Livianaâs POV
Rainer and I arrived at the mall and went inside together.
We went inside and started roaming around the mall.
We first went to check some baby stuff.
Luke already had a lot of stuff for him back in the palace but I still wanted to buy things for him on my own.
I went through the racks of clothes that were for babies.
I took one out and showed it to Rainer.
âDo you think this would suit Luke?â I asked.
Rainer looked at it thoroughly and nodded.
âI think it will. It also looks comfortable so I guess thatâs what matters mostâ he commented.
I nodded in agreement.
At Lukeâs age, he wouldnât even need something stylish.
Rather, it needs to be comfortable.
âYouâre rightâ I said and picked out a few more clothes.
Rainer took it from me so he can hold it.
âGood day, mr. and mrs.â a female employee suddenly approached us.
âAre you looking for something specific today?â she asked.
Rainer and I glanced at each other.
Mr. and Mrs?
What in the world?
Rainer chuckled.
âWeâre notââ I was about to correct the sales lady.
âItâs okay. We can manage. Thank youâ Rainer cut in.
I gave Rainer a baffled look and he laughed.
âItâs better to brush it off than explain ourselvesâ he said with a shrug.
I sighed and just agreed with him
I picked out a few more stuff for Luke and we went to the counter to pay.
After that, we went to the toy store.
I went through the toys that I can give Luke.
I picked out a toy car and showed it to Rainer.
âDo you think Luke will like this one?â I asked him.
It seems like Iâve been consulting him with everything since we got here.
Rainer chuckled and nodded.
âIâm sure heâll like everything you get him, Livianaâ he assured me.
âAnyway, even if you donât give him anything, youâr mere presence alone is enough for Lukeâ he told me.
I smiled a little.
I felt overwhelmingly happy at the thought.
I picked out a few toys and paid for them.
After that, Rainer and I decided to go on a cafe to have some snacks before going home.
Since itâs been a while that Iâve been out, he said I had to atleast make it worth the while.
We ordered some pastries and sat by the corner.
I turned to look at the glass wall and saw an arcade from the distance.
My heart squeezed inside of my chest.
I suddenly remembered my memories with Luan.
I miss him.
I miss him so much.
I canât help it.
No matter how much I try not to, I always end up missing him.
Wanting him.
Despite losing the mate bond, it was still him.
Iâm really in deep.
And I canât do anything about it anymore.
No matter what I do.
I sighed.
âYou seem to be thinking about something deepâ Rainer pointed.
I gave him a forced smile.
I bit my lower l*p as an idea popped into my head.
âRainerâ I said.
âYeah?â he replied.
I gulped.
âIâ¦I think I need another favorâ I told him.
Rainer looked at me curiously.
âSure. What is it?â he asked me.
I took a deep breath as I looked at him in the eyes.
âCan youâ¦bring me to that place?â I managed to say.
Rainer tilted his head to the side confused.
âWhat place are we talking about exactly?â he said.
I took another deep breath as I gulped nervously.
âThe place where you found meâ I said.
I saw how quickly Rainerâs expression changed.
It was the time Iâd seen him so serious.
He also suddenly gave off a very dangerous aura.
One that I havenât seen from him since Iâve actually met him.
âWhy do you need to go back to that place?â he asked with his brows furrowed.
His tone sent shivers down my spine.
It wasnât because I was afraid of him.
Itâs just that it wasa completely different side to him.
He seemed like he was ready to fight someone right now.
âI justâ¦need toâ I said.
Rainer eyed me.
âNoâ he said firmly.
I sighed.
âRainer, please let me do this. I think I really need to do thisâ I said.
Rainer shook his head.
âIâm not bringing you to a place that will bring you bad memories, Liviana. I donât know what happened that day but I just know that it wasnât good seeing the state you were inâ he started as he looked at me intensely.
âWe donât keep our mouths shut about what happened only for you to reminisce it. No matter how hard it is for us to not know what happened, we still avoid asking you anything in fear that it will bring back bad memories to you. So, itâs a no, Liviana. Iâm not taking you thereâ he said firmly.
I was about to say something when our orders suddenly came.
I sighed.
Rainer and I ate in an awkward silence.
So that was why no one ever asked me what happened.
They were being considerate of me.
That was why.
After having our snack, Rainer and I made our way back to the car without talking to each other.
As soon as we both got in and I buckled up, I decided to just try.
âI want to look back on my past before Iâ¦continue with my lifeâ I said.
Rainer turned to look at me.
I kept looking forward.
âFor the first time since that day, I want toâ¦look back on everything. Atleast, before I move on with my life here in Halo. Pleaseâ I said.
There was a moment of silence.
Then, I heard Rainer sigh.
â10 minutes. Iâm giving you 10 minutes in that place. It will be the first and last time that you can see itâ he said as he started the car.
I nodded.
Rainer drove quietly to that place.
It was a really long drive but I just kept looking outside the whole time.
Rainer and I didnât even talk the whole ride.
We stopped in a location where we can park the car since weâd need to go there by feet.
Rainer opened the door for me and I got off.
âJust so you know, Iâm not letting you shift ti go thereâ he told me in advance.
I just nodded at him.
Rainer started undressing and I turned my back from him to give him privacy.
Then, I heard him shifting behind me.
He went to my side with a huff and I looked at him.
It was my first time seeing his wolf.
It was a beautiful gray wolf with gray eyes and a large physique.
I grabbed Rainerâs clothes and held it in my arms.
Rainer on the other hand, lowered himself down to make me ride on his back.
I did just that.
As soon as I was settled in, Rainer started to make his way through the woods withme on his back.
It took us a while to get to the location but we eventually got there as the sun started to go down.
The memory of that day came flushing back to me like a flood.
Rainer carefully lowered himself for me to get down.
I controlled my breathing as I got down from Rainer and gave him his clothes then, I made my way to the edge.
I suddenly felt like I was suffocating.
âLivianaâ Rainer called out softly as he lightly held me by my arm.
I looked at him with teary eyes.
Rainerâs eyes softened as he pulled me to him for a hug.
I cried on his chest helplessly.
I suddenly felt like I was drowning from that bad memory.
Maybe I shouldnât have come here.
But I knew I needed to.
Because if I donât, I know Iâll regret it.
Iâll regret not looking back even just once.
âThis is exactly what I didnât want to happenâ Rainer muttered as he caressed my back.
âI didnât want you to feel sad. To get hurt. To sufferâ he said as he hugged me tighter.
âBut why must you ask of this?â he said.
Because this is the only way to remember where I came from.
What had happened to me.
What I had to go through.
So that Iâll never forget.
Ever.
So that when I set off to work on my goal, I wonât be side tracked.
Once I stopped crying, I looked back to stare down below.
âMy old life ended hereâ I said.
Rainer sighed.
Then, I looked at Rainer for a moment.
Then, I sat down as I hugged my legs.
âWhat are you doing?â Rainer asked with his brows furrowed.
âSit down and listenâ I said.
Rainer sighed in disbelief as he sat beside me.
I gathered up my courage and took a deep breath before looking at Rainer.
I was never one who was transparent with my feelings.
I wasnât good with communicating with others when the topic was about myself.
I was never good at those things because I avoided them most of the time.
I preferred keeping my life a locked up journal than an open book.
Thatâs how I was.
And no one in Halo knew anything else about my past except the fact that Iâm the daughter of Prince Diana White.
âI know that it took a long for me to talk about this. But I think if I donât tell you now, I never will againâ I said.
I gulped as I looked in front.
âLet meâ¦tell you the story of Liviana Crestâ I said.
Itâs now or never.