged me and closed my ears with his hands. I turned around after Ve's hands couldn't block the shot sound from entering my ears, and I saw father's body laying on the ground, drowning in his own blood. After that, the whole world went blank. I woke up after three days without any memories about my past, then Ve came and took me with him"

Taria stayed silent, listening to every word Tian said even though they were squeezing her heart. She held her tears inside though she wanted to cry, then she hugged Tian tightly. She hated the fact that she was the one who gave him back these dark memories, and she blamed herself for everything that happened with Tian and Ve

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for everything", Taria said with a shaky voice as she was still holding in her tears

"I didn't tell you this for you to feel sorry. Having no memories is harder than having painful ones. I felt alienated even when I was at home. I felt I was a stranger to me. I felt lonely even when Ve was beside me as I couldn't remember him at all, and I hated everything about being alive. That huge cold house where you would always feel someone looking at you, the trainings Ve forced me to do, the poisons I had to drink till my body got used to them, the missions I had to successfully complete, and killing people coldly. I now see them all as a way to get stronger, not as a harsh punishment as I used to see them. You brought me back the safe feeling my mother took away with her, Taria", he said, but he stopped talking once he felt her tears on his neck. He moved a little far from her, and he saw her cute crying face that seemed like a kitten, forcing a smile to appear on his face. He wiped her tears gently, then he kissed her cheek softly to stop her eyes from shedding tears.

"Stop crying now, let's go to sleep"