Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63911 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“Ilse?”
She shuddered to a stop at the sound of Jan’s voice, and Ilse hastily wiped her tears as he met her at the mezzanine. “Hey.”
“Are you okay, Ilse?”
It wasn’t ever supposed to be his place to ask her that, and Ilse did her best to smile. “Yes. I’m okay.”
She could sense him gazing worriedly at her, and when he spoke, she could almost picture him shaking his head. “But you look horrible.”
“Thank you, Jan, for being so honest.” A painful laugh escaped her. “Thank you.” She reached for him, and because they were now familiar with how they had to interact with Ilse’s lost eyesight, Jan automatically moved his face within her reach.
Her fingers clasped his cheeks. “But you were too honest.” And she pinched them hard enough to make him yelp.
The sound made her want to smile, and she did.
But it also made her want to cry again, and she just—-
Ilse whispered tremulously, “I’m scared, Jan.”
“Don’t be, Ilse.” Jan’s tone was serious. “I’m here.”
Ah.
The tears rushed down her cheeks.
“I know. And I’m glad. I’m glad.” The tears fell faster, and her hands fell from his face. “But what I’m afraid of,” she choked out, “is that I won’t be strong enough.”
And as soon as the words slipped past her lips, there was no stopping all her fears from rushing to the fore, threatening to drown her—-
Until she heard Jan speak.
“Ilse, you’re not making sense.”
This brother of hers who was special, this brother of hers who everyone thought was a brick around her neck—-
“Why are you afraid? You’re always strong.”
This brother of hers was the only one who could save her now, and he did.
You’re always strong.
And it was almost she could hear her own parents in her mind, whispering the same things.
You’re always strong.
And she was.
She had forgotten in her pain, but she remembered now.
She was strong, and she would always be strong because there were people who loved her.
They loved her, and so they believed in her.
It was the way it should be.
And because she loved Jaak, and he loved her—-
Shouldn’t it be so for both of them, too?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Two men skied down the slopes in neck-breaking speed, identical in height and build. One was suited up entirely in white, the other in black, and upon making the hairpin turn at the end, the two of them soared in the sky-—
It was like watching two angels in a furious race against each other – one who still had his wings, another who had fallen from grace.
Their skis pounded the snow as they made their landfall, and those who were in the vicinity cheered wildly as the pair skied to a stop.
The men took off their helmets, and Willem raked a hand through his blond hair. “That was crazy.”
“I told you it was,” Jaak answered dryly. “But you insisted on going anyway.”
“I had to.” The older de Konigh’s tone was blunt. “I had to make sure you wouldn’t suddenly succumb to the urge to take your life.”
As they walked off, Jaak asked about Serenity.
“Still not talking to you,” Willem answered pleasantly.
“Ah.” Jaak’s lips twisted. “Can’t say I blame her.”
They went on their separate ways after that, both of them agreeing to meet at the chalet for dinner. After taking a shower at his hotel room, Jaak took the snowmobile to get to the family chalet, where Willem and Serenity were staying. Normally, he wouldn’t have any problem playing the third wheel with the couple, but it was different now.
Serenity hated him, and he respected that. She was being completely loyal to Ilse, and he respected that even more. But more than that, it was because of where they were living, and the billionaire’s face took on a grim expression as he considered the timelessly elegant façade of the chalet.
He had been twenty-one the last time he had come here. He had been a troubled twenty-one then, struggling with feelings of isolation and despair because most of his soul had still been trapped in the past. Eleven years down the line, and it didn’t seem like much had changed.
He was still alone, his soul just as broken.
When he came knocking on the front door, Jaak prepared himself to face a militant-looking Serenity, but the family butler showed up instead to usher him in. “Goedenavond, mijnheer.”
“Goedenavond, Bertrand.” Everything inside still looked the same, with a twenty-foot crystal chandelier showering the receiving area with golden light. The white brick walls made the living room appear even more spacious, and the marbled fireplace hadn’t lost its majestic appeal even after all these years, with its column pillars and scrolled header.
“Are the master of the house and his lady still upstairs?” he asked with a crooked grin.
“Sir Willem is waiting for you at the dining room, mijnheer.”
“And Serenity?”
“Dining out with friends, mijnheer.”
“Willem Jr. actually has friends?” Like her mentor-slash-fiancé, Serenity was a notorious workaholic, to the point that her small circle of friends mostly consisted of wives of Willem’s own friends.