Chapter 786 - 357: The Family’s Darkest Secret

Chapter 786: Chapter 357: The Family’s Darkest Secret

He instantly understood everything.

Understood the profound sense of alienation and loneliness that set Riven apart from ordinary wealthy daughters.

Understood why she was so obsessed with the sea and surfing, that feeling of controlling everything atop the waves might be the only thing she could grasp as her own.

It turned out, she didn’t lack a mother; rather, her mother lived in another world, a glamorous fairy tale world that excluded her.

Lin Yu’an was digesting this massive information, a mind-boggling thought with a strong impact emerged in his mind.

"WTF! Does that mean... you’re a... princess?"

Upon hearing this term, an expression of extreme disgust and self-mockery appeared on Riven’s face, as if hearing the biggest joke in the world.

She suddenly lifted her head, and for the first time, flames of near-anger ignited in her sapphire-like eyes, shooting straight at Lin Yu’an.

"I am not a princess." She said each word with a quiet but resolute force.

She stretched out her hands and opened them in front of Lin Yu’an. Those hands, from years of handling ropes and surfboards, had slightly rough knuckles and even fresh calluses in the palms.

"Look, these hands belong to the sea, to the sailing ship, to that surfboard. They pull sails, tie knots, determine the wind direction."

"They don’t belong to a scepter, nor to any dull banquet that requires a wave of greeting."

She withdrew her hands, her gaze returned to the boundless dark sea, her eyes became resolutely firm.

"That title, that bloodline, to me, is not an honor," her voice grew cold, carrying a tone of sarcasm and weariness from worldly experiences.

"That is a magnificent cage I have been desperately trying to escape since I was aware."

"Do you know? Every birthday, I receive postcards from Norway, depicting snow-covered forests and ice-sealed fjords."

"In the letters, she always writes, Riven, my dear daughter, you don’t belong to that overly noisy sunlight, your soul flows with Northern Europe’s ice and peace."

At this point, Riven suddenly let out a self-mocking laugh, filled with rebellion and disdain.

"She’s wrong! Incredibly wrong!" Riven abruptly turned around, looking at Lin Yu’an with blazing eyes, as if declaring to him, and also to that distant mother.

"I hate snow! I detest that cold, deceptively pure white that covers everything!"

"I absolutely love this stupid, brilliant Florida sunshine! I love this forever warm, forever vibrant, noisy sea!"

She became a bit emotional, her chest slightly rising and falling, like a lioness that had its reversed scale touched.

She took a step forward, approaching Lin Yu’an, with a never-before-seen flame burning in her blue eyes!

"I cannot become a woman like her, nor any kind that you imagine needs to be settled in a ’home’."

"I can’t learn to manage a household and educate children, can’t learn to smile elegantly at parties, nor learn to give up my sailing ship and my waves for some man or some family."

Every word she said was laying bare the truest self, the unruly soul of hers in front of Lin Yu’an.

"What I seek in life is not on land. Not in any house, not in any farm, and not in any grand palace."

She pointed her finger at the deep, dark sea undulating in the moonlight, "It’s there, always on the sea!"

"So," she took a deep breath, calming her emotions, for the first time solemnly calling his name, "Lin Yu’an, I am not a princess."

"I am Raven Montgomery, someone... destined to belong to the sea."

At that moment, Lin Yu’an clearly saw the deepest essence of her soul.

She was not a wild horse needing taming, but a true albatross belonging to the sky.

Her wings were not born to reside under anyone’s eaves but to embrace the storms of the entire world.

He finally understood why the surfboard he gifted stirred such immense emotional waves in her.

Because it was not just a gift, but a supreme recognition of her life choice.

An unprecedented deep understanding and resonance quietly built between them, transcending all worldly boundaries of marriage, family, and future.

They both realized the other was someone "banished" by their respective worlds, and also someone who chose "self-banishment".

He looked at her, those slightly reddened eyes due to emotion, and that uncompromising look, a difficult-to-describe complex feeling of admiration and pity welled up within him.

Then, in that instant, Lin Yu’an took an action even he hadn’t anticipated, completely following his inner feelings.

He stepped forward, in Riven’s surprised gaze, gently yet firmly, opened his arms and embraced her.

Riven’s body stiffened abruptly at the moment of being hugged.

Lin Yu’an didn’t say any comforting words because he knew that to her, any sympathy would be an insult.

He simply responded to her declaration with utmost seriousness: "I see it all."

These simple four words meant: I have heard all your outcries, I understand all your rebellions, I see your true soul.

To Riven, that was enough.

She had just declared she belonged to the sea, declared she didn’t belong to any man or family. Yet in this embrace, she absurdly felt a sense of "homecoming."

The strong fortress built with pride and courage was being gradually dismantled by an irresistible warm force at this moment.

All her loneliness, all her disguise, all her strength became vulnerable before this embrace. She... was understood.

She slowly, hesitantly lifted her arms and lightly hugged him back.

Just a few seconds later, Lin Yu’an let her go, took a step back, and re-established some distance.

The two locked eyes, saying nothing. Yet in their gazes, they exchanged a thousand words.

Eventually, it was Riven who first looked away, a carefree and fearless smile belonging to Raven Montgomery resurfacing on her face.

Only this time, there was an added hint of gentleness she hadn’t even realized.

"Let’s go, Mr. Farmer," she said softly, "Tomorrow, your boat is still waiting for you at the pier."

Without another word, the two turned in tacit agreement and headed towards the villa’s lights.

Their shadows stretched long under the moonlight, sometimes crossing, sometimes parting, like their predestined yet obstacle-filled future.

After tonight, there may no longer be a calm lake between them, at least a new lake’s waves are rippling in layers.

————

(So, there really is such a thing as an author favoring a character. I’m getting more and more fond of the character Riven. She’s that kind of leading lady, for whom love isn’t a necessity; the sea is.)