My Soul Will Find Yours : The Fulfillment of the Promise

If I Just Waited

Like an arrow, Kaname shot forward and in the blink of an eye he was already in front of Brandon. He grabbed his collar tightly and pulled him close until their noses almost touched. With gritted teeth, he glared at him fiercely. Like Sabrina, Brandon was surprised at his quickness.

"You may ridicule me, doubt my capabilities, and even disregard my skills," my husband enunciated each word slowly but with emphasis. "But don't you dare show arrogance and disrespect towards my wife! I simply won't allow it!"

"Let go of me!" Brandon managed to choke out. As Kaname was taller than him, being held by the collar meant that it was difficult for him to maintain his footing.

"Didn't you want me to do this?" Kaname sneered. "Apologize to my wife this instant!"

"Gentlemen, please re—" Sabrina started to say but Brandon suddenly started to struggle.

Furious that Brandon would rather not apologize, Kaname roughly pushed him to a wall. Brandon didn't see that coming at all, when his back hit the concrete he let out a groan.

While lifting a balled fist, Kaname shouted, "I said apologize!"

"I didn't do anything to her!" Brandon yelled back.

"You impertinent asshole!"

Upon seeing that Kaname's fist was about to connect to his face, Brandon closed his eyes and waited for the painful contact. However, it never came because Kaname's fist landed on the wall and not on his face. Judging from my husband's heavy breaths and reddened face, it took him every ounce of his restraint not to pound Brandon on the face.

"Anata, let him go," I said, finally recovering from my shock at how a simple visit to the pantry escalated into this.

"He needs to be taught a lesson, Hina," Kaname looked at me with cold yet furious eyes, his blue eye especially reminded me of a glacier. "I can't just let his insolence towards you pass!"

"But he isn't worth it," I said while shaking my head. I approached Kaname slowly and, with a pleading look, began peeling off the hand that tightly clutched Brandon's shoulder. "I'm alright, I assure you. I was just a bit shaken by what he did but other than that I'm fine."

"No one disrespects my loved ones," Kaname insisted but I could see that he's calmed down a bit.

"I know," I said softly as though I was pacifying an angry child. "But you've done enough."

Kaname sighed and let me pull him away. We were about to exit the kitchen when Brandon suddenly let out a laugh.

"Hinata, why must you hurt me this way?" I heard him say bitterly.

I turned to see that he was looking at me with a combination of pain, sadness, and... Regret? The few strands of hair that came loose during his tussle with Kaname added another layer of vulnerability to him.

"Brandon, I'm sorry but Kaname is the only one for me," I said for the nth time.

Afterwards, I brought Kaname to the nearby coffee shop. I ordered tea for the both of us and asked the bespectacled male barista for some ice. Kaname waited for me on a corner table by the glass wall, he was looking at the direction of the studio pensively.

"Tea's here," I announced, waking him from his reverie.

He slowly took sips of his drink while I examined and placed a makeshift ice pack using my handkerchief on his right knuckle. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I saw that there were no broken bones.

"Mahal, can you tell me what happened?" he asked gently.

I looked up from what I was doing and nodded. After taking a deep breath, I recounted what happened down to the very last detail. Kaname listened intently, bot once did he interrupt.

"Hinata, maybe I should just go back to being a gym instructor. I won't be earning as much but at least our lives won't be this complicated," he said while looking completely serious.

"It's only the first day—"

"It is but based on what happened earlier, how do you think the rest of this commitment will go? We're only getting started but it's already this crazy."

"I'm sorry," I bowed my head guiltily. "This happened all because of me."

"This isn't your fault," he lifted my chin to make me look at him. "In fact, it's mine. It took me so long to reunite with you. This wouldn't have happened if I only figured out how to be with you again earlier."

"No, anata... You took care of our children and only left when you knew they were settled and happy," I was beginning to choke up. How could this be his fault? Be had to die to be with me now!

"Don't cry..." he stood up to sit beside me.

"If I just remained strong and didn't let myself be so overcome by my longing for you... If I just waited... If I didn't give Brandon a chance..."

"Shh..."

Kaname hug me as I wept. This was all my fault but somehow I'm the one being comforted.

My phone suddenly rang, Kaname picked it up and answered it, "We're at the café right across the building... Hina is still feeling a bit emotional so we'll return a bit later... Yes, don't worry... Of course... Bye."

"Was that Sabrina?" I asked as I wiped my tears with my hand.

"Yes." Kaname took a couple of tissues from the small dispenser to lightly dab my eyes with.

"We better go back..."

"She said she'll wait until you're feeling better." When he saw me open my mouth to say something, he continued, "Sabrina knows I won't be able to concentrate if I know you're not feeling fine so rest your mind."

I nodded and took a sip of my now stale tea. When he saw me scrunch my nose is slight disgust, he chuckled and ordered a fresh one for me.

Brandon was nowhere to be found when we returned to the studio. Sabrina announced that she will be the photographer of today's shoot and at the same time its director. She also added that in the next sets, new photographers will join the campaign while she assumed the position of director. It didn't take a scientist to deduce that Brandon had quit.

Unlike earlier, the place wasn't as lively. The same pop playlist was booming in the background but it didn't help in livening up the place. I was just standing in a corner, waiting for the shoot to restart, but the looks people gave me lingered and held a deeper meaning in them. This made me more uncomfortable than I was already feeling. Kaname must have sensed it because before the shoot resumed, he asked Sabrina to gather everyone as he had a few words to say. He pulled me to the center of the room, his warm hand clutched mine.

"First and foremost, I would like to apologize if my actions earlier caused any of you to feel even the slightest distress. As a husband who loves his wife more than anything else in the world, I would not stand idly by if she is in any way disrespected or hurt," he looked at me and gave me a doting smile. When he faced the crowd again, he turned serious once more. "I do not feel any regret for what I did because I believe that it isn't Hinata's fault that Mr. Lim could not accept the fact that she does not feel the same way about him. I will not go into detail but yes, you heard it right. He wants my wife but she's faithful to me. With this, I hope all those negative assumptions you have about her will stop."