The Man I Left at the Altar (English)

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Have you told Dark?" Lyana asked me as we were munching on popcorn at the couch with our hair in a bun and our pastel pajamas. It has been a few weeks since Luke and I reconciled and became friends. And I haven't told Dark about it. I didn't know how he'll react.

Although it was nice having Dark around. I missed his friends which became my friends when we were together. When he left, I distanced myself to his friends despite them constantly reaching out.

Lyana sighed, "You know him better than I do. But I believe its better if you tell him than him being shocked seeing you together."

I cringed inwardly at the times I would hide from Luke whenever Dark was about to pick up.

"I'll tell him soon." I honestly told her. Luke and I were friends. We weren't doing anything wrong, so why was I stopping myself from Dark knowing about it. It shouldn't even be a big deal. "But I won't tell him tomorrow. Its his mother's death anniversary."

It was true. It was Tita Eva's death anniversary. I'll be with Dark and Blaise at the funeral. Tita Eva had a brother whom she never got a long. Dark didn't want to talk about it since he still held ill feelings for his uncle who did not reached out to them when they needed them the most.

When I waited for Dark the next day, he had a small smile on his face.

"Hey." I greeted him, kissing the side of his cheek. "You okay?"

He nodded, kissing the knuckles of my hand "I am now."

He gave me a small smile but there was a sadness in its depths. Is had been 10 years since the death of Tita Eva and 7 years when he lost his brother, Dmitri.

"I'm here. I'm not going to leave you." I whispered against his lips, needing to reassure him thay everything will be better.

Hugging me tight in his arms, he released me with a kiss on my forehead and we drove to the cemetery.

Once we reached the grave of Tita Eva and Dmitri, Blaise had already set up the picnic blanket and basket.

Tita Eva used to bring Dark, Dmitri and Blaise to the park when they were kids. So, it had been our tradition to always have a picnic during her anniversary.

I felt like I knew her from Dark and Blaise's stories. She was the eldest in her family. She got pregnant from a devoted spiritual family and ran away when she was kicked out of her family. She was a bright and sunny waitress at the local diner. She got married to a lovely man who was Dmitri's father. But became a widow after he served in Iraq.

She loves marshmallows and like Dark doesn't like pineapples on pizza. She extremely loves her boys and worked as much as she can to provide for them. Until she contracted cancer.

"She would be proud of us." Blaise said lightening up the somber mood "Two rowdy boys finally making it to those glittering peacocks."

I chuckled at him. He often called the people he associated with glittering peacocks.

"She would have been proud of the man you've become." Blaise added with sincerity in his voice. "And she would have loved you like her own child, Laurene."

Dark nodded, a humble smile on his lips as he caressed my hand "She would." Looking up to me under his thick eyelashes and soulful eyes "She would have loved you."

"I'm honored." I told him, nuzzling the tip of his nose. Blaise chuckled across from us and we grinned cheesily at his masked discomfort.

Afterwards, we went to the Eva Hospital for Cancer Patients. With the money Dark has, he created a foundation and a hospital for cancer patients who does not have a budget. He prioritized the less fortunate to get the best medical treatment. Not everyone knows about this. But I wanted everyone to know he was a good man, so I snapped a photo of Dark and posted it on my blog The Truths and Lies.

Dark doesn't know about this. It was Blaise and I's idea. We both hated how the people looked down on Dark, so we created a page to debunk all the myths about him. We also sent a few photos to the media and the story so they can shed a new light to Dark.

I loved watching Dark interact with the patients and manage the hospital to speed line the process of accepting patients and giving treatment.

"I plan on buying the vacant lot near the hospital to another building." Dark stated which earned a clap from the doctors and nurses. They knew Dark and didn't judge him because of his past "Hopefully, this will help the influx of patients."

"I'm proud of you." I told him as we finished spending time with the patients, doctors and nurses. "She would have been proud of you."

"Thank you. I wouldn't have created this if not for her." He softly told him "I know I have already taken up your day, and you should be studying but can you stay at my place tonight?"

I grinned at him. "Of course I will. Besides---"

I didn't get to finish my sentence, when a voice of a man echoed into the hallway and a man in his 50's with dark hair and somber eyes stared at us.

"Dark." He sobbed

"Uncle." Dark said in shocked. Blaise was momentarily dumbfounded too.

Published 4.19.2020