Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 824 Leaving Dragon Island (Part One)

We should never think that we can escape our pasts because every step we've taken in the past have led us to the future and to the endings we've chosen for ourselves.

**

A waxing gibbous moon was shining brightly on the dark night sky, while the stars were twinkling with magical vitality.

In the soft moonlight, Molly observed Brian quietly as he opened that square box and took out an open glass container with some brown powder in it.

"What's this?" Molly asked out of curiosity.

Brian's lips curled up into a faint smile as he fixed his deep gaze on Molly. Then he left the room and walked into the Glamour Hall. After a short while, he returned with a large glass of water in his hand.

Molly was observing the powder in the glass container curiously. When she noticed Brian's return, she stood up from the desk and looked at the glass of water with confusion. Brian replied her with a soft smile before he poured the water into the container and put down the glass on the desk.

He then took Molly's hand and gave it a tight squeeze, holding on to it, "Mol, I promise you that we will never separate again. Much like our hands are clasped together like this, so are we. We cannot separate."

Molly was so moved by his words that she started to tear up. When she was distracted enough, Brian suddenly pushed their hands into the container and immersed them in the mixture of water and powder.

Molly looked down at their clasped hands in the container, wondering why he would do that. Brian took out their hands, still clasped.

"Bri..." Molly whispered, dumbfounded. She was looking at the bits of brown powder that was now sticking to their hands.

Brian put his other hand behind her head and gently pulled her towards him, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. His low and charming voice flowed into Molly's ears like music, "Mol, repeat after me. Until death do us part."

"Until death do us part..." Molly repeated him without hesitation. She slowly closed her eyes and enjoyed his smell lingering under her nose.

At that moment, she felt so happy that she almost forgot all of the sadness that she'd felt in the past. She thought to herself, 'If someone asks me, 'Do you regret anything?'

I will definitely answer him now, "no!"

Although her heart used to be filled with resentment and remorse, she only felt grateful and that every single hardship she had experienced in the past had been paid off right at that moment. Being with Brian now made everything bad that happened fade away. It was the numerous hardships they had suffered together that made her believe in their hard-won love and their strong bond that would last for the rest of their lives, no matter if it led them to heaven or to a more thorny path.

"Bri... I love you!" Her voice sounded dreamy and yet firm, piercing through at the darkened sky and the air between her and Brian. A wide grin spread over her face as she stared up at Brian.

Slowly, Brian loosened his grip on her hand and then gently lifted up her chin. Then he lowered his head to kiss her smile. He wasn't good at showing affection, or whispering sweet nothings like in the movies, but he hoped that through this simple action, he could tell her that he loved her more than she loved him.

A night breeze blew around them, bringing the icy cold winter with it. Molly felt it difficult to breathe, but Brian kept his lips against hers, kissing until her breathing became heavier and shallower.

Then he pulled back slightly, keeping his forehead against hers. "Never again will I leave you, my dear," he told her softly.

*

Spark sat at the bay window of his hotel room with one leg bent over and the other out-stretched in front of him. He leaned back against the wall, his right hand drooping over his knee while holding a wine glass in it. A hint of sadness glittered in his amber eyes as he overlooked the splendid night scene of Dragon Island.

Without his violin--his love, he felt that his mind was hollow inside.

On the outside, he tried to look like nothing fazed him, nothing perturbed him, but what would shock them was how much the violin meant to him and to his life. When he first started playing the violin, he started because of his mother, and it was only that-- an obligation, but now... His lips curled into a smirk, chuckling softly to himself as he glanced at his drink in the glass.

The moonlight poured in through the window and illuminated the dim corner of the room. Gorgeous light shone like individual glass pieces in a colorful mosaic window.

He swirled the red liquor in his glass. The drops of wine trickled down the inside of the glass, meeting the rest and as it became still, the red liquid reflected the lonely face that was his own.

At that moment, the doorbell rang, disturbing the silence of the room.

He looked at the door and wondered who it was that would visit him at this late hour. Before he could wonder any longer, the doorbell rang again. He jumped down from the window and set the glass of wine on the nearby table before stepping towards the door and opening it.

"Daddy!"

The sweet, childish voice flowed into his ears as soon as he opened the door. Surprised by the voice, he opened the door a bit more and grinned, dropping his gaze onto the boy in front of him, ignoring the two adults standing behind him.

"Good evening, Daddy!" Mark greeted him with a wide grin as he slipped his hand from Shirley's. He looked up at Spark. "I wanna spend the night with you, Daddy!"

Spark took a casual glance at Shirley and Richie. Then he got down in front of Mark and asked, "Are you sure, Mark? Don't you have to stay at the Long Family Mansion?"

"I know that Daddy will go back to Taiwan tomorrow, so I want to stay with Daddy tonight..." Mark pouted as he continued, "Grandma told me that I don't have to stay at our mansion all the time."

"He's right," Shirley piped in with a soft smile, "His formal training hasn't started yet. We'll start to arrange his training in being a candidate for the next ruler after we pass the token on to him."

When he heard her words, Spark gathered the boy in his arms and lifted him up from the ground. Out of his excitement, he'd exerted too much energy into his left arm, bothering the wound that he had amassed there. The pain was like a sharp sting, but Spark endured it, only wanting to and caring about holding Mark close.

"Grandpa, Gandma, you can go back home now," said Mark as he turned back and waved to his grandparents, "See you tomorrow. Good night!"

"Good night," Shirley patted his head lovingly, "We'll pick you up at the airport tomorrow morning."

Mark nodded and replied sweetly, "Okay!"

From the door, he and Spark watched the older couple leave before heading into Spark's room, never letting the other stray away too far, just as how things used to be when Spark was still living with him. Mark knew that Brian was his real father, and he liked him a lot. However, Spark was around for the first four years of his life, and their time together, and the memories that they made together were irreplaceable. He would always cherish Spark for that. 0000000000000000