The Husband With many Identities

Ch 18 - I Will Marry You

Outside the train station, Akeel found Lyra standing near the entrance.

She looked pale.

One hand rested against the stone railing beside her.

Akeel's expression changed at once.

He crossed the short distance between them.

"Lyra, what happened?" he asked.

Lyra looked at him, relief appearing in her tired eyes.

"I thought you weren't coming," she said. "I called you so many times."

Akeel took out his phone. The screen was filled with missed calls and unread messages.

His phone had been silent while he dealt with the Court and the Valcrest estate.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't see them."

Lyra studied his face.

"Are you still going to marry me?"

Akeel answered without hesitation.

"Yes."

The tension left her shoulders.

"But you disappeared," Lyra said quietly. "I thought maybe you changed your mind."

"I didn't."

Akeel reached for her wrist.

Her skin felt cold.

He closed his fingers around her hand and quietly focused his energy.

A small amount of healing energy flowed from his core into hers.

Akeel did not use enough to make the change obvious. He only guided the unstable energy inside her body back into a steady flow.

Lyra's breathing slowly became deeper.

The weakness in her legs eased.

She blinked.

"I feel better," she said.

"You were exhausted," Akeel replied.

He released her wrist.

Lyra did not question it. She simply looked at him with a small smile.

Akeel kept the truth to himself.

Not even Lyra knew about his ability.

He had no intention of changing that.

They boarded the train together.

Once they found their seats, Lyra leaned against the window.

Akeel watched her quietly.

Her family had never had much.

Her parents were disabled, and her eighty-year-old grandmother depended on them. Their house in Havenrock was old and badly maintained. It had belonged to her great-grandfather, and the family had never been able to afford anything better.

Lyra had grown up with very little.

Her energy level was also ordinary. She had never received expensive training from a powerful family. She had no famous bloodline behind her.

Yet she had worked hard.

After university, she could not find a stable position. Eventually, she began working from home as a seamstress. She repaired clothing, altered dresses, and accepted small orders from people in Havenrock and nearby towns.

The work barely paid enough to support her family.

Akeel had helped her pay her university expenses when her family could no longer afford them.

He had never considered that a burden.

He had known Lyra since childhood.

He remembered when their families first discussed marriage.

They had been young.

The promise had started as an arrangement between families, but over the years, it had become his own choice.

Akeel had once made a promise to someone when he was a child.

That person had told him they would return safely.

They never did.

Akeel had waited.

He had learned what a broken promise could do to a person.

Since then, he had never made one lightly.

His promise to Lyra was different.

He intended to keep it.

Lyra looked at him.

"Are we still getting married?" she asked.

Akeel nodded.

"There is only a delay."

"What kind of delay?"

"The Court requires thirty days before I can complete an important legal matter."

Lyra's face tightened.

"Is it dangerous?"

"No."

"Then why do you sound worried?"

Akeel looked out the window.

He could not tell her about Danaya.

Not yet.

He did not know how to explain that he had been dragged into a marriage he had never wanted. He did not know how Lyra would react if she learned he was already legally married.

"I'll deal with it," he said. "I still intend to come back to you."

Lyra studied him for several seconds.

Then she nodded.

"I believe you."

Akeel gave her a faint smile.

"I won't break my promise."

The train continued toward Havenrock.

A few minutes later, Akeel's phone vibrated.

The message came from Cyrus Lorne.

Are you really planning to marry Lyra?

Akeel typed his answer.

Yes.

Cyrus replied almost immediately.

You were six when that promise was made. Her grandmother convinced a child to promise marriage. You don't have to let that decide your whole life.

Akeel stared at the message.

He understood why Cyrus was frustrated.

But his decision had nothing to do with what their families wanted anymore.

It was his choice.

He put the phone down.

Another message appeared.

There's another matter.

Akeel opened it.

Danaya Valcrest contacted our medical team. She wants you to treat her brother's legs.

Akeel's expression hardened.

He typed one word.

No.

Cyrus replied.

You normally accept difficult cases. Her brother was injured protecting her. She's apparently been blaming herself ever since.

A second message followed.

You could earn a fortune from the Valcrests.

Akeel ignored it.

Another message appeared.

You could even make Danaya grateful enough to forgive the marriage problem.

Akeel almost laughed.

He typed:

I'm not treating anyone from that family.

Cyrus sent one final message.

You really hate that family.

Akeel put his phone away.

He did not hate them.

He simply wanted nothing more to do with them.

The less Danaya knew about him, the better.

The healer Cyrus was talking about was Akeel himself.

His identity was hidden from most people. His healing ability had earned him a reputation among those who knew where to find him, but very few people knew his real identity.

Akeel had copied that ability from another healer years ago.

He had permanently retained it.

He had copied other abilities too.

That was the dangerous secret he protected above everything else.

If the Valcrests discovered what he could really do, they would not leave him alone.

Akeel closed his eyes.

He only wanted to return to Havenrock.

He wanted his old life back.

He wanted to marry Lyra.

Nothing else mattered.