Chapter 767 - Saying Goodbye

Ah ... why am I thinking about this? Nicolae scolded himself. He shouldn't think like this because, after all, he and Marie will not meet again. Tomorrow he would return to Grosetto and change his current identity. Then he would disappear completely from Marie's life.

Their meeting this time was serendipity, a pleasant coincidence, and they gave comfort that the other needed during their own hardsh.i.p.s.

Marie happened to be in need of a man who could pretend to be her husband to make her mother happy before she passed away, while Nicolae needed a woman who could heal the wounds in his heart.

Thanks to Marie, he was able to let go of Aleksis from his heart. Evidently, this morning he could make love with a woman who was not Aleksis, and he could make peace with his broken heart. Nicolae felt that he was now on the road to recovery, and for this, he would forever thank Marie.

Each of them had fulfilled the purpose of their meeting, and now it was time to return to their own lives. Tomorrow, Nicolae would erase his tracks, and Marie would never be able to find him again.

He could feel how much Marie liked him and even began to fall in love with him. But Nicolae knew that it would be unfair to Marie if he gave the girl a little hope ... He was not ready for new love until he could find himself again and healed completely. If he gave her hope, he would only make Marie his rebound, and she didn't deserve it.

The lovely nice lunch ended two hours later. It was obvious that Altair and Vega still wanted to play and talk with Marie, but Nicolae reminded them that they had to finish their homework.

"Professor Tillman will blame me if you don't send the essay he asked you to do," the man said, patting Altair and Vega's shoulders alternately.

"They are writing ESSAY ???" Marie asked in surprise. "Aren't they too small for such things?"

"Uhm .. they are not regular children," Nicolae explained. "They don't go to school like other kids, so they have to be able to study independently with a private teacher. After all, the essay isn't difficult. They like the subject, don't you Kids?"

He looked at Altair and Vega alternately, and the two children reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah, I do..." Vega sighed. He really liked studying botany.

"You don't want your mother to think that I don't take care of your education properly, right?" Nicolae asked again.

The man was always conscientious about ensuring that within the one year he had with Altair and Vega, the two children's education and wellbeing were well maintained. He did not want them to lack anything, even only a little.

"Of course not," said Altair, nodding in agreement. He immediately remembered that tomorrow he might have to really say goodby to Daddy Nic, and that made his heart feel sad.

Finally, they got up to go back to their apartment.

"Thank you for lunch. It was nice talking to you," Nicolae said before they left the restaurant. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Well ... I'll be fine ..." She lied through her teeth and then raised her face, smiling, as if he was the happiest woman in the world. "You're welcome. Don't forget to let me know when you are back in Singapore. My flower shop is across the street."

She pointed to the end of the road across the park and rose from her chair to wave to them.

"Goodbye, Auntie Marie."

Marie just stood there, watching Nicolae and his two children leave. When they were already far enough, her smiling face turned sad. Marie was disappointed that Nicolae didn't treat her differently from yesterday. At first, she thought after they made love passionately this morning, something else happened between them, and sparks flew.

Before, she thought that when they met again, the man would look a little awkward, like herself. Or maybe, he would even treat her more sweetly or with some intimacy. After all, this morning they made love like they were in love, like real husband and wife.

Marie smiled bitterly as her heart spoke truthfully, that the truth was, she had fallen in love with the man, and now she was hoping that their fake marriage could turn into a real one.

Ahh ... she was so naive.

People say men can have s.e.x with a woman without love, while women will only have s.e.x because of love. There was so much truth in that saying, Marie admitted. She realized that even though he and Nicolae had s.e.x, her feeling had been one-sided. She had to accept the fact that her love was unrequited.

***

It was a beautiful sunny day, and the atmosphere in Nicolae's apartment was quite busy. They had been packing their belongings for the last time since morning.

"Is everything all right?" Nicolae asked the kids for the third time. Altair and Vega nodded. Each of them carried a small suitcase in their hands. They both looked neat and ready to travel.

Their plane to Rome will depart at 2 pm. They were ready to leave the apartment at noon. Troy and Willman, the two bodyguards that Alaric had prepared for his two children, had been waiting for them in the parking lot of the building to take them to the airport.

Nicolae stood hesitantly by the side of the car before he finally got in and told Willman to drive.

"What's the matter, Dad? Did you forget something?" Altair asked, puzzled to see Nicolae dumbfounded. He hoped his father had made an agreement with Auntie Marie and was now waiting for the girl to say goodbye to them because, after all, they lived in the same building.

Nicolae shook his head. He then got into the car and closed the door without saying anything.

He was thinking of saying goodbye to Marie but refrained at the last minute. He did not want the girl to have the wrong idea by being sweet to her. He knew Marie liked him or maybe even loved him... and he didn't want to give her false hope.

He had explained to her from the beginning, before Marie took him to meet Mrs. Lu, that he only intended to help her, and that they could not have any further contact after he fulfilled his promise.

In the car, his mind was at war with himself. One part of his heart wanted to say goodbye, and say something to Marie... because their relationship, though brief, had turned into a complication when the two of them decided to sleep together yesterday.

Nicolae felt guilty to just leave without a word. But the other part of his heart insisted that he should avoid Marie so as not to confuse her and made her feel like he gave her hope.

Nicolae's heart began to heal slowly, but she could not yet fall in love with anyone at this moment. He realized that he would only make them his rebounds or he would only use them for s.e.x, now that he could already sleep with another woman. Both situations were unacceptable for a girl as sweet as Marie.

***

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From the author:

Thank you soo much for reading this novel and showing your endless support. I'm humbled and feel so happy that you spend your precious time reading this book. I am currently writing a new novel called "FINDING STARDUST".

At the moment the update is 1 chapter per day because I'm still focusing on THE ALCHEMISTS. Once this novel ended, I will be able to publish 2-3 chapters per day for the new novel. It's still on its infancy because I have only introduced the characters and the background. We still have a long way to go. But, you will get to witness the story and follow the MC's journey from the beginning.

If you liked "THE ALCHEMISTS", I think you will FINDING STARDUST too :). Go and check it. Who knows, it might be your next cup of tea ^^. Here is the blurb:

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FINDING STARDUST

And then she realized that she could fly.

Suddenly all her senses became enhanced and she could also control the earth's elements?

She finally realized that her powers were the secret to her past and her missing parents, a royal princess and a formidable general from a planet called Akkadia who escaped their home planet because they loved each other.

Emma was resolute in finding them even if it means she had to go to the end of the universe. Will she meet her parents again? Will she find Akkadia? Will her powers bring her friends... or foes?

Follow Emma's journey as she unravels the mystery surrounding her past and her future. Volume 1 is light-hearted and focuses on her life among regular humans on earth. 

From Volume 2 onwards, get ready to be transported into a completely new world where magic and science become part of human daily life. If you like strong FL, space, astronomy, magic, science, and slice-of-life.. You will be spoiled by this book!

Tags for this novel: fantasy, overpowered MC, mage, sci-fi, strong FL, space opera, sweet romance, secret identity, superpowers, high fantasy, modern, adventure, action.