Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 657 It Is Not A Game Anymore (Part One)

Two lonely, freezing hedgehogs wanted to warm each other by holding one another in their arms in the cold night, but they had forgotten that their spines would never let them be in an embrace without getting hurt.

*Assuming that Brian didn't love her, Molly rejected his kiss instinctively. In her eyes, everything he did was just part of his game; in their relationship, she was the only one who was in love all this time. She didn't want to lie to herself anymore. She didn't want to be

deceived by his occasional tenderness anymore.

She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away, but to no avail. He was too strong. He held her tightly and continued kissing her as if, at that moment, there was nobody else but them in the world. Gradually, she forgot to struggle and slowly closed her eyes, which were thick with grief. Once again, his kiss had taken her breath away. Once again, she was powerless in front of his gentleness.

Brian noticed that Molly had stopped fighting. He wanted her to show some emotion - any emotion, at least anger. But she wasn't reacting at all.

Slowly, he released her. He stood close to her, their bodies just millimeters apart. He could feel her breath on him and he lost the ability to even think. He felt powerless in front of her. "Mol," he called in a hoarse voice, his forehead touching hers, "this time, it's not a game." Molly didn't open her eyes. His voice was so gentle that she felt like her heart was going to stop beating any moment. But when she broke out of the spell of his voice, all she felt was unbearable pain. "Bri, I am tired. I want to go to bed," she said. "I'm coming with you,"

Brian replied. Molly bit her lip to stop it from shaking and pushed him away. She walked up the stairs with a heavy heart. But she didn't go to Brian's bedroom. Instead she quickly strode into hers. Brian watched her walk away from him with slouched shoulders. She hadn't said a word, but he knew what her silence meant. Her unspoken refusal saddened him immensely, but despite that, he chose to fool himself by believing that her silence meant acquiescence.

He ascended the stairs slowly, without making any noise. This awkward situation between him and Molly was nothing unexpected. After all their misunderstandings, the twists and turns in their relationship, deep down in his heart, he had always known that they might end up like this one day. But now that it was really happening, he couldn't accept it. He had to shoulder the responsibility for his family and Dragon Island, but he didn't want to lose her either. He couldn't lose her.

He pushed the door open and walked into her bedroom. Looking around, Brian found she wasn't in bed. He heard the sound of water splashing from the bathroom. He walked to the bathroom door, and stood beside it. Her naked figure could be seen through the frosted glass. His heartbeat increased and his jaw tightened. Excitement grew in him as he stared at her figure through the glass door. He wanted her. He wanted her so badly. During the past few days, he had kept himself busy because he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep her from the truth if he saw her saddened face. That would have ruined the whole plan. He couldn't have let that happen. He couldn't have afforded that kind of mistake in a crucial time such as that. He had to rule out every potential danger. Not a single mistake could have been made when it came to keeping her safe. That was the only thing on his mind during the past few days. To keep her safe, no matter what the cost. Even though she would end up misunderstanding him.

He had never once regretted any of the decisions he had made in his life. He had thought that he wouldn't regret this one either. But right now, he wasn't so sure anymore. He wondered if he should have hidden her in XK Intelligence Agency for the rest of her life. She would have been safe there.

His lips tightened into a thin line at the thought. Could he ever do that to her? How could he? She yearned for freedom and XK Intelligence Agency was a prison built up on the blood of many people. How could he confine her in a place like that? Was that what he really wished for her? No! Never! He would never treat her like a prisoner.

He clenched his hands so tightly that his knuckles cracked loudly. Desperation and anguish clouded his face. He heard the door of the bathroom open and Molly walked out in a bath towel. She gasped and took a step back when she saw him. The despair emanating from him was so obvious that it stopped her breathing and froze her heart.

Seeing the surprise and rejection in her eyes, he realized that he had lost control over his emotions. He concealed his pain quickly and called in a whisper, "Mol."

His voice was so gentle that she thought that the emotions she had felt from him a moment ago was nothing but a hallucination. She looked at his expressionless face and said, "I am going to sleep."

She passed by him and tried her best to contain her emotions. Brian didn't leave. He stood there and watched her climb into bed. She lay on her side with her back to him.

She pulled up the bed covers all the way to her neck and lay in bed with her eyes open. She knew that he was watching her and could also feel his gaze on her body. She blinked her eyes once and then shut them tight. She told herself that he would leave. He would. But she was wrong. Strong arms slowly wrapped around her in a tight embrace. A familiar scent filled her nose - Brian's scent. He didn't leave. Agony seized her mind and body. She closed her eyes more tightly before her emotions had the chance to break out. She gnawed on her lips. Her body went stiff. She couldn't move.

"Mol," he called again, sniffing the scent of her body wash with his eyes closed, his chin rubbing against her back. "This is not a game anymore. This time, it's real. I'm telling the truth. Won't you believe me?" he asked gently.

She opened her eyes slowly. She stared at the wall in front of her and saw their shadows overlapped in the dim light. It was bitter-sweet. On one hand, she loved his embraces. They made her feel close to him. But, the pain, the unbearable pain... Her heart was bleeding as he held her in his arms.

"I'm tired," she said flatly, "Brian Long, if this really isn't a game, then let me and Mark go."

Brian opened his eyes and looked at the back of her head. His body froze. She hadn't moved from her position either. He was shocked by her words, scared beyond compare. "Molly Xia, I will never let you leave."

A cold smirk crept onto her lips. She didn't say a word. She didn't know what to say. There was little left to be said. Ever since she had gotten involved in his life, pain had been her most faithful friend, her best companion. It had never let her alone for too long. "Mol..." he called her name through clenched teeth. He sat up and cupped her face with both his hands. He slowly turned her head to make her look at him. Their eyes locked. He looked at her for a long time until desperation took hold of him.

Her eyes had turned gray and lifeless, those clear eyes that Brian was crazy about. The usual stubbornness in them was gone too. They were nothing but empty shells now. The unbearable pain he had caused her had turned her into what she was now. She had lost all hope on him, he realized. That drove him to the depths of fear. He used to tell himself that if things didn't work out between him and Molly after the National Congress, he would let her go. But now that she was asking to leave and that he had seen the desperation in her eyes, he was scared to leave her alone.

He wasn't going to let her go! He would never allow it!

They had been through so much together. He had experienced all kinds of hardships and dangers to clear the obstacles between them so that they could be together. Now that they finally could, how could he lose her again? He wouldn't.

"I won't let you leave me," he said, pausing after every word. "you are my wife. We got married in a church. I took a vow in front of a priest. I promised that I would protect you and always be by your side, till death do us apart... I will never let you go, Mol."☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐