Chapter 57

Juan returned home in the early hours of the morning in a somewhat unkempt state. He was quite startled when he awoke in the tree house next to Diona. After everything that had transpired between them, he was unable to understand how he had allowed himself to go out of control around her.
Regrettably, he could not hold her responsible for what had happened between them the night before. He was unsure as to whether she seduced him or vice versa.
He ought to have prevented their intimacy from spreading so widely. He shouldn't have kissed her, to begin with. He shouldn't have held her in his arms while escorting her to the tiny bed he had built for himself in the tree home. He shouldn't have put her down on the comfortable mattress and expressed his feelings to her. He should not have done everything that he did the night before, but he did.
Juan was stupendous.
Even though he will do everything in his power to support Alexander in his quest to be with Heather, there is a small portion in his mind which makes him count on the possibility of Diona ultimately marrying his brother. Although Alexander might not love Diona, he did cross a line and let his hidden feelings for her spiral out of his hand.
He should have been able to call last night, nothing but a mistake, but he couldn't. He cannot write off the previous night as a mistake despite everything, notably Diona crushing his heart without hesitation. However, he would not pursue his feeling more than he already had.
Whatever may happen in the end, the chapter of Diona Gonzales is over. It is finished.
Coming to the present, when Juan was entering his chamber, praying that none of his family members see him, he saw a letter on his side table.
He took it in hand to examine it more closely.
It was from Mystes and was addressed to him. He recognized his brother's handwriting right away, which was proof enough that Alexander had written him this letter.
To read what was inside, he tore the envelope open.
On the other hand, Alexander departed in search of Heather without wasting an inch of any more time. It was a long shot, and there was a great possibility that he might not find her for weeks or perhaps months.
Regardless of that, he had no intentions of giving up. He refused to.
But the apprehension of her whereabouts concerned him to a great deal. He had no hint where she could have gone. Neither of Msytes people who knew about Heather's missing dilemma was aware of where she could possibly take a liking to reside.
At present, she was alone in the world, compelled to fight her battles alone, and he was to be blamed. Rightfully so. She could be anywhere, in any part of this world. She would have to travel through woods and dark places and sneak through the area to find a safe place.
The only source of comfort for him was Junior Oscar's gut feeling that she was safe at the time.
He wished for Junior to accompany him on this voyage, and yet he could not bring himself to ask him. Junior had an indication of where Heather could be, and he could not trouble him for the mess he had created for himself and Heather. Even though Junior had been a great help, and with him besides, he would have given him minute-by-minute assurance of Heather’s safety, he could not come along with him.
Deep down, Alexander knew that his journey toward Heather was to be traveled alone.
His trek to Mystes had already cost him almost two days. Nonetheless, he ought to use the word wasted. However, he wasted it productively. His visit to Mystes was important despite that. Even if he ultimately did not find Heather in Mystes, his parents must be aware of his visit.
It wasn't all wasted, after all.
Alexander was conscious of the necessity to carefully consider Heather's potential destinations and exercise discretion in doing so. Alexander's parents were completely unaware of his ongoing hunt for Heather. If they did, his well-thought-out scheme would fall apart. The fact that Heather is no longer living in Mystes was unknown to his parents. It would only worsen the situation.
A week had already passed, and there was no sign of Heather Crown.
He did not encounter his lady love during his journey from Mystes to the boundaries of his own town, Warsavor. No one resembled her in the surrounding town, despite his efforts to find her. Not a single extraordinary woman even stopped by.
Due to his search for her in between the two towns, it took him almost more than a week.
'Heather, where are you?' Alexander muttered inwardly.
Every passing second was making him apprehensive. He had moved without much rest, which left him exhausted. Given that Heather was missing, how could he? He won’t be at peace until he sees her for himself. He had to find her.
If she wasn't in a town, she would have to move towards the other side between Warsavor and Mystes. As he could not find her in the west, he must now search in the east, north, and south.
The land was not large enough for him to take years to find it, but he might take months. Even longer, unless Heather is sprinting, she is not in motion even though he is.
Without any leads, he was on a wild goose chase and unable to find her. There must be a way to discover where she is.
Alexander made the decision to stop in the forest to get some air. Even though his hometown was not far away, he did not want to be found. He went in search of a tree and sat down. His head was on the boot, one leg was spread out, and one knee was up with a hand resting on it.
He continued to close his eyes as he tried to recall every single interaction he had with Heather. The response ought to be there.
Heather purposefully chose not to go back to Mystes. She could have believed he would find her and come looking for her. He grinned at the very idea. It simply indicates that Heather hasn't lost faith in him. And if she had, she would not have anticipated him to pursue her, and she would have made it back to Mystes without incident. Otherwise, she would have slammed his heart for betraying her if she had thought his affection for her were not genuine.
Now the question is where she would have gone.
If her intention of not going back to Mystes was on purpose, then she would choose a place far away from it. Somewhere where neither his nor her town would be required to travel. Further, Heather would follow the route that her heart will take if she does not have a certain destination in mind, which he doubt she does.
Alexander was well aware of the path. He may be mistaken, but he has chosen to trust his gut.
It was destiny that brought him to Heather, it was fate that forced Heather to leave him, and it is destiny that will now lead him to Heather.
With a profound will, Alexander mounted his horse and began his journey to reunite with his love again.