Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 381: His Past Bad Memories

Chapter 381: His Past Bad Memories

Leander walked to her and hugged her back.

"What?" Viviana asked as she got excited about the letter. The silly smile on his face was contagious and she ended up grinning like him. "Is this a letter? What is this about?"

Leander nuzzled his nose on her ear. "It’s a letter I wrote to you. Father Flannagan gave it to me."

Viviana turned her head to look at Leander. "Father Flannagan?" Her brows lifted.

They met Father Flannagan a long time ago. Why did he keep this letter from her till now?

But as she was opening the paper, she realized that Leander said that HE had written this letter and Father Flannagan had it.

So, Leona wrote this letter.

She read the letter. She recognized the handwriting although the writing had faded through the years. Leander’s handwriting was not the same. She understood it. She didn’t have the same handwriting she had when she was a child. Maybe a handwriting expert will have a clear idea if the letter was written by the same person.

But she will have no use for the expertise of an expert. She trusted Leander.

Her eyes teared up reading "My dearest Jophiel"

Leander pulled her closer to his embrace. Her breathing had gone irregular. "Read further, silly," he whispered in her ear.

Viviana tried to control her tears but she couldn’t. "I can’t." she gave up in the end.

Leander kissed her cheek. "You said you didn’t love Leona."

"I don’t!"

Her reply came as quickly as her tears dropped.

"Fine, fine. You didn’t..." He chuckled.

"I was seven! Seven! I didn’t know what love was then. It’s weird," she said.

Even nearing thirty, she couldn’t say for sure what love was. How would she know?

"It is weird," Leander surrendered. Maybe he should stop insisting or trying to change her mind about it. She was just a child then. He just gets very excited ever so often expecting her to have been in love with him forever.

She did say that she got reminded of Leona ever so often when she looked into her eyes. And that was enough for him.

"Give it to me," Leander tried to get the letter from her hand.

"No!" Viviana held the letter close to her chest. "I am going to read it."

Leander sighed. But this time his sigh was accompanied with laughter. "Silly Lemon, I’ll read it for you. If I have to wait for that everlasting stream in your skull to get depleted, I will have to wait a lifetime."

"Wait, then," she said with a little smile.

Looking at his face, her tears reduced. She handed over the letter to him. It would be better to hear him read the letter he wrote. Also, she was not so sure when she would finish reading the letter if she read it herself.

"My dearest Jophiel... I know you were not happy to share our precious time with Leander yesterday..."

Leander continued to read the letter. Hugging her knees, Viviana listened to him. She couldn’t stop smiling and at the same time, her tears flowed without end. She was exhilarated to hear Leona after a long time and to hear her in the voice of the man she loved with all her heart only made it special.

Leona had written about the good times they shared and she listened as she walked through the memory lane. She felt every word as the memories came alive.

Leona had written about revealing the wish to her when she turned eighteen. Viviana leaned on Leander’s chest. Leona was a lot late. But now she knows.

Leander read further.

"Wait... So, you are a Kastello too?" Viviana asked.

That was a shock.

Leander nodded. "Yes. Victoria—my mother was Lucious’ first wife."

"And Leander Kastello is-was your brother..." Viviana mumbled.

This explains a lot.

In fact, it explains everything.

She knew Peter Kastello was not very accepting of the woman his son married. Viola was his preferred choice but his son chose another. That wouldn’t have sat well with Peter.

"Leo," she held his hand and looked into his eyes. "Correct me if I am wrong," she said.

Leander squeezed her hand and nodded.

"Did your mother raise you as a girl to protect you?" she asked.

Leander nodded.

Viviana couldn’t believe it still but she could understand. "It still was not right. She hurt you to protect you..."

Leander’s eyes watered. He didn’t have to explain anything to her in detail but she could understand him. "I forgave her, Melanie. She was my mother and she did her best. She saved my life, honestly. Thanks to her, I am here, with you. I would take anything if it means I can have you in my arms...like this..."

With you looking at me like this... I would give up anything for that, dear Melanie...

His words got stuck in his throat.

Viviana kissed him. How can he love her this much?

"Leander Kastello died in the fire?" she asked.

Leander nodded.

"They took you in, in his place?"

Leander nodded.

"Oh, honey," Viviana hugged him and patted the back of his head. "I am sorry... I am sorry..." she said, her voice cracking.

She cried, this time, thinking of the pain he had endured all his life. He thought of them as his world but they brought them in as a replacement. The yearning he had for his mother’s love as Viola rejected him... She understood Viola a bit more, but still, she was sorry for the man she loved.

How much pain has he endured? And still, he has so much love in his heart for her.

Leander hugged her back. He had dealt with it. He wouldn’t lie. It hurt when he learned the truth, but he started to see the bright side of it all.

"Why did your father do this to you?" Viviana asked.

She could understand behavior even though she was immature and wrong to treat him that way. Peter was an irredeemable, evil piece of sht, always. But how could a father let his son live that way? Did he even love his son? Or did he just want a henchman?

It hurt her more because she could understand from Leona’s letter that Leona was happy to have found his father. She wondered if forgetting the past was for the best for him and learning the truth might have brought back some bad memories.

Leander caressed her cheek. He could see the care and affection in his eyes. He could see that she was feeling bad for him.

"What?" she asked. "You don’t have to talk to me about it if it hurts you," she rubbed his arms.