Winter Swan

Under the beautiful chandelier and surrounded by stunning white roses, Silje was ushered to a table covered in a snow-white tablecloth. She was wearing her white-rose high heals again and she looked elegant.

The gray-haired manager of the restaurant pulled the chair for her at the table that was reserved.

Quiet classical music filled the place, creating a romantic atmosphere.

The tablecloth was studded with white pearls and the silverware looked impossibly clean and shiny. Even a realistic person such as Silje couldn’t help but feel swept away by the dreamy atmosphere.

Everything looked perfect.

The dark-haired man sitting in front of her was gazing at her as he enjoyed his tea. Silje looked at him and gave him a small smile.

She smiled sweetly like she used to when she was seventeen.

It was too easy for her to pretend. If she could become free of him and the Bruntland family, Silje felt like she could do anything.

The only thing she had to be careful of was not to fall in love with him all over again.

Silje was about to enjoy her new life in New York, and she was going to make sure that it couldn’t be taken away from her.

The silence didn’t last long. Kail smiled faintly; his eyes still looked sad, but he still gave her a happy smile.

Silje’s heart fell. She didn’t expect to see a genuine smile on Kail’s face again, but here he was. She blinked in disbelief. To her surprise, it did feel like they had gone back in time before that horrible day in the Oslo hospital. Kail looked just like he used to, and for a second, she felt weak.

Quickly enough, his eyes filled with dark desire for her and he kissed the back of her hand. It was a chaste kiss that made her feel treasured and loved.

Looking at the striking couple, the gray-haired manager smiled and asked, “The full course meal has been prepared for you per your request. Would you like to start?”

When Kail nodded lightly, the manager gestured and the silver trays started to arrive one by one.

The food was remarkable as she expected. It was the best meal she ever had. Any woman would’ve been ecstatic if she went on a date like this.

A date at the Four Seasons Hotel restaurant in New York.

However, sadness filled Silje’s heart. She tried her best to keep a smile on her face as she clenched her fists. She kept reminding herself that she just had to get through this day. She had to pretend that everything was okay.

If this date went smoothly, Kail promised that he would leave New York soon.

Trying to act normal, Silje said to him hesitantly, “…The food is great here, Kail. You should try this.”

When she spoke to him awkwardly, he grinned as he drank his tea.

“You don’t have to force yourself to act. I want you to feel comfortable,” he whispered and he had a sweet content look on his face. The love in his eyes for her almost broke her, but Silje showed him nothing. She never wanted him to know how much he affected her.

Kail continued to stare and looking at his green eyes, she reached out to him to caress his hair gently.

“How is your cold? Is the fever down?”

“I’m almost fully recovered. Did you really want to know how I was doing?”

“Yeah… Yeah.”

Silje answered slowly and her eyes shined like the stars in the dark night sky.

Could they really go back to the way they were when they were only seventeen?

Wearing an amazing black leather-and-fur coat, Kail looked dazzling. Every woman in the restaurant glanced at him enviously, and although he used to command the same kind of attention when they were still in school, Silje knew this was not the same guy anymore. Time made him mature and his dark beauty and seductiveness were beyond this world.

Could she become truly free of this man?

Silje shook her head to erase the uncertainty she felt. She had to believe that it was possible. She just had to.

Silje still couldn’t forget how she felt when she first arrived in New York. The terrifying loneliness and hollowness… When Kail was no longer part of her life, she thought she could never get over the pain. Although she did eventually get her life back, Silje didn’t think she could do it again.

“…Kail.”

After a deep breath, Silje asked smoothly, “Do you remember how we used to talk about Karin Fossum’s books?”

She spoke to him in Norwegian, making Kail smile mysteriously. He replied softly, “Oh, Karin Fossum… Of course. Have you read Carl Johan Vallgren too?”

He sounded so natural like this was a normal day.

Kail was a good actor and Silje smiled. She could do the same.

Calmly, he continued, “If you finished all of Carl Johan Vallgren’s books, you should try Karin Fossum’s ‘He Who Fears the Wolf’. It is about a man who escaped a mental institution. You will find it very interesting.”

Silje couldn’t tell what he meant by this comment, but she didn’t show her confusion. She replied easily, “Well, right now, I am more interested in finishing this date than reading mystery books. If you lend me the book though, I will read it.”

“You’ll like it. I guarantee it, because you and I have similar tastes. You don’t realize it, but I know it to be true. We are very similar.”

“We have similar tastes? Really?”

She blinked at him and took a piece of steak slowly into her mouth. Kail smiled widely.

To her surprise, she enjoyed talking to him. Their conversation was quiet and pleasant.

After the meal, they left the hotel and walked to the Central Park. Silje walked by this place many times before, but this was the first time she actually visited it. The park felt familiar yet new, and she wondered if it was because she was walking with Kail.

The New York wind blew against them. When she first arrived, it felt cold, but now she was used to it.

They walked together comfortably. He didn’t walk too fast or too slow. It seemed that he was relaxed and was really enjoying their time together.

“How was Henning Mankell’s ‘Kurt Wallander’ series?”

He was smiling as he asked her, and Silje felt stunned at how happy he looked. She quickly recovered and replied, “I liked it. I especially liked ‘The Man Who Smiled,’ and ‘The Fifth Waman’. They were all great.”

“What aspect did you like the most?”

“Well, let me see. I can’t think of one specific thing at the moment. I think maybe it was the main character Wallander.”

“I can guess why you liked the book. It’s because the character was a depressed dark man.”

“You’re right. I think I remember now. I also liked how Wallander loved burgers. Whenever I read the book, I got cravings for burgers too.”

When she answered seriously, Kail laughed out loud. He seemed like he was having a lot of fun, and his joy mesmerized her. Suddenly, he looked down at her and got closer. He reached out for her and caressed her nose playfully. He then touched her forehead with his cheeks and whispered, “…Silje.”