Dear Immortal Tyrant

Lina's head began to ache. Atlantis' troubling words brought forth a memory buried deep within her chest. There, she finally saw features of the blurry face. A hand caressing her cheek, another resting on her lower back, she could see the memory unfold like a movie.

"In this lifetime and the next, you will belong to me," Kaden swore. "Should anyone dare to separate us, the heavens will fall, and the ground will split. I will wage war with heaven and earth if it means to have you in my arms one last time."

Lina let out a shaky breath. She stumbled backwards, falling directly onto the couch. Her gaze began to quiver. She wondered if Kaden was the man in her foreign memories. She saw pieces of the past, but couldn't distinguish if they were real or fake. Her head felt like it was going to be split into two.

"What is it, Linlin?" Atlantis asked, quickly rushing to her side. He knelt to the ground, so that she was directly looking down on him.

Lina could feel her heart being yanked into two directions. To the left was Kaden and to the right was Atlantis. Atlantis was the right choice. Everyone told her so. The most stable relationship. Their love would be sweeter than anything in life. Childhood friends to lovers. Who wouldn't want to see their romance unfold?

"Does something hurt?" Atlantis pressed, using his thumb to stroke her face. He was always worried about her. He'd treat a paper cut like a knife wound and a droplet of blood as a pool.

"Well?" Atlantis rested a hand over hers, taking the ring box from her fingertips.

"Do you really love me?" Lina muttered. "Or, is there another man who could love me more than anyone possibly can?"

"I've loved you since the start of time. Sometimes, I don't even remember how long it has been," Atlantis confessed, dropping his head. He pressed their fingertips together, admiring how elegant hers were in comparison to his rough skin.

"All my feelings for you, I can never find the proper words to express them," Atlantis said.

Lina's eyes watered. She could feel guilt twist deep into her chest. His love for her was too intense. She wished she could forget. She wished they had never met. Inside of her heart, she had someone else.

"Do you know I dream of you?" Atlantis stated. "When I close my eyes, I see you. When I stare into the distance, I'm always searching for you."

"I can't think of a moment that I do not love you, Lina," Atlantis confessed.

Atlantis turned her hand over. He reached into his pocket and took out the sapphire ring. This time, he didn't force it onto her. He gave her a choice. He placed the ring onto her palm.

"Choose me, Lina," Atlantis pleaded, pressing a kiss upon her wrist. "Please."

Lina was overwhelmed by his love for her. She found it cruel that she couldn't return his feelings. Her heart did beat for him in the same manner as a sister would for her brother. She couldn't love him romantically. But he knew that, and he didn't care. Her eyes watered.

"This will be a one-sided love."

"You will come to love me," Atlantis reassured her. "Your mother used to hate your father, but after being knocked up, she learned to love him, did she not?"

Lina's heart fell. "How do you—"

"I know your mother was in love with your Second Uncle, Clyde. Your Second Uncle also adored your mother, but after he impregnated another woman as revenge, your mother sought for your father. An eye for an eye," Atlantis stated.

"You—"

"Word of this will never get out. I am not using this information to threaten you, for it's something that many in the older generation know, but the younger ones like us do not," Atlantis stated. "I am just saying you should look at how loving your parents are right now."

"Yeah, to Milo. Not me."

Lina internally panicked. She had never witnessed her parents being loving to each other. They didn't hold hands. They didn't show any physical affection.  She had never once heard them say, 'I love you' to each other. Were her parents even in love? This thought alarmed her.

Atlantis squeezed her hand, offering her a kind smile. "You do not need familial love from your parents or grandparents. When we have children, you will feel the love of a proper family."

Lina wondered if she'd ever be able to love her children if their father was Atlantis. The thought terrified her. It paralyzed her to the core. She could feel her fingertips turn cold from the sour belief.

"If I accept this ring," Lina stated, referring to her hand. "Then I get the ruby ring as well."

"Lina!" Atlantis exclaimed in disbelief. He had poured out his heart for her. He was rushing a ceremony just for her. He had given her everything he could.

"My grandmother used to tell me that a wedding ring is the only thing that belongs to a woman. Someone in my memories told me it's a lifeline. I want two. So give me both," Lina wagered.

Atlantis' eyes flashed. He knew what she meant. If anything were to happen, she could pawn off the ring for cash. She could use that money to flee from him. He knew the Yang family had cut her off. He heard Lawrence was furious at her withdrawal from the race. As of now, her bank accounts were blocked.

"I can't."

"The ruby ring isn't yours!" Lina shouted at him, rising to her feet. "It's mine! It was on me before you came to the hospital. It's mine, Atlantis."

Lina slapped her chest. "It's mine!"

Atlantis was shocked by her sudden outburst. During the entire time, she had never once yelled at him. Nothing affected her. Not even his heartfelt proposals. The only thing that moved her frosty heart was a ring the color of flames.

"Lina—"

"Screw you and this entire wedding if you do not give me my ring back!" Lina snarled, stomping on his feet as she angrily pushed past him.

Atlantis immediately grabbed onto her wrist. Lina struggled to leave, but he tightened his grip. Then, she felt something cold press against her fingertips. She glanced down to see the ruby ring dangling from a white gold chain.

"Your ring," Atlantis hoarsely said, glancing at her like she had mortally wounded him with words.

"It's yours to keep. I respect your answers. It was wrong of me to take what belongs to you," Atlantis finally relented.

Lina was breathing hard by now. She had had enough. Her anger reached its limit. But the sight of a ring the color of blood was enough to calm her down.

Lina eagerly wrapped her hand around the ruby ring, bringing it close to her chest. Finally, all of her problems seemed to melt away. Just the coldness of the gem was enough to ease her nerves.

Lina let out a quiet sigh of relief, hugging the item to her chest. She had forgotten about the sapphire in her other hand.

"You better not wear it."

Lina's head snapped to him.

"Not on the same hand that you wear mine," Atlantis stated. "The chain is for you to wear it like a necklace."

Lina glowered at him. She wished he would just stop being an ass.

"Promise me, Lina," Atlantis said in a hard voice. "You won't wear it as anything but a necklace."

"I don't have to promise you anything, fuck you," Lina snarled, yanking her wrists back. "You've changed Atlantis, and I hate the new you."

Lina always knew where to stab right where it hurt. That was the last thing she said to him before storming out of the bedroom. Atlantis clutched his chest as if he had been shot. She was just a few more words away from giving him a heart attack.