464: FIFTEEN YEARS OLD

FIFTEEN YEARS OLD

'I will come back as soon as possible.'2

Hope woke up with a start when that haunting voice echoed inside her head. She reached for her cell phone under her pillow and looked at the digital clock which showed it was only one in the morning. There was still plenty of time to fall asleep again. 

However, Hope couldn't close her eyes without recounting the last moment she saw Kace when he left her, again. 

It was the same day when Kace gave her the black card. That day, Hope thought she would find Kace waiting to pick her up from school again, but it was Lana who came to pick her up. 

And at that time, she knew Kace had left. Fortunately, they got home just in time for Hope to see Kace who was about to drive away from their house. 

Of course, Hope got down from the car and confronted him. And that was what he said. 

'Don't worry, I will come back as soon as possible.' He tousled her hair and kissed her forehead before he left. 

Before, Hope didn't feel this sad when he left her. After all, he would only come once a year and Hope only thought of him as a great big brother.

Yet, these past two years, Kace came often and she was already used to his presence, especially after the incident in the red river city. 

Knowing they were mates and learning the meaning of having a mate, felt kind of very romantic and Hope, in that age, liked the idea.

Although she denied it in front of Kace.

However, after almost a year, there was no news whatsoever from Kace and he had not appeared ever since that day. 

Hope didn't know how to contact him. The only news she got about Kace was from Lana. 

Lana knew Kace whereabouts and every time Hope asked about Kace, she would face this dilemma; she wanted to know about him, but felt upset because it was Lana who told her everything. 

Hope got off of her bed and walked toward the kitchen. Her throat felt very scratchy and hurt, she needed to get a glass of water. 

And when Hope reached the kitchen, she could hear Lana's voice from the living room. She was talking with someone over the phone. 

Even after Hope was done and her throat felt slightly better, Lana was still talking.

It was midnight and Serefina was also at home. Who is she talking to? Maybe…

Just when Hope reached the living room, she watched Lana turning off her phone. "Who are you talking to?" Hope asked with her hoarse voice. 

"Oh, did I wake you up?" Lana wasn't startled as she just continued to type something away. 

"No." Hope walked closer. "Who are you talking to?" she repeated her question. 

"Kace." Lana answered curtly. 

"Kace? Why didn't he talk to me?" Hope felt her heart turning heavy. Upset. 

"We are only talking about what Serefina told me." Lana kept her phone away. 

"I want his number." Hope demanded. She just woke up because of Kace's annoying promise and now he really called someone, but 'that' someone was not her. 

Lana gave Hope an apologetic smile. "I am afraid you can't do that. Probably by this time, he had already thrown away his phone."

"Call him." Hope pointed at Lana's phone and she did what Hope wanted.

When Lana put the call through the speaker, it was the mechanic voice that answered the call. Just like what Lana had said, Kace had thrown away his phone.

"Don't worry, he will come back soon." Lana tried to appease her, but Hope had turned around and walked back to her room without saying anything. 

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Hope woke up again in the morning when Lana came into her bedroom and opened all the windows so the morning glory of the sunlight could intrude her eyes.

"You are late for school. Get up!" Lana tried to make the sleepy girl stand up on her feet by talking out loud and flooding the room with light.

However, she realized something when Hope just continued lying down and covered her face. 

"What happened?" Lana took a seat on the edge of the bed to check on her. "You got a fever." She mumbled.

"Great." Hope replied with her scratchy voice and snuggled into her warm blanket. "Now, I have a reason to skip school."

"Don't be ridiculous." Lana stood up and walked out of the room while Hope touched her forehead. She was indeed having a fever. It had been a long time since she fell sick.

Lana came back not long after that and brought a thermometer with her. 

"Thirty eight point seven." She read it. "I will make something for you to eat before you take the medicine, but if you are not feeling better, we will go to the hospital."

"There is no need to worry, this is just a fever. I will just sleep it off." Hope was ready to sleep again when Lana spoke before she left the room.

"He will be frantic if he knows you are sick."

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Hope woke up when she felt someone touch her forehead and changed the damp towel on her forehead. 

She had taken some medicine this evening and apparently her fever had not yet subsided, but Hope refused to go to the hospital. She felt she would be fine by the next day.

"Kace…?" Hope squinted her eyes to look at the man beside her. She recognized him right away, even in this dimly lit room. 

"Sst… just sleep, I will be here." He put the cold towel against Hope's burning forehead and wiped her sweat for her.

The after effect of the medicine was very strong, Hope was fighting her sleepiness to see Kace, he looked so worn out in his leather jacket. "You are here?" 

"I am here…" Kace took her hand and squeezed it gently. His ocean blue eyes shimmered with sadness upon seeing Hope's current condition.

"You never call me." Hope complained, although her voice was barely a whisper.

"I know and I am sorry for that." Kace apologized. "But, I hope you will understand… once I return, I will never leave you again."

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