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, please.” She let Captain Avery lead her to her seat and assured the other woman she would be alright.
“There’s a table in front of you,” Captain Avery informed her, “and you’ll find the brochure for tonight’s tour on it, written in Braille.”
Ilse was startled but pleased. “Thank you.” Erik had obviously gone the extra mile today, and she was now doubly convinced that her friend did see her as an object of pity. As she heard the speedboat’s engine start, Ilse slowly became aware of being the focus of another person’s gaze.
Something about it made her self-conscious, and she awkwardly tucked loose strands of her hair behind her ears. She wished she had thought to ask Captain Avery if she was the only passenger aboard.
Could it be another employee? Or perhaps it was another passenger with a disability, maybe someone deaf this time? It was possible, wasn’t it? Maybe this was a tour specifically designed for people like Ilse, and it could explain why Captain Avery was so adept at handling her needs.
Turning towards where she sensed the other person was, Ilse made herself smile, and then she realized belatedly that she wouldn’t know if the person would smile back or not.
Idiot, she thought.
“Hello?”
She waited for the person to answer, but there was only silence and—-
Oh. What if the person was deaf? Then it would mean the person wouldn’t have heard her at all, and her lips twitched as she realized just how absurd the situation was playing out.
Still smiling to herself, she bent forward, her hands moving in the air until she was able to grasp something solid. Her fingers moved over the table until she found the brochure written in Braille.
She ran her fingers over the surface.
I love you.
Ik hou van je.
Je t’aime.
Ti amo.
Ilse’s lips curved. What a nice marketing tactic, to start off the brochure with ‘I love you’ written in different languages. Perhaps she could suggest this to Gloria, maybe make a brochure that spelled Glory Hall in different languages in Braille.
The thought almost made her giggle, and Ilse’s fingers shook a little as she read the rest of the brochure.
Aishiteru.
She sensed the other person aboard start towards her, and Ilse did her best not to stiffen. Surely...surely there was nothing to worry about?
Wo ai ni.
Ana behibek.
She could feel the person coming closer, and Ilse swallowed as her heart started to thud against her chest.
Ich liebe dich.
She turned to the last page of the brochure, and her brows furrowed when nothing seemed to be written. Wasn’t this supposed to talk about the tour? She ran her fingers over the paper again, more slowly this time, and finally she felt it, written in fine print.
I was wrong to walk away, Ilse.
The brochure slipped from her fingers just as she felt the person – no, him—-
Ah.
She felt him moving towards her.
She sensed him kneeling in front of her.
Hands captured hers, and she didn’t resist.
They brought her hands to his face, and she started to cry, the tears raining down her cheeks silently as she felt his features under her fingers.
This face was...familiar.
Her fingers moved to trace his lip.
Beloved.
Ilse choked back a sob, but when she felt the lips under her fingers start to move, she shook her head jerkily. “N-no.” Her tone was frail and fierce at the same time. “No, Jaak.”
The billionaire’s heart constricted painfully behind his chest. God. He had thought he would never hear her say his name again.
“You don’t need to say a thing.” A smile wobbled on her lips. “I just need you to be here, and...” She raised her gaze to his, unseeing eyes that could somehow see through his soul the way no one else could. “You’re here with me now.” Her voice broke. “You didn’t fail me—-”
He could no longer help it, cupping her face so he could kiss her.
“This is the last time,” he swore raggedly, “I’ll make you cry.”
And the tears fell faster even as her arms went around him, telling him without words that she believed in him.
Because she loved him.
When he pulled away, it was to slide a ring on her finger, and Ilse’s shoulders started to shake as she realized what it meant.
“Oh, Jaak.”
“Ilse...” His voice was tight with emotion. “Love me.”
“I do.”
“Need me.” And the billionaire’s voice broke, too. “I need you,” he said rawly, “to need me as I have always needed you.”
“You never had to ask. I was meant to love you, Jaak.” She smiled at him tremulously. “And that’s why I needed you before I even met you.”
Epilogue
One year later
“I’ll be out in a minute,” Ilse called out from the walk-in closet.
“That’s what you said a minute ago, babe,” her husband called back from the bedroom. “And the minute before that, and—-”
“I get the picture,” Ilse yelled, “and you’re not helping.”