Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 111: Reassessing Life

Chapter 111: Reassessing Life

The scent of blood didn’t irk him. He got excited when he saw the blurry shadow of the girl with short hair appear amidst the golden light. As he observed with keen eyes not wanting to miss having another look at her, her figure slowly started to manifest.

Her hair got longer and messily flew around in the wind. Her pink dress was replaced with a white robe. Her eyes... Well, they had the same pull as a black hole. They were not on the beach anymore, but she appeared to be floating in the sky.

’Do you remember me?’

She said, her voice shaking. Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. And then, with her hands held out, her feet left the ledge she was standing on.

"Gah!"

Leander woke up with a gasp.

"What is this dream?"

With a grunt, he rubbed his forehead which was throbbing with pain. His heart was actually pounding like in that dream. Everything was weird. He didn’t remember the last time he remembered his dreams.

He had plenty of weird dreams before, but he never remembered them after he woke up. But why is this dream lingering in his memory?

He heard his phone vibrating and checked it. There were a lot of missed calls from Steve. He was the only one who looked for him the entire night it seemed.

He was a little disappointed. But then, "she" does not have a phone even if she wanted to look for him.

He checked the time, and it was already seven in the morning. There were a lot of runners on the beach, some with their dogs on leashes. Some just came for a walk with their partners.

His eyes ended up on the old couple that was walking hand in hand along the beach. They were whispering something in each other’s ears and laughing. The old woman was talking non-stop, and the old-wrinkly guy was laughing non-stop. The old gold ring on her hand glittered in the morning light. They appeared to be a couple who were married for a long time judging by their worn-out ring. He wondered what they might have to talk about at their age. Won’t they have run out of topics by now?

And then there was a couple, a young couple. They didn’t wear any rings, but the way they looked at each other made it obvious that they were together. The smile on that guy’s face as the woman wiped his face with her towel was beautiful. He looked like he had everything life had to offer when he pulled her into a hug. And when he sneaked a kiss, he looked like a guy who conquered the world.

Leander was stunned. He never noticed stuff like this before. He wanted to be like that guy who could find the ultimate joy by sneaking a kiss from his girlfriend. Doesn’t that seem like a simple life?

Will he ever know how to live simply like that?

He’s 33. And he realized that he hasn’t done anything worthwhile in his life. He didn’t remember the last thing he did solely for his enjoyment that made him laugh.

Sure, he drives a better car than that guy and wears stuff worth a hundredfold than what that guy was wearing. But when was the last time he smiled like that?

And the way the woman looks at him as if he’s her whole world...

When was the last time someone looked at him like that?

And he is married even. All his wife does is...

Even after he had to go way beyond to ensure her safety, even after he tried his best to care for her, all she sees in him is the monster she wants to see.

But he couldn’t even get mad at her or feel sorry for himself that he was deceived. He knew it. He knew that she hates him. And he gives her reason to hate him more. He doesn’t know of any woman who falls in love with the man who pulls her hair and draws his gun on her.

But why does his heart remember her when he sees a happy couple? Is he holding hope that one day they might be happy like that happy couple too?

He didn’t want to look at them anymore. Maybe because he is wearing sticky clothes, or it might be the morning breeze that he is unaccustomed to. He was feeling emotional.

He should not feel this way and behave like a man!

Then his attention turned towards a guy with a boy with him. There were a couple of golden retrievers circling them. The guy who must be the father of the boy was teaching catch to his son who looked around five. The giggles of the boy as he missed, and the encouraging father... It was a sight to behold. When the boy successfully caught a throw, the pride on the father’s face and the son’s happiness...

It reminded him of his father.

His father had the same kind of smile when he killed the guy who tried to kill his father. That was his first kill. He was shaking and his heart was beating in his throat as he realized that he had taken a life, but his father’s smile assured him that everything was fine. From then on, he did everything to see that same smile on his father’s face.

Usually, that included new ways to get information from their enemies that included torture and killing. He’d feel bad like something was pricking in his heart. But he learned to overcome that feeling. He wanted to be included.

’I knew you were one of us, Leander!’ His father said that day, he felt like he had achieved everything in life. He loved that feeling of being included. Little by little, he started to see that same smile on his grandfather’s face too. He decided that’s what his life is going to be—to see that smile on their faces, to see their approval.

He thought he succeeded. And yet, here he is...

He sighed leaning on the rock. The gun on his holster pricked his side. It was odd. This was the first time he felt like throwing that gun aside. But he cannot.

He will die, literally, without his gun.

His phone vibrated. He didn’t want to talk to Steve then. But that call was not from Steve. It said ’Orchid Garden’. It must be Katerina calling him through the landline phone.

He ignored the call.

But the call rang immediately again.

He answered the phone just for his peace of mind. He knows how annoying Katerina can get.

"What?" he answered the call not hiding his annoyance.

There was silence for some time. He almost ended the call.

"...It’s me..."