The seawater swiftly engulfed me. I closed my eyes with a serene smile, free from panic or fear, only calm. Suddenly, a figure dove down above me. He swam frantically toward me. The moonlight filtered through the water, revealing his face bit by bit. It was Dante.

Dante swam toward me as fast as he could, grabbed hold of me, and steered me toward the nearby yacht. Once we were on board, he held me tightly, a trace of panic in his eyes.

"Are you hurt anywhere? I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. I fell asleep, and that's how he managed to take you. I'm sorry, Stella, don't be afraid. I'm here now."

His warmth chased away the chill of the seawater. At that moment, I felt hope reignite in my heart. He hugged me tightly, like a child recovering a precious lost toy.

Jensen's boat quickly pulled alongside us, and he stumbled out toward me. He embraced me frantically, "Thank goodness, Stella, you're safe!"

I pushed him away in disgust, retreating into Dante's arms. Jensen dropped to his knees, his face full of regret.

"Stella, please, forgive me. I was immature and didn't know how to love someone."

"I finally get it now."

"Stella, you can't be so heartless. You taught me how to love you, and now you're leaving me."

"Please don't leave me! I'll do whatever you want!"

"I'm begging you, please forgive me."

I watched his emotional outburst quietly. After a long moment, I spoke softly.

"Jensen, if I had a choice, I would have rather never met you."

"These past three years have been too painful."

He didn't say another word.

In high school, the last paragraph of the love letter I wrote for you went like this:

I must focus all my energy on moving forward. This is my vision and my goal. I may not have exceptional traits, but I can only say, in my current state of mind: it’s you, my pursuit includes you. You are my aim, my motivation, that's all there is to it.

"So why didn’t you give me the letter?" I asked.

Dante rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I was so scrawny back then. I worried I’d just hold you back."

I laughed and replied, "I wasn’t worried about you holding me back. I was worried you wouldn't need me."

His face suddenly flushed a deep red.

After that day, Jensen seemed a bit out of sorts and distracted. He didn’t even have his security try to stop us; he just let us leave without any fuss.

Dante and I went to the hospital, and luckily, our injuries were just minor, nothing serious.

In the meantime, I went ahead and filed charges against Jensen for attempted murder and kidnapping. I heard that when he was arrested, the police found Angel in his office, beaten beyond recognition.

But none of that mattered to me anymore. Because, sitting right there on my couch, was a CEO who, despite his stature, was childishly eager to be taken care of.

I carefully tucked the love letter away, placing it gently into a box. With a broad smile, I said to him, "You've been having some stomach issues lately, how about we have oatmeal tonight?"

Blushing intensely, he reminded me, "Just don’t put any ginger in it, okay?"

"Alright, but I'll add some celery," I joked.

He nodded in agreement with a quiet voice.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly.