Chapter 786: Because with you, for the first time ... she chose herself.
The next day —
The sun hung low in the sky, its golden glow stretching across the garden. The gentle breeze carried the scent of lilies and roses —Brenda’s favourites. It was so quiet and serene ... almost as though the garden itself understood the solemnity of the moment.
Arwen walked with Aiden and Idris on her side, her trembling hands holding the urn that contained Brenda’s ashes. It was a simple yet elegant porcelain piece, adorned with delicate patterns of lavender and white —the colours that Brenda always loved.
Arwen held it close to her chest, as though clutching the last tangible part of her Granna.
Her gaze darted around to stare at the flower garden stretched before her —vibrant and full of life. She still remembered how her Granna used to spend countless hours here —tending to every flower here as though each of them meant something to her.
"Granna, you love them a lot, don’t you?"
Brenda had laughed at that but hadn’t refuted. "I love you more than anyone or anything else in this world, Winnie."
"You are lying, Granna," Arwen had pouted. "You don’t look after me so tenderly. At every opportunity you get, you use it to tease me over something or another. Where is your love?"
"That’s because I love you in a different way —a way where I enjoy to the fullest around you. And as for these flowers ..." She had paused to look at them with a gentle gaze as though conveying her purpose. "I love them so that they could love me back when I come to rest amidst them."
At that time, Arwen was too young to understand what kind of rest her Granna wanted amidst these flowers. But today, when the time had come, she had finally realized it.
Her steps paused near the small burial site that had been prepared beneath a flourishing rose bush, the same bush Brenda had planted decades ago with her own hands. Its blossoms were in full bloom, their petals swaying gently as if in a soft farewell.
Idris stood silently beside Arwen, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder in quiet support.
Aiden was there too, standing a little behind her. His expression was solemn, and his presence felt steady —as a silent anchor standing there to keep her together.
The priest concluded the final prayers. His voice low and steady, merging with the whisper of the evening breeze. And then, it was time. He gestured Arwen, cuing her forward.
Arwen nodded. And then, with slow, reverent movements, she stepped forward. Her hands that held the urn shook, but she didn’t let herself falter. She lowered it into the small hollow in the ground. As she settled it into the place, her breath hitched. Her vision blurred with tears.
"This is where you wanted to be, Granna, Didn’t you?" she whispered, her voice shaking. She let her fingers brush over the cool porcelain one last time. "Among your flowers ... the ones you carefully planted."
As she stepped a step back, everyone slowly came forward to cover the urn with earth, layer by layer, until the ground was level again. A few fresh rose petals were scattered on the top, their soft pink contrasting beautifully against the dark soil.
When everything was finished, Arwen took a deep breath. Her heart still ached, but there was also a quiet sense of rightness, as though she had accepted it —accepted that Brenda’s soul had found its way home.
"Princess!" Idris spoke softly, his voice laced with quiet understanding, "We should return now. Let her have the peace she needs."
From the corner of her eyes, she could tell even Aiden was staring at her like waiting to embrace her and offer her the warmth that even she didn’t know she was craving.
"Dad ... Aiden," she murmured slowly, without turning to look at any of them. Her eyes were still fixed on the memorial plaque. "Can I ... have some time alone? Please."
Idris exchanged a brief glance with Aiden before nodding. "Of course, sweetheart," he said gently.
Aiden stared at Arwen, but didn’t say anything. He knew she needed this time to heal —heal from the regrets she was harbouring inside her. His gaze lingered on her for aa moment —protective and steady. Then, he silently guided Idris a few steps away, giving her the space she needed. He didn’t walk away, just enough to remain close enough to keep a watch from a distance.
As they retreated, the world around Arwen grew quiet. Only the chirping of the distant birds and rustling of the leaves remained the air.
She crouched down by the fresh mound of earth. Staring at it for a long moment, she slowly placed her palm flat on it as if trying to reach through the soil to her Granna.
"I am sorry, Granna," she whispered softly, her lips trembling as she spoke. "I have been very cruel to you with my words. I shouldn’t have said all that —not when I knew that you would never betray me ... would never do anything that would put me in harm. If you hid something from me, it must have been to protect me from something that would have shattered me the worst. I knew this ... always, yet I said all those bad things to you. I am sorry, Granna. I am sorry. I ... I never hated you. How could I when all I ever remember is you loving and adoring me?"
Her tears finally spilled over, rolling down her cheeks. But she didn’t hold them back, nor did she hide them. She allowed them to fall freely, watering the soil that now held the ashes of the woman who had been her entire world since she remembered.
Aiden stood at a distance and watched her. His hand and heart clenched at the sight of her tearing up emotionally. His face was cold, his jaws tight —clearly revealing how unbearable it was for him to see her like this.
Beside him, Idris observed his expression and couldn’t help the faint, knowing smile that curved his lips. With his hands clasped behind his back, he slowly turned to look at his daughter before speaking, his voice low and thoughtful. "Now I understand why she chose you," he murmured.
Aiden’s gaze broke from Arwen as he turned towards Idris in quiet surprise.
Idris didn’t look at him immediately; his eyes stayed on Arwen’s distant figure for a long moment as though she was remembering some moment. His expression softened with a father’s pride and melancholy.
"She has always been the best daughter —caring and loving," he said quietly. "And I have always known she loved us more than anyone or anything else in the world. So, when she chose you over us, I couldn’t bring myself to understand it. I accepted, but the question of why always remained somewhere in my mind. The question of why she chose to walk away from the family she cherished so deeply for a man she barely knew. But now ..."
He paused, finally turning to meet Aiden’s eyes. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips —not one of resignation, but one of genuine understanding.
"But now ... I see it. I understand why she did it. Why she never hesitated to leave us, just to choose you."
Aiden remained silent, his gaze steady.
Idris’s smile deepened, and warmth glinted in his eyes. He placed his hand over his shoulder. "Because with you, for the first time ... she chose herself. She chose someone who she knew would stand by her, protect her, and love her the way she deserves. She chose a future where she knew she didn’t have to keep sacrificing herself and her real self to please others. She chose someone who would protect her both in her silence and her chaos ... equally."
Pride never flashed in Aiden’s gaze. If it had been anyone else in his place, they would have been smug, but Aiden ... Aiden stood and heard all of it as though it was nothing exaggerated. All his actions were something basic ... something that every man should do for their woman without feeling compelled or forced to.
His gaze slowly turned to look back in the direction of Arwen. She was still sitting there. "I —" He was about to say something, just when he was interrupted.
"Sir —"
Both Aiden and Idris turned to look, only to see a man they recognized as Serenity Residence’s staff standing, holding a phone in his hand.
"There is a call for you," the man said with a little hesitation.
Aiden’s brows tugged in a frown as his gaze darted to look down at the phone. It was the phone he recognized well.
Arwen wasn’t carrying her phone, and she had deliberately left it in the car.
Someone was calling him on her phone.
"They have been calling persistently," the man explained, "so I have to bring it to you."
Aiden took the phone and saw the number flashing on the screen. There was no contact id ...just the string of numbers.
"Hello!" he spoke through the line, and the moment he heard the person speak through the other side, his brows drew in a frown.
Idris noticed the shift in his expression, and he turned to gaze at him as though waiting to hear what had made his mood shift like that.
And right that moment, even Emyr came rushing. "Sir, we got the news that Selene Martin has left New York and has already arrived in Cralens. She had been spotted exiting the airport very early in the morning. But later, we lost track of her. Our men are still searching for her."