Chapter 12
Silas’s arms were steady as he carried me through the hall. Although his grip was gentle, it was devoid of any
I didn’t need to see Silas to know his demeanor–from the rigid set of his shoulders, I could already see the impassive expression he had on his face. In the past, I had mistaken his lack of expression for composure. But now, I realized that it wasn’t composure, but the cold detachment he was feeling for me.
His touch.. it wasn’t comforting……. As I felt his skin press on mine, I could only feel coldness. And his movement, they felt mechanical.
It was as if he were handling something fragile, yet unimportant.
There was no hesitation in Silas‘ stride. He walked with a rigid precision of someone fulfilling a duty without care.
Every part of me screamed to push him away. to demand him to release me. But, my body was unresponsive, drained of strength and weighed down by the venom coursing through my veins.
The poison had taken full hold of me, suffocating me with its relentless grip. My lungs struggled to expand, every breath I took turned shallow and labored. The pain clawed through my insides, leaving behind trails of fire that burned every inch of me with cruel persistence. My limbs felt like lead, refusing to obey my will, each movement a battle I was losing.
But despite the agony that threatened to consume me whole, my mind remained alert and stayed sharp
Even with my eyes closed. I could tell where Silas was taking me. I knew this castle better than anyone… its labyrinthine corridors and hidden paths, each corner of the walls were etched into my memory like a map I could never forget. Thus, from his steps, I knew exactly where he was taking me.
Silas‘ calculated steps echoed in the grand hall, each footfall ringing out with a rhythm that was maddeningly steady.
I
Each step he took brought us closer to that place.. my bedchamber, the very space I had hoped to reach on my own before collapsing from pain, like how I did in my past life.
Suddenly, a wave of panic surged through me, cutting through the haze of pain.
“Why is he taking me to my bedchamber? The question echoed in my mind, growing louder with each step Silas took. My thoughts spiraled, frantic and uncontrollable. Why would he bring me there of all places?”
Desperation clawed at me as a chilling possibility emerged don’t tell me… could he be River’s real father?
I wanted to scream, to demand answers, but my voice was trapped in my throat, suffocated by the poison and the weight of my own fears.
“No, I thought, anger quickly replacing panic. It can’t be. This man. Memories of Silas’s coldness toward River surfaced unbidden, each one cutting deeper than the last,
“This man only ever showed indifference to River. Even when he… My thoughts faltered, the image of my what could be my son’s last moments flashing in my mind, sharp and vivid. ‘Even when he heartlessly.. murdered him
The bile of hatred rose within me, overpowering the pain for a moment. He doesn’t deserve to be River’s father!
My racing mind couldn’t find peace, couldn’t settle. Every step Silas took toward my chambers felt like a march toward some cruel revelation.
And then, with an air of inevitability, we finally arrived.
Silas laid me gently on the bed. His touch felt no less clinical. Then, there was silence.
1 feh Silas stepping back, his presence looming over me like a shadow.
Even with my eyes closed, I could feel his gaze. It wasn’t concerned or compassionate. He looked at me with a cold and calculating look, like a predator scrutinizing its prey before deciding whether to strike.
I desperately tried to open my eyes, forcing them to focus on him despite the haze clouding my vision. Then, I saw him.
Silas‘ expression was clearly detached devoid of the charm and warmth I had once believed in
Those familiar features that I once adored now fel alien to melts eyes cold, his lips pressed into a line with cruel indifference.
Then he spoke.
“It looks like you were poisoned” His voice was steady, each word measured and precise, slicing through the air like the sharpest blade. “The toxin is very potent. It seems to have already caused a lot of damage.”
There was no emotion in his tone, no concern or urgency. It was as if he were delivering a weather rep
report, the severity of the situation meaningless
Chapter 12
to hun
“Though,” he added after a pause, tilting his head slightly, it seems like you’ll live. But seeing the extent of the damage
He leaned closer, his shadow stretching across me, and I caught the faintest glint in his eyes.
“You’ll wish you hadn’t.”
His words hit me like a bucket of ice water, shocking and mimbing all at once.
I had prepared myself for his betrayal. I had accepted the truth of his actions in my past life–the depths of his treachery, the lies he had spun. Bat hearing this cold dismissal from his own lips, seeing the unter lack of humanity in his eyes. it was a cruelty Iluidn’t fully anticipated
As lay there, writhing in pain, I couldn’t suppress the flood of emotions that overwhelmed me. Mourning, not for my current state, but for the woman I had been in my past life.
How could I have loved this man? The thought tore through me, raw and unforgiving. How could I have given him everything–my devotion, my trust, my hean?”
Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, not from the physical agony, but from the bitterness of realization. The memories of our past monsents together were like shards of glass now, cutting deeper with every passing seco
kilas stood over me for a moment longer, his gaze cold and unfeeling. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away. His footsteps echoed in the corridor, each one a cruel reminder of his indifference. The sound faded into the distance, leaving me alone in a room that suddenly felt far colder than it ever had before.
The pain raged on, consuming me from the inside out, twisting time into an endless stretch of torment. The poison was relentless, its grip tightening with every heartbeat. Yet, 1 refused to give in. My hatred for Silas, my determination to see this through–it became the fuel I clung to, the only thing keeping me tethered to consciousness.
Then, amidst the haze of agony, I felt it
A shift in the air, subtle at first but undeniable. A warmth that stood in stark contrast to the cold void Silas had left behind.
And then I heard it
A voice, smooth and teasing, laced with a familiarity that sent a jolt through me.
You were just proud and healthy when I left you,” the voice drawled, amusement threaded through every word. “You really have a talent for getting yourself into trouble, little mouse”
AD
