You Hit My Heart by Kylie Stanford

Chapter 2086: Do You Understand Love?

On the cliff, behind a large rock.

Joyce leaned against the stone, trying to sleep but not daring to fully fall asleep. If she slept too deeply, she would lose consciousness, and any accidental exposure of her body or head could mean instant death. She only dared to close her eyes and rest.

From time to time, she called out to Clint to remind him not to fall asleep.

"Hey," Joyce called out. When Clint didn't answer, she raised her voice and called again, "Hey!"

"I have a name," Clint finally responded. "I'm not asleep. Call me by my name, call me Clint."

He wished she would call him like she used to.

Joyce ignored him. "If you're not asleep, why didn't you respond? Sniping is about endurance; hang in there. If you want to die, wait until this is over and undo the curse for me before you do."

Clint remained silent.

She truly didn't give him any kindness.

"You're a sharpshooter. Do you understand long-distance sniping as well?" Clint tried to engage her in conversation. He was genuinely tired; after all, he had been shot, losing blood and energy.

"I didn't before, but I learned a lot from my mother later on," Joyce answered softly. She could tell from his voice that the bleeding had stopped.

"Being born into a military family makes you different. Joyce, you're unlike any woman I've ever known," Clint said softly, his voice carried by the wind.

a military family, I got lost as a child and grew up in an orphanage. For over twenty years, I never experienced familial love. I did everything alone. Even though I had a talent for shooting, the training process was grueling. No matter how sad

towards Joyce. He could feel

mouth made the weight of it real. She had endured so

back then, I remembered when I fell off a cliff into the ocean-vast and endless, with no end in sight, deep and unknown, not knowing life or death or future. That feeling of helplessness and confusion-I experienced it. I was rescued and survived. That's why I saved you. Had I known you were deliberately floating there to lure me

Joyce spoke to herself.

so that's how

forgotten everything and were alone with no support, which reminded me of myself-not knowing my origins, having no family or support.

four years? After going through so much hardship to rescue her from Athena's hands, Iris refused to acknowledge me at first. It took all my effort for her to finally call me 'Mommy.' We had only reunited for a few months. Do you know that I've only been reunited

was delayed by four years. Even though I said it didn't matter, deep down, I still hoped for it. I thought that after all the hardships were over, peaceful days awaited me. But you've ruined everything. You kidnapped me to a foreign land with no family around; I can't hear their voices or see their smiles-l want to go home so badly that staying here even one more day feels unbearable. And yet you casually say

me, you even resorted

using unheard-of dark magic."

I've ever faced-I can't kill you nor escape your curse.

and took a deep

know why she had told him all this-perhaps because time passed too slowly and boredom set

quietly listened as she spoke about things he hadn't known before-details he couldn't have found in any information he dug up about her-and realized how

He noticed something off in her voice-a hoarseness and

and tried hard to breathe deeply as

Impossible! Crying solves nothing," she said while secretly wiping away tears from the

with me

want to go back?"

you think

for kinship? You're just a lunatic," Joyce sneered coldly. "Now that we're in this situation

This is all your