Bound by freckles (Sebastian Sallow x Garreth Weasley x f!MC modern AU)

52nd Chapter - Mother

The next morning we had breakfast together before Mum and Dad went to work.

It didn't take very long before Yvain called to say we could come over. And so off we went.

Arriving at the Weasleys', Yvain opened the door for us.

"Gwen is in the bedroom. She's been taking some strong medication and may seem absent-minded at times, but don't worry, she's mentally clear.... just a little slow. Would you like some chocolate milk?" "Yes, please." we all replied at the same time.

We took off our shoes and took a seat on the sofa in the living room.

Yvain put three cups of chocolate milk on the table and went into the bedroom. Hand in hand with Gwen, he came out and sat down on another part of the sofa.

"Good morning." said Gwen quietly, looking at us, "Caelie, you can sleep more at the moment, can't you? The bags under your eyes have faded a lot. Gary, you look very happy. Albeit stressed, but I can't blame you for that."

Her gaze slid to Arwyn and she eyed him extensively.

"You really do look like your father. It's quite frightening. But a handsome man you've become, Henny. The scars on your face are pretty deep, aren't they? Was that Merfyn?" "No. My father was never violent towards me." "That's good.", Gwen said quietly, looking at us all in turn.

"Why did you leave?" asked Arwyn after a few minutes of silence.

"I'd rather not think about it, but you have a right to know. But I'd say we should start at the very beginning," Gwen said quietly, taking Yvain's hand.

"I met Merfyn when I was nineteen. I was waitressing in a restaurant in Cardiff at the time when I started university.

He always wanted to be served by me and then came round almost every day and watched me while he ate. After a few weeks, he told my boss that he wanted me to sit and eat with him for the time he was there.

My boss accepted, after all he paid her well for my absence.

And then we always ate together and he asked me about everything. Nevertheless, he was always very distant and never wanted to tell me so much about himself. After a few dinners together, he invited me to his house. So that very evening, at closing time, he stood in front of the restaurant and invited me to come with him.

I was young and very taken with him, and he already had me under his spell and I was ready to do anything for him. His grey eyes that always seemed demanding, his black hair, his tattooed torso. He looked rebellious but was a great friend of rules.

Actually, I immediately moved in with him on his order, and gave up my job. Shortly afterwards, I also quit my studies and so we could spend almost the whole day together. At that time I was still using contraception.

But even though he didn't really talk much about himself, we had a connection. My family declared me crazy to just spontaneously move in with a man ten years older than me and turn my life around, but when he invited my family over for Christmas, my parents were blown away.

A man who was my intellectual equal, responsible, and looked out for me was the jackpot for them. And the fact that he was Earl of Cardiff was certainly not a hindrance in building up sympathy.

On New Year's Eve, which we spent alone in his magnificent mansion, he asked me to marry him, which I accepted without hesitation. He treated me as if I were his queen and I, as a 19-year-old in love, was simply over the moon.