Chapter 108 …

The clothes Jeffrey had brought were terrible.

Both the blouse and the skirt were far too large for Eleanor’s size. It seemed that even though he had a wife, he had absolutely no sense when it came to women’s clothing.

But that didn’t matter.

Honestly, she was simply grateful that he had allowed her to stay by Logan’s side.

“I told them to place another empty bed beside his.”

Jeffrey’s eyes were still filled with undisguised resentment toward Eleanor. He didn’t bother hiding it.

Even so, he had permitted her to remain beside Logan.

Whether it was out of pity for her…
or pressure for her to say something kind to Logan once he woke up and then leave…
or perhaps simply because he wanted her to act as a nurse…

She didn’t know.

“……”

But it didn’t matter.

If only this man, who had been unconscious for three days, would open his eyes.
If only he would be safe.

Even if he later told her never to show her face again, she felt she could leave with nothing but gratitude.

“Logan.”

Eleanor called his name as she gently wiped his forehead, the back of his neck, and the spaces between his fingers with a damp cloth.

The doctor had advised her to keep speaking to him, to keep stimulating him—it might help him regain consciousness sooner.

“It’s been raining ever since the day of the accident.”

Sudden was a place where rain fell often.

But it usually drifted down and stopped, repeating like that.
It had never rained nonstop for an entire week like this.

It almost felt as though the land itself was shedding endless tears after learning what had happened to its master.

“They say the rain will stop this afternoon.”

Eleanor whispered softly.

“I hope you open your eyes when it does.”

Her voice grew even gentler.

“So that I can confess that I love you.”

It didn’t matter if he rejected her.

Even if he shouted at her to get out.

Because she knew that even having the chance to say those words was a privilege given only to the living.

“But even if it takes longer, that’s okay.”

“……”

“I can wait as long as it takes.”

As she said that, Eleanor gently brushed the tip of Logan’s finger.

At that moment—

As if reacting to that faint touch, Logan’s fingertip twitched.

Eleanor’s eyes widened in shock.

“Logan?”

Her voice trembled uncontrollably as she called his name.

Without realizing it, she tightly grasped his hand and leaned closer to his head.

“Ah…”

In the next moment, Logan’s tightly shut eyelids—sealed as if glued together—slowly moved.

At last, his blue eyes were revealed.

Eleanor hesitated, unsure of what to say.

“I’m… I’m glad. I’m glad you woke up…”

That was all she could manage.

That she was relieved he had regained consciousness.
A safe, neutral greeting that didn’t rely on their complicated relationship.

Logan simply stared at her expressionlessly while she stammered her greeting.

“I’ll go get the doctor. I’ll tell them you’ve woken up.”

Just as Eleanor suddenly snapped back to her senses and turned—

Logan’s lips moved.

“Who are you?”

The unexpected question froze her in place.

Eleanor stared down at him, her mind turning blank.

“You… don’t remember?”

Her voice trembled as she asked.

Logan answered briefly.

“No.”

“I…”

Eleanor hesitated, unable to continue.

What was she supposed to say to someone who didn’t remember her?

That she had been his friend’s lover…
Then his fiancée…
And recently his former fiancée after their broken engagement?

Or that she was a woman who loved him now?

No matter how she answered, she would sound like a crazy woman to someone who didn’t remember her.

Eleanor bit her lower lip anxiously.

“Don’t move!”

At that moment Logan tried to push himself up with his elbow, as if lying down was uncomfortable.

He had suffered injuries to his head, abdomen, and right arm during the accident.

He absolutely shouldn’t be moving.

Eleanor hurriedly stopped him.

“My name is Eleanor Hudson. Thanks to your kindness and support, I was able to attend university and do the things I wanted to do.”

“……”

“You were always someone I was grateful to.”

“That’s all?”

Logan asked calmly.

There didn’t seem to be any hidden intention behind the question.

Eleanor slowly shook her head.

“I… dared to fall in love with you.”

“……”

“But I realized it far too late. And I made you suffer for a long time.”

Her voice softened.

“Maybe you forgot me because you couldn’t stand the sight of me.”

At first it had only been speculation.

But by the end of the sentence, her voice sounded almost certain.

Even if Logan had erased her from his memory out of disgust, she had no right to resent him.

“I’m sorry.”

Logan apologized.

Perhaps he meant he was sorry for not remembering.

Even without his memories, his nature hadn’t changed.

“It’s okay.”

Eleanor smiled gently, tears filling her eyes.

“I still love you.”

Logan looked at her with surprise.

“Even if you never remember me.”

“……”

“I know I can’t force you to accept my feelings. Just… please give me some time to stay by your side.”

If she thought of this waiting as her responsibility, she could endure it forever.

Eleanor forced her eyes open clearly and looked at him.

But Logan gave no response.

Maybe he wouldn’t allow it.

Maybe he would reject her.

Her heart dropped at the thought.

Of course—there was no reason for him to grant such a favor to a woman he didn’t even remember.

Especially if she had caused him pain before.

“Just three years.”

Eleanor spoke urgently.

“Please give me three years. I won’t ask for anything.”

For a moment she wondered if this was how Logan had felt when he proposed their contract engagement.

It wasn’t greed.

It wasn’t desire.

It wasn’t certainty.

It was simply the wish to stay beside someone for a little while.

“Just let me stay near you… so I can see you…”

She had pushed him away again and again without even understanding her own heart.

How many wounds had he suffered because he loved someone as indifferent as her?

Logan let out a low sigh.

At that moment Eleanor burst into tears.

She wasn’t trying to manipulate him with tears.

She truly didn’t want to do that.

But the complicated emotions bursting from her chest wouldn’t stop the tears.

“Eleanor.”

“…Hic.”

“Eleanor, look at me.”

Eleanor wiped her swollen eyes with both hands and looked at him through blurred vision.

At some point Logan had managed to sit up.

He was staring at her.

“Is three years enough?”

Eleanor nodded quickly.

Whether her feelings were resolved or not, she wanted to live for him for the same length of time he allowed her.

“That’s enough for me.”

Her voice was still wet with tears.

Perhaps Logan had been flustered seeing a grown woman cry in front of him while confessing her love.

His expression softened slightly.

It felt cowardly, but she was relieved she had cried.

“I…”

Eleanor fixed her gaze on his dry lips.

She hoped—desperately—that the answer she wanted would come out.

“That won’t be enough.”

But the words that followed stunned her.

Not yes, not no.

Instead—

Not enough?

Eleanor blinked in confusion.

“You’re not greedy enough, Eleanor.”

Only then did she realize something.

Logan was calling her Eleanor, not Miss Hudson.

He wasn’t the kind of man who casually used someone’s first name when meeting a stranger.

And the way he said it was gentle.

Just like before.

Gruff at first—but soft at the end.

“You say you love me.”

Logan smiled faintly.

“How could we only be together for three years?”

Ah.

Eleanor covered her mouth with both hands.

“If I risked my life chasing after you just to keep you for three years, wouldn’t that be unfair?”

Logan hadn’t lost his memory.

Relief and joy crashed over her at once.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed into the chair beside his bed.

Burying her face against the edge of his mattress, she sobbed loudly like a child.

A gentle hand stroked her small head.

It felt like he was scolding her for being such a crybaby—

or maybe he simply didn’t know what to do because she was so adorable.

“Will you say it again?”

Eleanor lifted her tear-soaked face.

There he was—

A man who had woken after three days of terrifying everyone, yet somehow looked lovable even in his exhausted state.

And a terribly rude man who asked for what he wanted without even specifying the subject or object of the sentence.

“Logan Claven.”

“……”

“I love you.”

Eleanor smiled brightly despite her tear-stained, miserable face.

Logan looked down at her quietly.

Then he smiled softly.

The same beautiful smile that had once made Eleanor’s heart race.

“I love you too…”

Before finishing the sentence, Logan gently cupped Eleanor’s right cheek.

Her small face fit easily within his large hand.

He tilted his head slightly and leaned closer.

Their eyes met directly.

In Logan’s blue eyes, there was only Eleanor.

And in Eleanor’s gray eyes, there was only Logan.

“I love you.”

Then he bent forward and kissed her.

His lips were dry.

Hers were wet with tears.

It wasn’t a particularly skilled or passionate kiss.

But even that simple kiss made Eleanor feel like her heart had dropped out of her chest.

At that exact moment—

Outside the window, a bright green leaf finally released the raindrop that had been weighing it down.

And a single ray of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds.

The unusually long summer rain had finally passed.

<The Time When Love Crossed Paths> — Fin.