The restaurant fell completely silent.
Friedrich leaned back in his chair, a cold, almost humorless laugh escaping him.
Friedrich: “We will marry? Have you forgotten the church?”
Everyone froze.
Kavira stared at him.
Kavira: “What?”
Arshia lowered her eyes.
Kavira: “Arshiaaa… you secretly married him without telling anyone?”
Friedrich's expression hardened.
Friedrich: “And why exactly should she have told you? It is her personal life.”
Kavira looked at Arshia, hurt and confused.
Kavira: “Arshia…”
Arshia finally looked up.
Arshia: “Yes. I married him.”
A pause.
Then she whispered—
Arshia: “Because I love him.”
Karl immediately looked at Kavira.
He saw it.
Those words had hit somewhere deep inside her.
Divyanka couldn't hold herself back anymore.
Divyanka: “ARE YOU SERIOUS?! How can you love someone who used you?! He doesn't even care about you, Arshia! How can you—”
Aaron interrupted, his voice equally angry.
Aaron: “Arshia, think about what happened! He used you against your best friend and—”
Before he could finish, a waiter approached their table carrying several dishes.
The tension suddenly became almost absurdly awkward.
The waiter carefully placed the plates on the table.
Waiter: “Meine Herren, hier ist Ihre Bestellung. Guten Appetit.”
Everyone stared at him.
The waiter looked around.
Waiter: “...Alles in Ordnung?”
Karl simply nodded.
Karl: “Ja.”
The waiter quickly walked away.
Kavira turned toward Friedrich.
Her voice was quieter now.
Kavira: “Arshia… if he forced you into this marriage, you can tell me. I wouldn't be surprised considering how cold he can be.”
Arshia shook her head.
Arshia: “No.”
She swallowed.
Arshia: “I married him because I love him.”
Her voice trembled.
Arshia: “I really do. I'm not lying.”
Karl stared at her.
Karl: “Oh…”
His expression became unreadable.
Karl: “So you really love him?”
Arshia nodded.
Karl glanced at Friedrich.
Karl: “And he doesn't even seem to understand what that love means.”
Friedrich's jaw tightened.
Karl continued.
Karl: “You're giving your heart to someone while convincing yourself that he will eventually give you his.”
Arshia suddenly slammed her hand against the table.
Arshia: “SHUT UP!”
Everyone went silent.
Kavira immediately stood.
Kavira: “Oh, please! You're the one who should stop!”
She pointed toward Friedrich.
Kavira: “Can't you see how much we care about you? And you're still choosing to stay with him?”
Friedrich's eyes narrowed.
Friedrich: “And what exactly are you?”
He paused.
His next words were clearly meant to insult her.
Friedrich: “You—”
Karl's hand moved calmly to the table.
He placed his weapon down.
His eyes turned cold.
Karl: “Finish that sentence.”
Silence.
Karl: “Go ahead. Say the word you were about to say.”
Friedrich stared at him.
Karl's voice dropped.
Karl: “But understand one thing, brother. I won't tolerate you disrespecting her.”
Aaron immediately stepped between the tension.
Aaron: “Friedrich, learn how to speak to a woman.”
He gave his brother a warning stare.
Divyanka raised both hands.
Divyanka: “Okay! Fine! Everyone relax!”
She turned toward Arshia.
Her eyes were already filling with tears.
Divyanka: “And Arshia… please tell me this is some horrible prank.”
Arshia looked at her friends.
Her expression broke.
Then she whispered—
Arshia: “I thought…”
She stopped.
Her voice trembled.
Arshia: “I thought you all understood me.”
Nobody spoke.
Arshia: “I thought you understood my love for him.”
She wiped her tears.
Arshia: “But you all just…”
Her voice rose.
Arshia: “AARON!”
Aaron looked at her.
Arshia: “What kind of love is this?”
Her face suddenly twisted with years of emotion.
Arshia: “THE LOVE I'VE HAD FOR HIM SINCE CHILDHOOD!”
Her voice echoed through the restaurant.
Everyone froze.
Everyone: “What?”
Except Friedrich.
He didn't say a word.
But for the first time that evening, something changed in his face.
Shock.
Real, unmistakable shock.
Even he hadn't expected that.
Kavira stared at Arshia for several seconds.
Then she suddenly pushed her chair back.
Kavira: “I can't do this.”
She walked away from the table.
Karl immediately stood.
Before following her, he leaned toward Aaron and spoke quietly.
Karl: “I'm taking her home. Call your guard and have your car brought here.”
Aaron nodded.
Aaron: “Go.”
Karl hurried after Kavira.
Outside
Kavira kept walking.
She wasn't heading toward the car.
Karl caught up with her.
He gently caught her arm before she could disappear around the corner.
Karl: “Where are you going? Our car isn't in that direction, sweetheart.”
Kavira turned around.
Her eyes were wet.
But this time, those tears weren't from sadness alone.
They were anger.
Kavira: “This is all because of you!”
Karl's expression changed.
Kavira: “You and your stupid family!”
She wiped her eyes angrily.
Kavira: “If you hadn't married me, none of this would have happened!”
Karl stared at her.
Kavira: “Maybe I would've had a normal life. Maybe I would've met some normal guy and lived peacefully!”
The moment she mentioned another man, Karl's expression hardened.
He stepped closer, but stopped himself.
His voice became dangerously calm.
Karl: “Don't.”
Kavira glared at him.
Karl: “Don't bring another man into this conversation just because you're angry.”
He took a breath.
Karl: “You can blame me. You can yell at me. You can hate me for tonight.”
His eyes softened slightly.
Karl: “But don't let your anger make you say things you'll regret later.”
Kavira looked away.
Karl gently gestured toward the car.
Karl: “Come home.”
She didn't answer.
After a long silence, she finally walked beside him.
Back inside the restaurant
Divyanka was still staring at Arshia.
She looked completely stunned.
Divyanka: “Childhood…”
Arshia nodded.
Divyanka: “You loved him since childhood?”
Arshia: “Yes.”
Aaron leaned forward.
Aaron: “But how?”
He frowned.
Aaron: “You told us you left for India.”
Arshia slowly looked at him.
Arshia: “I did.”
Aaron's expression became confused.
Arshia: “But I didn't leave when I was five.”
Everyone stared.
Arshia: “I stayed here until I was nine.”
Aaron's eyes widened.
Arshia looked at him carefully.
Arshia: “Aaron…”
A faint smile appeared through her tears.
Arshia: “Don't you remember the first time we met?”
Aaron's face went blank.
He searched his memories.
A childhood mansion.
Three brothers.
A little girl.
A summer afternoon.
A name he hadn't heard in years.
His eyes widened.
Aaron: “Wait…”
Arshia's smile disappeared.
Arshia: “You remember?”
Aaron slowly stood.
Aaron: “That little girl…”
Friedrich finally looked up.
Arshia turned toward him.
Arshia: “Yes.”
A long silence followed.
Then she whispered—
Arshia: “That was me.”
Friedrich's face became completely still.
For the first time, he looked genuinely shaken.
Because suddenly, the woman sitting across from him wasn't only Emilia Falkenberg.
She was also the little girl from his childhood.
The little girl whose face he had forgotten…
But whose existence had never completely disappeared from his memories.
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