“Yes, please.” Freya took a deep breath. “It’s shocking to hear Freya drowned in the river.”
“So, I jumped and saved Helena. At first, she couldn’t breathe, so I gave her CPR. Finally, she could. When I wanted to send her home, her feet and waist were aching because she had fallen from the bridge. Before falling, her body hit the bridge side.”
“Oh, no! My poor baby!” Freya closed her eyes, and her tears were flowing. She took a deep breath, trying to control herself. Then after a while, she opened her eyes again. “Wait a minute! Helena seemed okay now.”
“Yes, because I took her to my villa and tended to her wounded feet and waist.”
“Oh, I see.” Freya closed her mouth with her hand. “I think I owe you an apology. I’m sorry, Ethan. I don’t know that you saved Freya.”
I smiled. “I forgive you, Mrs. Ross.”
“Please, call me Freya.” She said nothing for a moment. Later, Freya asked, “Though you saved Helena, I still want to know. Why did Helena come so late?”
“After taking care of her wound, I asked Helena to sleep, giving time for her wound to heal. Then when Helena woke up, my maid helped her take a bath. Later, we had dinner together.”
Freya let out a long sigh. “Thank you for taking care of my daughter. I don’t know if she has told you about this or not. She is my adopted daughter, but I love her like she were my flesh and blood.”
“Yes, Helena told me that too. She loves you too, Freya.”
Freya smiled. Then her smile faded. “Ethan, I saw you with Helena in your car before. I saw how you passionately kissed her. So, I want to ask, what is your intention toward Helena?”
“I want to marry her.”
“Are you sure? My daughter is still a naive girl. I’m afraid she can’t survive if your parents oppose your relationship with her.”
“No, you can relax. Both of my parents have passed away.”
“I’m so sorry, Ethan.”
“It has been a while. So, no one will oppose my relationship with Helena.”
Freya stared at me for a few seconds. “Yet, you seem like a rich man. You can get any woman you want. Why Helena?” She sighed, then looked away. “I don’t want her heart to break.”
“I only want her. I know this may sound like a rush, but she was the one for me. I know it. I won’t let her go. I promise I’ll take care and protect her.”
Freya wanted to say something, but then Helena’s voice stopped her.
“What are you two talking about? Both of you seemed so serious.” Helena walked and sat next to me.
I smiled at her and then circled my arm to her waist. “Well, I just confessed to your mother that I wanted to marry you.”
Helena blushed instantly, and she leaned her head on my chest. “Oh!”
“Ethan, Helena, please listen to me.”
Helena immediately straightened her body. “Yes, mom.”
“I won’t be against your relationship. But you just met each other today. I’m afraid that rushing things will lead to bad results. So, please slow down, okay?”
“But mom—”
I rubbed Helena’s waist until she stopped talking. “I understand, Freya. So, I have a business I must take care of. So, I can’t visit Helena regularly. But my man will look after Helena and also you, Freya. I want to make sure both of you are safe. So, after finishing with my business, I’ll meet Helena again.”
Freya said nothing. Yet, when she glanced at Helena, who stared at her pleadingly, she gave a long sigh. “Alright. Thank you, Ethan. Please don’t break my daughter’s heart.”
I nodded. “I promise you that I’ll take care of Helena until my last breath.”
Freya sighed again when she saw how Helena looked at me in a worshiping stare. “I trust you. Please don’t make me regret it.” She stood. “Okay, I’ll leave both of you now to rest.”
Helena and I stood too. “Yes, mom. Have a good rest.”
When Freya left the living room, I pulled Helena into my embrace. “Your mother is so protective of you. My love, you are so lucky to have her.”
“Yes, she is. I have been worried that she would disapprove of you.”
I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. “I thought that your mother would say no. But maybe she loves you more than you think. She wants to see you happy.”
Helena looked into my eyes. “How do you know?”
“How she asked me about your condition, then my background though she did it politely. Also, she spotted me kissing you.”
“Oh, no!” Helena covered her cheeks with both hands. “What should I do?”
I grinned and grabbed both of Helena’s hands. “Nothing, silly! She has seen us. What else should we do?”
“What did she say?”
“She asked my intention toward you and asked me not to break your heart.”
Helena leaned her head on my chest. “She truly loves me, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, darling. She does.”
“About your business, will it take a long time?”
“I don’t know. I hope I can finish it soon. Why? Miss me already?”
Helena sighed and then touched my chest. “I can’t imagine my days without you.”
“Maybe I will visit you after a month. But I can’t promise you that.”
“Will you call me every day?” Then Helena grinned. “I don’t even know your number yet.”
I grinned. “Yes, I’ll call you every day. Let’s exchange our numbers first.”
After telling each other our phone numbers and saving them to our phones, I stood. “I need to leave now. I think your mother won’t like it if I spend much longer here. You must rest too.”
Helena nodded, but she stared at me with a longing look.
I pulled Helena’s hand until she stood, touched her cheeks, and smiled. “It is the first day we met. But didn’t you feel like your world has turned upside down?”
“Yes! How can you know my feelings?”
I said nothing. Instead, I bent my head and captured Helena’s lips with my lips. We kissed each other passionately, and then I raised my head. I touched Helena’s swollen lips with my thumb. “Since it’s my feelings for you, my beautiful one.” I sighed. “It’s getting harder to leave you now. But rest assured, my man will look after you and your mother. Also, if you need me, you can call me.” Next, I grinned. “Touch your neck on the bite mark. It will connect you to me.”
Helena nodded. She hugged my neck and whispered, “Please return fast. I have missed you already.”