Matt suddenly became aware that the water was cold and the room had grown dark with the sunset. He got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist.
He found himself thinking over and over: What if Viv's wrong? What if he went to Sera and it caused her more pain? What if he made her worse? Flashes of Sera’s eyes, filled with agony as she watched the images of his past, went through his head.
He grimaced as he sat on the bed. He couldn’t hurt her more. How could he take that chance? But why would Vivyka lie? Or maybe she just didn’t know. Maybe she was guessing. He sighed and lay back. His head pounded, and his mind spun with questions.
__________
Clean-shaven and sober, he bought himself a horse the next morning. He had sold the one Sera had given him to buy necessities early on—not that it had gotten him too far. He had ended up selling his sword, the Farlon Blade, just a week ago. Now he had enough to live on for a few years.
Several times on his way to Sera, he almost turned back. He was sure he was doing the wrong thing… And yet, he felt a glimmer of hope that wouldn’t go away. One sentence stuck in his head: ‘It would take an angel to forgive someone like you… and she’s an angel.’ His chest ached horribly, torn between hope and despair.
It took him three days to make it to Brunya City. The sun was just starting to set when he crossed the bridge into town. Please let this be the right thing to do, he thought. Twenty minutes later, he was looking at Sera's front door. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Please let this be the right thing to do, he repeated to himself.
It was a while before he could force his legs to move, to climb the three steps up to the porch. Once there, he raised his hand and knocked quickly before he could lose his nerve, then held his breath as the door opened.
It was her father. Cael's jaw clenched and his eyes, the same blue as Sera’s, burned with hatred when he saw who it was. Matt couldn’t think of a single thing to say to him, but Cael didn’t hesitate; within a second, his fist connected with Matt’s face, and Matt’s head turned with the force of the blow. Cael grabbed a fistful of Matt’s shirt and pulled back his arm to hit him again, but then paused when she spoke from inside the house.
“Dad, please.” Sera's voice sounded so frail it sent a sharp pain through Matt’s chest.
Cael swallowed hard. It took him a minute to let go and slowly back away, but his menacing glare stayed.
When Sera came into view, Matt’s heart twisted painfully. She had lost weight, her cheeks had lost their color, her pink lips were faded, and her skin was too close in shade to the white dress she wore. She really did look like she was dying. His eyes stung as she struggled to take the last step on the stairway. It seemed to take all her strength to stand there, clinging to the banister for support.
It should have been hate in her eyes, or something very close to it. How could they still be filled with that warm adoration? How was it possible that she still loved him?
He walked closer, aware of her father’s fist tightening at his side. When Matt got to her, his tears finally broke through and he dropped to his knees before her. He leaned his head against her stomach and cried. “My angel,” he whispered brokenly.
She laid her hand on his shoulder and pushed him back weakly, then sat down on the step, being careful and slow. She held his face in her delicate, trembling hands, looking at him through watery eyes. “I told you… I will always want you,” she said breathlessly. Her thumbs caressed away some of his tears. “I love you. I will always love you… no matter what.” She kissed his lips tenderly, then rested her forehead against his. “Please… don’t ever leave me…. again.”
“Never,” he promised.
She smiled happily, then sighed as she closed her eyes and fell limp.
He caught her and held her, cradling her in his arms. “Sera?”
Lotus, who he hadn’t even noticed was in the room, walked over to them. “She’s just exhausted. That’s the first time she’s been out of bed in a while. Let’s take her to her room.”
Matt nodded and stood, keeping Sera in his arms.
Lotus turned to her husband. “It’s okay,” she told him softly.
Cael studied Matt for a moment, then took a deep breath and gave his wife a look that she seemed to understand. When she nodded, he left the house.
“That’s Cael, her father," she told him. "He’ll be okay; he just needs to cool down. I’m her mother, Lotus.”
He remembered both of them, but he said nothing. They looked the same as they had when he was five years old, thanks to their Woodlander blood. Sera looked like she could be their sister more than their daughter.
Matt followed Lotus upstairs and into Sera's bedroom, where he laid her gently on the white bed. He gazed down at her for a minute, then turned back to her mother. “Am I doing the right thing? Being here, I mean. Is this what’s best for her?”
Lotus nodded. “Yes. Thank you for coming,” she told him sincerely, then shocked him by giving him a hug which, after a moment, he awkwardly returned. She pulled back and smiled up at him. “She loves you and says you’re part of her, so I’ll love you too. She believes in you—she has faith that you’ll never hurt her. She’s never been wrong about a person before, so I’ll trust in her conviction. And if she can forgive you, then so can I. It'll take Cael some time, but know that as long as she wants you here”—she nodded to her daughter—“you are very welcome.”
He was completely stunned. He nodded slowly. “Thanks,” he mumbled. It felt severely inadequate, but he didn’t know what else to say.
Lotus looked happy now. “I’ll start cooking. Hopefully she’ll eat now that you’re here. Can I get you anything?”
A clue, he thought wryly, but he just shook his head.
“Then I’ll be back when dinner’s ready,” she said brightly, and left.
He took a deep breath and sat down on Sera's bed. “Get better, okay?” He lay beside her and pulled her into his arms, holding her gently. “Make us both better,” he whispered, and kissed the top of her head.
