Nathaniel takes a seat next to Ember, offering his warmth and chasing away any doubts that still linger in her head. There is a moment of silence between them, but instead of the tense air like earlier, a wave of tranquility washes over as the young couple enjoys this peaceful time together.

Ember's mind wanders back to Primrose's words, how Nathaniel's punishment was carried out, and the consequences he had to face for his action. She is glad that nothing severe happened to him, she will never be able to forgive herself if they take away his magic forever. As she allows herself to drown in the train of thoughts, the blond seizes her hand, wrapping it in his big, warm one. Her whole body tenses at the touch, her voice hitches as the older Feng tries to calm her pounding heart.

No matter how much she tries to deny her feelings, how much she wants to run away, how much she wants to hide from him, her heart still flutters every time Nathaniel is by her side.

No Ember…You are no longer worthy of his love…

That voice keeps screaming in her head, reminding her that her place is not by his side, not when she has caused him too much pain and sorrow. But Ember can't help herself, her foolish heart keeps pounding in her chest, begging to be by his side.

"Caleb gave me a talk earlier…"

The blond speaks up, breaking the silence between them. Ember turns her attention to him, green eyes blinking in curiosity. The way he speaks the vampire lord's name is endearing, as if he has accepted the fate of seeing Caleb as his future brother-in-law and the older Feng almost can not hold back her giggle. Just weeks ago, Nathaniel was opposing everything Primrose had to say about Caleb Vatore, and now…

"What did you guys talk about?"

"About him and Primrose's situation years ago…" the blond stops for a moment as he chews on his inner cheek before continuing "And we talk about this…"

Embr flinches again, she turns away, still trying to avoid this. She knows what Nathaniel is referring to, it doesn't take her two brain cells to figure out why Caleb and Primrose decided to separate them for a brief moment.

"And I have made up my mind…"

The older Feng inhales sharply, she closes her eyes, preparing to hear his announcement. Her mind is doing a roller coaster ride, she can feel her stomach churn, knowing that nothing can save their broken relationship. No matter how much she loves him, no matter how much her heart yearns for him, Ember knows that nothing can salvage this doomed connection between them.

Nathaniel has every right to cut all ties with her. After the hell she has forced him to go through, Ember is grateful that he is still willing to look and talk to her. If this was another man, he would probably run away already.

This sin that she is carrying, even if Nathaniel forgives her, she can never do the same for herself…

"Ember, the pain you have caused me is unbearable. You have hurt me more than anyone else and my life turns upside down because of you…"

Tears gather in the corner of her eyes as she takes in another deep breath. She doesn't blame him for thinking like that and she is willing to accept all forms of punishment for the sin she has committed.

"I hate you for the pain you put me through, I can't think of any reason to forgive you." Nathaniel tightens his grasp on her hand, drawing those tearful green eyes onto him "But I will never forgive myself if I let you go again…"

"Wha…?"

She stares at him, her heart stops at his words. What did Nathaniel just say?

"Ever since you left me, you are all I think about day and night." the blond lets out a pitiful laugh, hoping to hide away the embarrassment "I asked myself why you did that, or was it my fault that led you to end things between us. The more I tried to find the answer, the more my heart ached. And when Primrose told me the reason behind your actions, I felt like a lost man…"

Her lips quiver at his words, she lowers her head, feeling ashamed of herself.

"I lashed out at Don Lothario, branding myself a criminal in the Emberlynn family. I asked myself why going as far as to do such things for you when all you had done up to that point was causing me pain. I used my love for you to justify all of my actions, even went as far as to ignore all the sacrifices my family made to get me out of jail because I believed that no sacrifice could be compared to what you did to protect me from your parents."

But even when he knows why Ember decided to end their relationship, somewhere in his heart still blames her for everything that had happened in his life. Within a few minutes of saying her departure, she has turned him into a broken man, stripping away all the love and hopes he has for her. And yet, despite everything that has happened between them, Nathaniel still loves her.

This hopeless love he has for her, no matter how painful it is, or how much he tries to pin the blame on her, the blond can no longer let her go.

"Ember, tell me…"

Her heart swells painfully when he turns his attention to her, blue eyes swimming in tears as he tries his best to fight them off. A hand surges up, caressing his face as she wipes away those pearly tears. She too can't no longer hold herself back at the sight of him.

"Nathaniel…" her voice cracks as she utters out his name. Ember never wants to see him like this, so broken and fragile…

She knows that the blond is trying his best to be strong, to offer a shoulder for her to cry on and extend his arms to shield her from the pain she goes through. Seeing him struggling to keep his composure, Ember can no longer be selfish and cast away all his efforts just because she feels unworthy to be by his side. Nathaniel needs her as much as she needs him…

"I'm sorry, Nathaniel…" she sobs, her hand still caressing his cheek gently, as if to soothe the pain they are experiencing right now "I'm sorry. Please don't cry, please…"

The blond holds her hand on his cheek, he can feel how small and trembly it is. As much as she tries to run away from him, in times like this, her beautiful green eyes betray her and speak her true feelings.

"Can we start over?" he asks her, his voice cracking with hope "Ember…"

"I…I will hurt you more…" she struggles to get those words out "I love you so much to hurt you, Nathaniel. Being with me will only bring you more pain, and I… I can't bear to see that happen to you…"

"And it will pain me even more if you leave again." grazing his lips on her palm, he continues "I can not lose you, Ember. And you don't want to lose me too, yeah?"

"I…"

Ember shakes her head. She doesn't want to be as miserable as Primrose years ago, she has seen her future self in the raven head if she continues to stay stubborn.

"Then let's start over, let's start slow…" Nathaniel looks at her, searching for those green orbs "Ember, can we?"

The blond's hand still wraps around hers, offering a silent plea and the warmth she desperately needs. Nathaniel is asking her, someone who has broken him physically and mentally, to be by his side again. That little voice inside her keeps screaming at how she is making a mistake, that she will hurt him again if she chooses to stay with him.

"Nathaniel…" biting her bottom lips, Ember finds herself at a crossroads, unsure of which decision she needs to take "I…"

What will happen if she chooses to leave?

What will happen if she chooses to stay?

Her mind wanders back to Primrose's story, how Caleb left her without a word, how broken she was trying to process his actions, how her whole world turned upside down just because of what he did. In the same way, Ember is doing the same thing to Nathaniel. She has seen how much Primrose struggles to move on, to break free from her own sorrow, but no matter how much she tries to do, Caleb's action still comes back to haunt her.

If Ember chooses to leave Nathaniel now, will his life be the same as his sister's? Will her life be the same as Primrose's too?

If leaving means to bring you more pain…

"Let's start over again, Nathaniel…"

Holding onto his hands, she squeezes them tightly, using all her strength to affirm her answer. The blond's face beams up at the answer as he pulls her closer, engulfing the small body in a tight and loving embrace. Staying in his arms, Ember can hear his pounding heart, she can feel how shaking his body is and that sigh of relief he just let out. At first, she finds herself unable to reciprocate his affection, but with each minute passing by, the older Feng begins to open up and wraps her arms around him, inhaling the familiar scent of the man she holds dear to her heart.

"I love you…" her voice is as soft as a feather, just loud enough for those words to ring in his ears.

Nathaniel snuggles on her shoulders, fighting back the tears that are slowly running down his face. It has been a while since he last heard those words from her.

"I love you too, Ember."

Not far away from them are Primrose and Caleb, who have watched the young pair from a safe distance. She looks up to him, her onyx orbs twinkling in joy as her younger brother and his girlfriend finally return to each other's arms. There is a relief smile on her face as she sets a hand on her chest, hoping to calm her pounding heart. She has hoped for them to be together again, unable to witness how broken Nathaniel and Ember are when they are separated.

"All's well that ends well…" Caleb speaks up, his warm voice rings in her ears as she nods in agreement "We should give them their private moment."

"You're right…" she looks at the young pair one more time before turning to the young vampire lord, a sweet smile adorning her lips "Thank you, Caleb."

"For what, Primrose?" circling one arm around her, he leads the raven head back to his quarter.

"For helping them, for helping all of us…"

There is a glint of adoration shining in his silver orbs as he plants a kiss on her forehead, soothing the young maiden and chasing away the worries that keep gnawing at her.

"My pleasure, beloved."

Rosalina giggles as she looks at the picture on her phone, Primrose has updated her on Nathaniel and Ember's situation and she can feel her heart leap in joy as their problem is finally resolved. Her crisp giggle catches the attention of Edward, who is instructing the workers on their house's construction.

"Something good happened, Rosalina?"

"Yes, look at how cute they are."

The woman shows her husband the picture, grinning ear to ear as Edward fixes his glasses, raising an amusing brow at the news of his son and Ember's newfound relationship.

"Well, it's only a matter of time…" the older blond smiles as he looks at his wife "You were very worried leaving them alone at the Vatore Estate."

Rosalina nods her head. While she trusts that her son will do the right thing, somewhere in her heart still fears that he might be heartbroken even more if Ember chooses to leave again.

Edward takes off his glasses and cleans the lens, sighing in contentment as his wife gives him a soft squeeze on his stiff shoulders. The renovation of their home is almost done, within two weeks, they can return to this place. While he can ask Primrose and Nathaniel for their help in watching over the reconstruction of the house, Edward fears that his children's problem will distract them from focusing on the task.

"This place looks just as wonderful as we first laid our eyes on it, right dear?"

"You loved it a lot back then, Rosalina. I guess I was influenced by your choice too."

The giggle escapes her lips is bright and crisp. Despite being a woman entering her middle age era, Rosalina still carries the charm that makes Edward fall in love with her in the first place.

"What's wrong?" she turns to her husband, worries filling her eyes when she catches him sighing again "Is everything okay?"

Edward pinches the bridge of his nose, stealing a few glances at his lovely wife. His stiff shoulders slowly slump down and they move to a private area, away from prying eyes as he begins to discuss the request he receives from Alfred, his brother.

The head of House Emberlynn wants him to fill in the position of the previous elder, making him the new Honorable One of the elder council. Alfred believes that this is the best course of action for their clan as the involvement of Edward will send the council members a clear message of never making the same mistake as the last one again.

On top of that, Alfred has spoken up about the possibility of transferring his leading position to Edward, believing that he is more capable of leading House Emberlynn to a brighter future. The main threat against Edward and Rosalina is no more, he can take the mantle of leadership without the fear of any opposition. But that thought never crosses Edward's mind. The day he gave up his inheritance to be with Rosalina, he already entrusted the future of House Emberlynn to his older brother's hands, Alfred.

"So you turned down his offer?"

"I did. I can't imagine myself or you or the children under the thumbs of those elders and tradition." fixing his glasses, Edward sighs "Besides, we already have too much going on on our hands now."

Rosalina hums in agreement. The revelation of Primrose and House Vatore has caused quite an uproar in Edward's family, particularly the elders who insist on allying with the most influential family in Forgotten Hollow. Alfred and Edward are smart enough to ignore their request, believing that they should not add a political layer to Primrose's relationship.

"Those damn power-hungry elders, I can never imagine what our lives would be if I was the head of House Emberlynn."

"You complain a lot, Edward…" Rosalina giggles "But I know you always have your eyes on the safety of your family and us."

And that is what makes her love the older blond. Despite the differences between his ideals and what House Emberlynn wants him to be, Edward always knows to set aside the contradiction and fully pledge his loyalty to the greater cause.

Planting a kiss on her husband's cheek, she looks at their home with joy in her eyes. The renovation will be completed before the holidays, if everything goes according to plan, then this Christmas will be one of the best holidays they celebrate this year.

"I can't wait to decorate our home for the holiday, Edward. This year is gonna be a lot of fun."

"Well, we're having the Head of House Vatore joining us this year after all." Edward smiles "If Primrose decides to bring Caleb to the party, that is."

"Then we must remind her. She can be quite a clumsy girl sometimes…"