Chapter 39

~ Rufus’s POV

I smiled as I watched Elara go into the kitchen to wash the plate. I was still seated on the chair and then thought about my feelings for her. Ever since I saved Elara in the forest, I enjoyed her company more and more and always wanted to protect her. At first all I had in mind was to protect her but then I gradually felt something for her. It was subtle at first, a lingering glance a moment too long, a warmth spreading in my chest at her laugh. I'd find myself anticipating her presence, my heart skipping a beat when I saw the flash of her auburn hair through the trees. Conversations that once flowed easily became laced with nervous stammers, my mind a tangled mess as I tried to decipher these newfound feelings.

I initially thought that it was a pity, seeing a young lady in the forest, and to make it worse, she was also pregnant. My heart sank as I spotted the figure huddled beneath the sprawling oak. A young lady was unconscious under the gnarled trunk. Even from a dis