I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the cool breeze of the California beach. I let out a long breath, feeling immensely relieved because everything ended well.
“So everything's over now?” Dylan spoke, embracing me while sitting on the sandy beach near the waving sea, admiring the sundown sky together.
“I hope so,” I replied briefly.
“It must be hard meeting him. I'm sorry for not being there with you." Dylan said it softly. I lifted my head to look at Dylan and gently stroked his cheek.
“You have done enough. Like our plan, their safety is our priority. There is no need to apologize. That'll be the first and last time I meet him anyway,” I said, turning my gaze towards the sea.
“Why? But whatever it is, he still...”
“I know,” I interrupted.
“Blood is thicker than water. He is still my biological father. That's all I've been thinking about all this time. But the fact is, he never thought of me as his daughter. He thought Mom was cheating behind him, so I'm not his daughter. He never met me until he died of kidney disease. I told Dylan.
Dylan fell silent.
“I'm sorry…”
“No need to apologize. I don't have any regrets. Abusers like him will never change. Glad Mom ran away from him.”
Dylan tightened his embrace. He sighed.
“My dad is a good father, but he is never there when I need him. The longer it goes, he becomes more of a banker than a father anymore. So funny. Since then, I've been determined. When I become a father, I'll never do that to my child.”
“It looks like both of us shared the same fate.”
“Isn't that making us more romantic?” Dylan chuckled.
“You'll be a good father, Dylan,” I said softly. If I had to return to the future, it's not impossible for Dylan to marry another woman. Our age gap will be too large in the future. Whether I like it or not, I have to accept the reality that the love I feel for Dylan right now is only temporary.
“I know. I'll be a good father to our child. I promise.”
I nodded, smiling.
“Thanks for everything, Dylan. I'm thankful enough to you for being on my side like this. I don't know what would happen to me if you weren't here,” I said, stroking Dylan's cheek.
Dylan hid his smile.
“Tell me the truth, Hanna.”
“What?”
“You have another man in the future, don't you? There's no way you don't have it. You're a good person with a good personality; for sure, you have about a hundred men in the future. Right? Or is it a thousand?” Dylan said it with a face, trying to hold back laughter.
“What? A Hundred? A Thousand? Are you drunk? There's no way I have that many!” I burst into laughter.
“Aha! You got caught, so you did have one. Who is it? Tell me. Is he handsome like me?” Dylan's question was tinged with jealousy.
“No way. There's no one guy in this world as handsome as you,” I said honestly with a smile.
Dylan smiled broadly as he looked at me. For a moment, we gazed at each other. His gaze felt like waves caressing the shore, bringing peace and warmth that flowed into my heart.
“Forget about him. I'll make you happy forever. I promise…” Dylan said. I almost laughed, seeing Dylan's serious face as if he were proposing. I held back my laughter and nodded.
“Sure. Let's do that.”
“Together?” Dylan held my hand.
“Together,” I replied, gripping his hand back.
“Hanna…” Dylan smiled mischievously.
“What?”
In a split second, I felt my body lift into the air before Dylan threw me into the sea with a playful splash.
As I hit the cool water with a splash, my initial shock quickly turned into laughter. I found myself waist-deep in the shallow water, just a few steps away from the edge of the beach, with Dylan standing on the sand, grinning mischievously.
“Whoops! I didn't mean to give you a surprise dip,” Dylan said with a playful smirk.
“You're going to pay for that!”
I splashed water in his direction, joining in his laughter.
We continued to exchange playful banter and laughter, enjoying the refreshing sensation of the waves lapping at our feet and the warmth of the sun on our skin.
“Dylan, I'm done!” I called Dylan to enjoy dinner. I purposely instructed the other servants not to approach the kitchen because I wanted to cook something special for Dylan. It was the first time in my life that I cooked, and I wanted Dylan to be the first to taste my cooking. I placed two plates of steak on the table.
“Is it done already? Wow, that looks good. Let's eat. I'm hungry.” Dylan seemed impatient. He grabbed my plate of steak and began cutting it into small pieces.
“Thank you,” I said.
“My pleasure, honey,” Dylan winked. I chuckled. He cut the steak and ate the first bite. I tried to read Dylan's expression, but it was difficult for me to guess whether it was delicious or not.
“Mmm, so good,” Dylan said, taking another bite. Seeing Dylan enjoy it so much, I was confident that my first dish was a big success.
“It's so good?”
“Yup. So maleficent. It feels like steak from heaven,” Dylan praised as he kept eating.
“Really? Let me taste it.”
“No!” Dylan suddenly screamed.
“What?”
“Err… I want that steak. It's mine,” Dylan answered with a grin. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. I quickly took a bite before getting up to spit it out in the sink.
“It's salty! How can you eat this?” I looked at Dylan in disbelief.
“It's good for me though,” Dylan suppressed a smile.
“I've failed,” I pouted. I didn't expect my first dish to turn out this bad. My growling stomach made Dylan laugh. I covered my face with both hands. Embarrassed.
“Let me make you something.” Dylan stroked my hair before disappearing into the kitchen. He comes back with another plate of steak.
“Why make it just one? You?”
“I want to eat this.” He took my salty steak and put it on his plate.
“No way. I can't let you eat this. It's so salty. You must take care of your health. Seriously, don't,” I protested.
“It's fine. This is the first meal you cooked for me, so I want to appreciate every drop of your sweat that came out while making it for me,” Dylan replied sincerely.
I was stunned. Dylan is such a husband-material. His future wife is so lucky. I wished I were his future wife. But I knew it was impossible. I'll never find a guy like Dylan again. Not even in the future. Tears welled up in my eyes. It hurt to imagine Dylan with another woman.
“What's wrong? You look sad. Is it because of my words just now? I'm sorry. Please don't cry,” Dylan panicked.
I laughed.
“I'm not crying. I just think there's dust in my eyes.”
“Wait, don't touch it. Let me help,” Dylan gently blew on my eyes. Even though I was lying, he sincerely tried to help.
“Is it fine now?”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Let's eat before it turns cold.”
As usual, Dylan would cut the steak into small pieces for me.
“Taste it.”
I took a bite. Just as I expected from Dylan, he never disappoints me.
“So good. It just melted in my mouth. These are the real steaks from heaven. Here,” I took a piece of steak and fed Dylan.
“It's good, isn't it?”
“Not bad.” Dylan's face remained calm as he enjoyed my cooking.
“I wonder how you can be good at everything. You have a handsome face and a great body, and you can even cook. Woah, full package,” I praised. Dylan couldn't hide his smile. He smiled proudly, hearing my compliment. The wider his smile, the more I teased him.
“I believe you're a good student too. Isn't it?”
“Stop it.” Dylan's face turned red with a wide smile. I really enjoyed teasing him.
“Let's finish our food faster. There's one movie I want to watch with you.”
“Sure!”
“Seriously? The movie you want to watch with me is a horror movie.” I looked at Dylan incredulously.
“Why? It's fun, isn't it?” said Dylan.
“I'm not sure about that.” I grabbed some popcorn and stuffed it into my mouth. I covered my eyes with a blanket that covered both of us. Dylan hugged me tightly.
“Don't worry. I'm here. You can scream as loud as you want,” Dylan said.
Nearly half an hour into the movie, I was already starting to relax. The plot was becoming predictable and not too scary. It was getting more and more boring.
“It's not as scary as I expected,” I remarked, glancing at Dylan. He was focused on watching, with one eye covered by his hand. I stifled a laugh, seeing Dylan's pale face. My eyes returned to the TV screen. I could already predict there would be a jump scare in this scene, and as I suspected...
“Aaaaah!” Dylan screamed.
Unable to contain myself, I burst into laughter.
“Why?” Dylan looked at me with a pale, bloodless face. I held back my laughter, seeing his pale face.
Suddenly, the phone rang.  I and Dylan exchanged glances. 
“Never mind. I'll take it. Continue watching.” I got up and quickly answered the phone nearby.
“Hello, Hatter House's here.”
“Bella? This is me.” Mom's voice came through. I felt a wave of nervousness. Why was Mom calling all of a sudden?
“Yes? What's wrong? Is there anything happening?”
“It's just… Can we talk tomorrow? Just the two of us.”
“Sure. Let's meet tomorrow, then.”
I thought everything was over, but could this just be the beginning?