Winter Swan

Kail walked with Silje in his arms, and her closed eyes trembled lightly.

Click.

Kail opened the car door and quietly sat her down in the back seat. Without a word, he watched her.

Knife-sharp black suit, a deep green tie that matched his eyes, and sparkling cuff links.

In his business suit, Kail looked powerful, like he could destroy anyone. He looked so different than before that Silje wondered if this was really Kail.

After regaining her full consciousness, she asked, "Are you waiting for my reply?"

"…"

"So you came to kill me? To take me to hell with you?"

"Don't worry. I won't kill you right now."

Kail continued coldly, "I need to avenge my heart first."

"So you are really going to go through with your revenge?"

"Of course. Did you forget what you did to me?"

He looked at her before saying, "It's simple. You need to pay for what you've done to me. I won't, however, interfere with your precious modeling. I will see you in New York."

There was going to be no mercy from this man. In his perfectly fitted black suit, Kail announced, "Silje, you are a goddess who will never bend to my will."

He lowered his face to whisper to her, "Listen carefully. I will take from you what you took from me, my warrior."

"What I took…?"

Her voice trembled.

Silje glared at him, but her heart softened because she could feel his pain. What he must've gone through after she left without a word…

Silje bit her lips hard.

"And what is it that I took from you? Just spit it out."

They were opening Pandora's box. The memories she didn't want to remember were coming back to her like ocean waves.

Silje clearly was furious, and Kail looked at her quietly. He wasn't doing or saying anything, but she knew that when he became this calm, it meant he was furious.

Her heart began to beat fast in fear.

"…My heart."

Smoothly, Kail took her hand and kiss it, as if to prove that she still belonged to him. Silje raised her eyebrows, but Kail ignored her and continued to speak in his low voice.

"You took my heart, remember? Every night since you left, I saw your face in the Baltic Sea. You are like a black-haired mermaid who seduced me from the ocean. So beautiful… I swear that I will make you bleed and take your heart with my own hands."

Kail lowered his face again and whispered sweetly.

"Five years ago, you killed me by leaving Oslo. You destroyed my heart and I am here to take yours. Don't you get it? Let's go drown ourselves in the Baltic Sea. This time, I will make sure to take you with me."

"So you want us to die together? Is that your decision?"

"No, I came here to take your heart. That is the only fair thing to do, don't you think? I will rip your heart out, just like you did to me."

Kail caressed her hair gently before roughly grabbing a handful of it.

"I will make you pay in New York."

"What are you saying?"

His dark green eyes made her shiver. Kail was a berserker who came to destroy.

"Pay for what? What do you want from me?"

"You. I want you. Your body to be exact. You need to pay back with your body."

"That's preposterous…! Why don't you just kill me! Yes, Kail. I think I would prefer that. I will pay it back with my death."

"With your death? After all this time and all I have gone through?"

He was mocking her.

He continued to look at her as he played with her silky hair. His eyes looked so dark that they gave Silje goosebumps. She put him through hell, and now he was back to end her.

"There is no way out of this, so don't bother wasting your time. I will have you over and over again in your own territory, New York, until the end of this winter. Until I get sick of you, I will take you again and again. And when I am satisfied, I will leave. Only when I decide you have been tormented enough will I leave you alone."

"What? You want to spend the entire winter with me?"

Her voice became hoarse. She felt helpless as if she was lost in the fog. As usual, Kail was in control and he successfully trapped her.

He kissed her hand again and the feel of his lips on her skin was so real that it felt surreal. Silje blinked in confusion because she couldn't figure out Kail's true motive.

"Don't worry. Winter is almost over already. I will leave New York then."

"…Like the salmons that return home?"

"Yes."

Kail smiled at the comparison.

He was a dictator in his business suit, and his smile was so beautiful yet dangerous.

"I will return home when it is time. Don't you think you want to get this over with too? To pay back your debt?"

"Fine. I won't run away this time. I know it's too late, but… If this is what you want, to pay for leaving you, then I accept."

When Silje stared right back at him sharply, Kail's eyes narrowed.

He didn't say anything and Silje couldn't tell what he was feeling. All she knew was that this was a dangerous situation.

After a short silence, he smiled.

"I can see that you are still as confident as ever. No matter how dire your situation becomes, you never lose your cool. You are a lioness, and I was attracted to you because of it. But I wonder if you will be able to remain calm this time. Even after all that you will go through from me, do you think you will come out alright again?"

"Of course. A debt needs to be paid. I have no intention of avoiding it, even if it means giving up my body. I won't change my mind."

"Even if I take your heart? Even if you fall in love with me again?"

Silje answered calmly, "That will never happen, so don't worry."

When she replied without hesitation, Kail smiled darkly.

"Good. I like your attitude. Even when you left Oslo, you didn't look back once. You broke our promise, our oath, without hesitation."

Kail whispered coldly, "Then I will see you in New York. I look forward to seeing how confident you remain during our encounters. Don't forget, your winter in New York this year will be mine."

Kail then grabbed her and pulled her out of the car.

"We already had our reunion kiss, so I guess there is no need for a goodbye kiss. I look forward to our next meeting, my goddess of destruction."

Kail said his last words in Norwegian, and Silje shivered.

Kail's Benz left smoothly and all she could do was stare in the dark.