Chapter 36

Kiss You a Million Times (Grand Finale)

For one instant, my heart leapt.

There might be a chance.

When Valerian and Juniper pinned Adrian Cross—that was my window to strike. I could see it: the three of us overwhelming him, taking him down together, and maybe—just maybe—walking away from all of this.

But before I could even move, Adrian Cross kicked Valerian hard in the head, flipping him over bodily, and hurled Juniper aside like she weighed nothing. The ease of it was terrifying—two trained Sin Hunters dispatched in seconds.

I'd forgotten how weak they were. Not their courage—that was boundless. But their strength against someone like Adrian Cross was like tissue paper against a blade.

There was only one choice: run.

I gritted my teeth and dragged the inflatable raft toward the sea. Cassian Vance, clutching his wound, limped after me, his jaw clenched tight against the pain.

"Stop!" Adrian Cross bellowed.

I ignored him. Honestly, I'd never understood why people yell "stop" when chasing someone. If someone's already running, they're clearly not going to stop just because you asked.

Valerian struggled back to his feet and grabbed Adrian Cross again—only to be kicked away once more. Each time he rose, he fought. Each time, he fell.

Then, barking.

Major came limping toward Adrian Cross, his body battered but his spirit unbroken. He didn't bite—instead, he clamped his teeth onto the man's jacket, pulling him backward with all his might, whining desperately the whole time.

The dog understood everything.

In the quiet of the seaside, Major's pleading howls echoed across the dark water. It was the most heartbreaking sound I'd ever heard—a creature who couldn't speak, begging with everything he had.

Adrian Cross raised his fist toward Major—but couldn't bring himself to strike. His fist trembled in the air, then slowly lowered.

"Maya Chen!" Adrian Cross shouted after me. "On that raft, you're nine-tenths dead! There's no suspended sentence out there! I'm giving you a chance—why won't you understand? Surrender to me and your survival odds are better than gambling on the sea!"

I shoved the raft onto the water.

He still didn't understand.

I'd rather die at sea with Cassian Vance than spend decades in prison alone, haunted by the memory of what we'd had and what we'd lost.

I helped Cassian Vance onto the raft first, then pushed hard away from shore, my arms burning with the effort.

I clambered aboard and looked back. Valerian had been pinned to the ground, but he screamed toward me: "Sister, live well!"

"You too!"

My nose burned. Tears streamed down my face and I couldn't stop them.

The sea was so dark.

We had no idea which direction to go, no compass, no stars to guide us. We didn't know where the current would take us or if we'd ever see land again.

I sat beside Cassian Vance, gripping his hand tightly. His fingers were cold, but they closed around mine with surprising strength.

We'd done it.

The promise we'd made all those years ago—to run away together, to leave everything behind.

It had finally come true.

I wiped my tears again and again, but they kept falling like the sea wouldn't stop its waves.

I cupped his face in my hands and sobbed: "Cassian, I love you so much. I need you to know that. I've carved my love for you into my bones. I'm terrified I won't have another chance to say it, and I don't know how else to express it... Having you is what makes life worth living."

He managed a weak smile. "Don't pounce on me—I'm in a lot of pain."

"Mm..."

I kissed him gently, barely touching his lips.

On this dark sea, there was nothing but the sound of waves and my crying.

Finally... together.

When dawn broke, sunlight spilled across the water like gold.

Cassian Vance's face was pale as paper. I didn't know how deep his wound went or whether he'd recover. Blood had soaked through the makeshift bandages, dark and ominous against his white shirt.

I fed him tiny sips of water, careful not to let him drink too much.

The ocean stretched endlessly in every direction—an infinite blue expanse with no sign of civilization.

It was cold, but at least there was sun. The warmth on my skin felt like a small mercy.

I cradled him in my lap. He played with my hair using his long fingers and said softly, "Do you remember when I used to climb through your attic window to sleep next to you?"

"I do. I also remember the first time you kissed me..." I said. "I thought you must have eaten half a tube of toothpaste."

"No..."

"Really?"

He closed his eyes, a faint smile on his lips. "A whole tube. It burned my tongue."

I burst out laughing, the sound surprising me in this desolate place.

I stroked his hair, thinking about our past—those stolen moments in the attic, the fierce sweetness of being young and in love and too stupid to know any better.

"Oh..." He reached into his pocket with a trembling hand. "You said it yourself—you love me very much."

"Mm?"

He pulled out a ring box. His voice was faint: "Now... may I give it on his behalf?"

This jerk... he'd been carrying it this whole time?

I rolled my eyes and opened the box.

A full carat. The diamond caught the morning light and scattered it into tiny rainbows across the raft.

Juniper had really splurged on this.

Cassian Vance couldn't resist: "Ethan Cole really knew how to spend money."

"He didn't spend frivolously—he liked to save."

He took my hand and slid the ring onto my finger, his touch impossibly gentle despite his weakness.

"In sickness and in health, whatever the future holds, you are the person I love most in this life. In this finite existence, on this infinite journey, my greatest gratitude is meeting you. Maya Chen, I want to be your husband."

I looked at the diamond glittering in the sunlight. "But I'm a woman who's been married twice. You don't mind?"

"I don't."

"Then I want to tell you too—in sickness and in health, whatever comes... I will always be your wife."

We looked into each other's eyes. How strange—even now, even after everything, when we made our vows, our hearts still pounded like teenagers falling in love for the first time.

I leaned down and kissed him again.

Deep and long, never enough. As if trying to make up for all the lost years—every time I opened my eyes, I saw both the boy he'd been and the man he'd become.

Cassian Vance coughed. Blood frothed on his lips.

I tasted the iron on my tongue. My heart seized. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Who knows. But I don't regret it."

He held my hand, then pressed it against his face, nuzzling gently against my palm. "Tell me about our life."

"Hmm?"

"I'm afraid I won't make it to start one with you. Describe the life we should have had. Please?"

I thought very carefully, calling up every detail of the dreams I'd carried in my heart for years, then said: "When you went to university, I'd rent a place in the neighborhood nearby."

"The single rooms there were five hundred a month."

"With a bathroom and air conditioning?"

"And free internet."

I tilted my head, thinking seriously. "I'd looked at factory job postings back then. Two thousand a month. Five hundred for rent, five hundred for our clothes, and the remaining one thousand... I'd want to buy a rice cooker and an induction stove. Cooking at home is cheap. We could save a little each month."

Cassian Vance said gently, "I could work part-time. Eight hundred a month."

"That'd be great—more income. Factories close at five, and I refused to work overtime. I'd come home and cook for you. I'd set the rice cooker before leaving, and when I got back I'd make you..."

He coughed violently, pressing his hand over his mouth. Blood seeped between his fingers, staining his skin red.

I pushed down my anguish and said softly, "I'd make you egg fried rice. Remember when we were little and your mom said you ate too much? We only had egg fried rice sometimes, but we ate it so happily because the portions were huge."

"Pfft... I remember." He shivered and clutched my arm tightly. "While you cook, I can wash the clothes. After dinner I'll do the dishes. Could you make a bit extra? My mom might come over sometimes."

"Of course. We always said we'd take care of your mom together. After you graduate, you'll do great. We can save up and buy a cozy home. It doesn't need to be big—just enough for us. Master bedroom for us, second bedroom for your mom. I'd like a small study where you can work."

"Where's the kid's room?"

"Sharing with your mom."

He laughed softly, his chest shaking with the effort. "Then I'd better work hard and earn a bigger place... Have you thought about what we'd name our child?"

I thought for a while. "Cassian Yun. If it's a girl... Cassian Yun, with the plant radical."

"You can't get any cheesier than that."

I leaned down and rubbed my nose against his. "Too late for regrets. We just made our vows—no matter what, we'll be together forever."

He tried to shift position and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. "No regrets. As long as it's you, never. By the way... can I shower with you?"

"Your mind is always in the gutter."

He smiled weakly, that familiar mischief still flickering in his eyes even now.

I reached out and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Then I held him close, warming him with my body, whispering: "Yes. Whatever you want... I decided long ago. I belong to you in this life."

"And I... belong to you."

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. I sobbed: "Then don't die. Please? I don't want to sit by a gravestone. I don't want to spend my life talking to stone."

"Graves aren't where I'll be..."

I clung to him, wiping my eyes furiously.

No. We wouldn't be in graves.

We would become stars in the sky, keeping each other company until dawn broke.

We would become a cool breeze, brushing across each other's faces on summer evenings.

We would become sudden rain, soaking each other's skin when the world had gone dry.

Life and death cannot separate love.

We would feel each other's presence. Always.

I glanced down at his white shirt.

The wound had been stitched, but blood still seeped through, the fabric darkening around the gash no matter how tightly I pressed.

I took off my top and carefully wrapped the wound tighter, pressing my face against his hair. "Do you know? When I found out you hadn't waited for me, I was so heartbroken. Ethan Cole comforted me for a long time. I thought about you constantly—spent five whole years before I married him."

He didn't answer, just closed his eyes weakly.

I wept: "I'm a terrible woman. He asked me if I truly loved him, and I said yes. But now my feelings for you have reignited. I don't know if this is heaven's punishment—but I wish heaven would punish me instead. It was never kind to you... I love you. I love you more than at any moment in my life. I love saying those three words. I could say them forever and never tire of it."

Cassian Vance seemed to be sleeping, but a faint smile crossed his lips.

In the distance, land slowly appeared on the horizon—a dark smudge against the blue.

I grabbed the paddle and rowed with everything I had, my arms screaming, my shoulders burning, my tears mixing with the salt spray. Each stroke was a prayer—please, please, let us make it.

Cassian Vance lay beside me, motionless. His chest rose and fell shallowly, and I kept glancing back to make sure he was still breathing.

The moment we hit shore, my phone finally caught a signal.

I dialed with trembling hands.

"Hello."

"It's me. I'm turning myself in..." I sobbed. "Please save him. He's dying. Please. Just let me see him one more time. Just let me say one more thing... Adrian Cross, I'm begging you."

"I know. Send your location."

I held Cassian Vance and cried until I couldn't breathe, my whole body shaking with the force of it.

Please, heaven. Be kind to us. Just this once. That's all I ask.

When the ambulance arrived, medics rushed across the beach with a stretcher and loaded Cassian Vance inside with practiced urgency, shouting medical terms I couldn't process.

I stayed by his side in the ambulance, calling his name over and over.

Cassian Vance...

Cassian Vance...

This name—I wanted to call it thousands of times. Millions of times.

Just like "I love you."

Saying it a whole lifetime wouldn't be enough.

At the hospital, I sat in the corridor outside the operating room, staring at the light above the door. Every second it stayed on felt like an eternity. The smell of antiseptic burned my nostrils. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Nurses walked past without looking at me.

Footsteps echoed down the hall—steady, deliberate, unmistakable.

Adrian Cross sat beside me. He produced handcuffs and locked me to the chair bolted to the floor, the metal cold against my wrist.

Then he stretched and said casually, "You didn't drift far. I told you—a little raft like that wouldn't get you anywhere."

I asked hollowly, "What about Valerian and Juniper?"

"What, are you running a pharmacy?"

"The couple. The woman's name is Juniper."

"Oh, them. Arrested. But the guy's in the hospital—really weak. I only kicked him a few extra times and he was down." He rubbed his nose. "Don't worry, he'll live."

"Mm..."

He added, "I'm adopting Major. I'm lonely at home—good to have a companion. The dog's retired from service, no need to drag him into more nonsense. I'll take care of him until the end."

I didn't respond. I just stared at the surgery light, my entire being focused on that thin strip of illumination under the door, praying with every fiber that it would go dark—that it would mean he was still alive on the other side.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the light went dark. The door opened slowly and a doctor stepped out.

---

Detention center.

Adrian Cross sat across from me, the same calm expression he always wore.

I asked, "What happened to The Badlands?"

"Three dead, eighty-five captured. The rest are being tracked down—they won't hide forever, I'll find them eventually." He spoke with the flat certainty of a man who always kept his word. "Over a hundred convicted criminals were recovered too—the ones you targeted who actually had crimes to answer for. Several convicted of assault during the chaos as well. Big case."

"What about my friends?"

He said, "Their sentences came down. Yours is coming soon."

"Valerian?"

"Three years. Wasn't my case—different interrogator. He was bawling his eyes out while confessing, gave up everything. Names, locations, methods—the works. He cried so hard the interrogator probably felt bad for him."

"Good. That's always been his talent—providing information that helps the case." I smiled faintly. Valerian had always been the weak one, but he'd never lacked heart. Even crying his eyes out, he'd still given them everything they wanted. That was his way of fighting back.

"Juniper's out on bail. Probably sitting on a couch right now, drinking milk tea, deciding what takeout to order."

My eyes went wide. After everything that had happened, Juniper was out?

Adrian Cross explained, "Her crimes were minor compared to yours. She cooperated and gave up plenty—mitigating circumstances. Also... she's pregnant."

I laughed out loud, the sound echoing off the bare walls of the interview room.

That little vixen. She actually got pregnant with Valerian's baby. After everything they'd been through—the chaos, the danger, the running—new life was growing inside her. There was something poetic about that.

I took a deep breath. "What about Cassian Vance?"

"Sentenced. He was first—faster than anyone."

I stared at him—this man who'd chased us across the city, who'd unveiled every secret we thought we'd buried. My fists clenched so hard my nails bit into my palms. "Death penalty?"

"Death with reprieve. His evidence was erased cleanly—I pushed as hard as I could, searched everywhere, but I couldn't find more." He paused, frustration flickering briefly across his usually impassive face. "Maya Chen, how did you people manage that? What kind of network erases evidence that thoroughly?"

Death with reprieve?

I stared at Adrian Cross. "What was the charge?"

"Killing Harlan Duke. I saw his body firsthand. But Maya Duke came forward to testify that he'd saved her, and the murder weapon was Harlan Duke's own. That didn't exonerate him, but it gave the judge grounds for leniency. Plus he had a previous life sentence, reduced to fifteen years after two years served. He escaped with ten years remaining, plus the escape charge—total: death with reprieve. But he's started confessing. Said he wants to get out sooner to see you. He's giving up more leads than anyone."

I couldn't help laughing.

Really?

All that worry for nothing?

That time-crossing phone was truly something, erasing so much of his evidence cleanly.

And now Cassian Vance was confessing too...

So-called loyalty to the Emperor was ultimately no match for the desire to see me again. In the end, even the Fourth Lord of the Judgment Tower chose love over duty. All those years of devotion, all those oaths of loyalty—and one look at my face was enough to make him spill everything.

I'd once worshipped The Badlands above all else. In the end, all I wanted was him.

Maybe we were never as noble as we imagined. Without attachments, we played the hero—brave and selfless. With attachments, all we wanted was to be ordinary people living ordinary lives.

Adrian Cross asked, "He definitely did more than kill Harlan Duke. Tell me how he did it, and I can push for a lighter sentence for you."

I smiled. "Remember what I told you? I will never give you the answer. I want you to wander in the fog forever. And if I told you, he might get the death penalty. Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"Have you considered what sentence you'll receive?"

"Adrian Cross, stop trying to scare me..." I said. "Your nature means you report honestly. I'm not worried about you framing me."

He sat in silence for a while, then stood and shook his head. "Maybe one day I'll find the answer myself."

"When you do, will you come back and add charges?"

He didn't answer, just walked toward the door.

At the door, he paused. "When Cassian Vance cries, he's not very manly."

I was surprised. "Cries? He'd cry in front of you?"

"I got his father's case overturned. He cried when he received the documents." Adrian Cross's voice carried a rare softness. "Exhausted me—I wasn't sleeping well already, and then he kept me up even longer."

I stared at Adrian Cross.

My throat felt like something was blocking it. It took all my strength to choke out: "Why did Valerian only get three years? He tried to stop you from capturing me. Did you not report that?"

He said flatly, "I wasn't officially on duty. I was just taking a walk and happened to catch you all. Some things aren't worth pursuing." A pause. "If his contribution is less than a dog's, there's no point making a case of it."

"Thank you... I'm sorry for all the trouble. You've always been a good person... I'm sorry."

He waved his hand and walked out. "You brats are always whining about wanting to die. I'm the one who wants to die—but I want my death to mean something. The difference between us is purpose." At the door, he glanced back. "Oh—and one more secret. He was never weaker than me. We were evenly matched."

I couldn't hold back: "One last question."

"What?"

"You do all this, and all you'll ever get is infamy. You stand on the side everyone hates. Why keep going? You could have died—aren't you afraid of death?"

"You brats encounter one bump in the road and want to murder everyone's mother. If I catered to your whims, the world would collapse..." He said quietly, "As for death—dying for the right cause doesn't scare me. I miss someone terribly too. Someone who's already gone." He paused at the doorway, not looking back. "I told you before—he was never weaker than me. We were evenly matched."

I wiped my tears and watched his back until he disappeared down the corridor, the heavy door closing behind him with a final metallic clang.

---

After Cassian Vance's full confession, his death sentence with reprieve was converted to life imprisonment.

My sentence came down: twelve years.

Every day, I counted the days. Each morning I woke up in my cell and marked another X on the wall. The routine of prison life became familiar—the meals, the labor, the brief moments of sky through barred windows.

Even with Cassian Vance's life sentence, even with excellent behavior he'd have to serve at least fifteen years... I'd be in my forties by then. An entire youth spent behind walls.

I wrote him a letter:

"I don't know when you'll get out. Can you confess a few more things? If you behave well, you might meet me at forty-two. They say women are like flowers at forty—I'll still be gorgeous if I dress up. Don't want you to miss my best years. But if you slack off, I'll be fifty when you see me. So please—confess more people out for me."

Waiting for letters in prison took forever. Each day felt like a week, and when his reply finally came, I tore it open so fast I nearly ripped the paper.

"I'll work harder, contribute more leads to Officer Cross, and earn writing privileges. Write often—your letters make me smile and eat better. Forget forty—until ninety-nine, you're my rose. Kiss you millions of times."

I was his rose...

The line was so cheesy it kept me up all night, grinning at the ceiling until I almost messed up my work the next day.

Some time later, I wrote again:

"We don't have a home anymore. How am I supposed to wait for you? Kiss back millions—your thorny rose."

His reply took just as long to arrive.

But the first line sent my heart racing:

"Every weekend, under the swing set. Be there or be square."

The swing set...

He was right. We'd already agreed on a place and time, all those years ago.

This time...

Neither of us would break our promise.

(Book Complete)