Chapter 188. Temporary Goodbyes

Rico watched as Calla stared at him, her gaze torn between understanding and pain. He hated that he was the reason she was feeling this way. He hates how he couldn't keep his promise of making her smile always. And most of all, he hated how he couldn't be by her side all the time.

“So all this time… you were alone," she whispered, and her voice broke something in him. "I should have been here with you..."

His eyes softened slightly, and a sigh slipped from his lips. “I'm not alone. Not anymore.”

Calla pushed out a smile as tears slipped down her cheeks. She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his torso, fingers gripping his shirt tightly.

Rico held her close, one hand at the back of her head, the other around her waist. “I’m so... so sorry,” he said against her hair. “For every night you cried. For every day you searched.