"So, Uncle Eli fell in love with Belle at first sight," Lenalee declared triumphantly, leaning across the table the moment Eli finished his story. A wide grin broke across her face; no one had expected him to have harbored a quiet, years-long infatuation before finally pursuing her. "All this time, you actually had someone special locked away in your heart," she added, a sentiment the rest of the Rivera family eagerly echoed with nods and knowing glances.
Across the table, Belle felt a furious blush creeping up her cheeks. Her skin burned with the weight of the memory he had just unveiled in front of his entire family. She had been completely oblivious to the fact that years before their paths officially crossed in the hospital, he had already anchored his gaze to her in a completely different country.
