Breaking Free, Loving Again -The Flash Marriage with Mr. CEO
Chapter 602 - 602: He didn’t, but she did.

"Queen Sister, I have tried my best, but except for fixing this photograph, I couldn't do anything else for you," Alice said, her voice tinged with disappointment.

Arwen rarely sought their help. And even in those rare moments, Alice felt she had failed to deliver. She looked down, feeling utterly incapable.

"It's fine, Alice." Arwen replied, shaking her head slightly, though her eyes remained fixed on the envelope in her hand. She didn't lift her gaze, nor did she say more.

Her fingers tightened around the envelope. Her heart was thudding against her ribs, loud and uneven.

She felt too nervous to open the envelope and see what was inside.

But she had to …

Only when she checked would she be able to know the truth.

Only by seeing the photo would she finally know if the Aiden from her dreams was simply a figment of her imagination … or if he had truly been a part of her past.

A part she had somehow forgotten.

"Queen Sister, what's wrong?" Alice asked, feeling a little confused. She couldn't see Arwen's face, but the way her hand gripped the envelope tightly betrayed her unease —like whatever lay inside would change everything. "Is it something very important to you?"

Arwen didn't respond at first, but after a beat she hummed. "It's important," she said, repeating with more emotion, "Very important."

This held the clue to all her answers.

Then, drawing a deep breath, she let her thumb hover over the seal before tearing it open.

Inside was a single photograph —restored with careful precision. The edges were still slight frayed, the colours slightly muted with time, but the figures in the picture were clear.

Her eyes first caught her own image —her younger self, in a school uniform, smiling at the sunlight, shielding her eyes with one hand while the other wrapped around the boy's neck as she leaned on his back.

And then her eyes went down to look at the boy …

Her heart stilled.

Her eyes widened.

His face wasn't blurred anymore; instead, it was clearer to the point that she could no longer ignore it. He carried her on his back with a precise ease.

But that was not what stilled Arwen —it was him.

Even though she had no memory of this picture, she couldn't forget that face —not when it was so clear to her.

Not when she had been seeing him every day, every night.

"The boy is quite good-looking, Queen Sister," Alice said as she came to take a peek at the picture. "He is one perfectly matching your charms. Do you know him?"

Arwen stared at the picture. She wanted to nod and say that she did. But did she really?

"Queen Sister?"

"Yes, I know him" she glanced up and nodded. Then, looking back down at the picture, she continued repeating, "I know him. He is … my husband."

Alice nodded, but then suddenly she paused. "Wait, your husband?" she asked, and then the realization dawned upon her. "Your husband … Aiden Winslow?"

Arwen's lips subtly curled up, and she nodded. "That's him," she confirmed.

Even if she doesn't remember meeting him … knowing him in the past, she was sure it was him. His facial features might have gotten matured over the years, but his gaze —it never seemed to have changed. It was still as gentle as she remember it to be.

It had always been the same. And she only came to realize it now, after seeing it so evident in the photograph.

"No doubt, it was so difficult and I wasn't able to find the details about him", Alice spoke, letting out a deep sigh, breaking Arwen's train of thought.

And when she saw Arwen lifting her gaze at him, she explained, clearing her throat, "No, I mean, he is the Aiden Winslow. Not everyone has access to his details. I have the knack of getting almost everyone's information out, but he completely stands in a different league"

Realizing that she wasn't completely useless, Alice felt slightly better.

Arwen didn't question her. She understood well what the girl meant. After all, she had already known that the information about the Winslow family was hard to access.

"Oh, by the way, Queen Sister —is this what you meant when you said you haven't signed a contract?" Alice suddenly asked, remembering the last time.

However, her words confused Arwen. Creases formed between her brows, and she stared at her, waiting for her to explain.

"I mean when Harris mentioned the idea of signing the marriage contract," she helped her recall, before shrugging casually. "How could you sign yourself up for a contract marriage when you guys have known each other for the past? That too like this?" She pointed at the picture down in her hands.

And Arwen blinked, for a moment not understanding what she meant.

She followed to gaze back down at the picture and heard Alice speak again.

"Given how close you two look in the picture — if anything, your marriage could be termed as then it should be a marriage out of love —one that dates back from the time. True and real."

A marriage out of love!

Arwen's heart thudded inside her chest. Yes, that's what the picture makes it look like. Them together —in love. Deeply. Truly.

So, does that mean he was never her imagination? But her reality?

The thought made her heart race. Only she knew how badly she had manifested it. Him —in her past. Him —in her dream.

And her manifestations have finally come true. Making him appear so real in her life —not just in her present, but also in her past.

"Queen Sister, you guys got together after so many years," Alice spoke again, "This couldn't just be fate. Tell me, have you planned it? Or was it him? Or whether both of you were so in love that even after so many years, you couldn't forget each other?"

Arwen paused at that. She forgot him. He didn't, but she did.

How could she?