Gabriel’s POV:
While Zordan was walking me out of the funeral hall, my mind grew numb for a moment with pain and anger. He was gently holding my right arm and leading my way ahead across the giant deserted hallway of the main castle. But to me, even his gentle warm touch felt as if my skin was pierced with thorns, while an uncomfortable silence persisted between us.
“A-Are you…taking me back to your room again? I want to go back to my own room…” I blurted out my demand in a low, hefty voice breaking the suffocating silence.
But all of a sudden, his footsteps halted at my remark and he turned around towards me. Even though I was gazing down, I could sense a cold pair of eyes being laid on me as he answered, “No.”
“Z-Zordan—”
“There’s no point in arguing about it right now. Didn’t I tell you earlier already that from now you will be staying in my room?” He slightly clenched his hold on my arm and exhaled a heavy sigh.
Even though I had somewhat expected this reciprocation, my chest ached painfully inside as each of his words shattered my innocent heart.
“Yeah…Y-You are right…You had told me earlier yet still, it was foolish of me to ask you again when I already knew the answer. It will be you from now onwards, who will have the entire control over my life…” I bitterly murmured, as tears dripped down my cheeks.
But watching me sob, Zordan retained a perplexed gaze on me. Keeping a brief pause, he ruffled his hair above his forehead and tried to walk a step closer to reach me, “Gabriel…”
“Stop it! Just fuckin’ stop it now! Stop calling my name with such a kind tone! Stop putting up this fake shit act!!”
I bit my lower lip and lashed at him, forcibly shoving my hand away from his grip. While his touch on my arm disgusted me, I couldn’t deny that hearing my name in his warm voice still somehow soothed my wrecked heart
Halting his march, he intensely stared at me for a moment without speaking a word. Putting a disdainful look on his face, he lowered his cold eyes down and mumbled, “Gabriel, I am not faking up anything before you.”
“Oh yeah!?” This time, his answer snapped the last string of endurance I was holding until now, and I lost my self-control. “Then what the fuck you have been doing until now!? Since how long you have plotted everything to ruin my life? You must have been thrilled to watch me getting deceived by your kind smile when you wanted to give me a fuckin’ miserable life ahead! Didn’t you, bastard!!”
My loud rumble caused a sharp echo in the walls of the deserted hallway, depicting the immense pain churning me inside. My vision had become blurred with tears and a strong dizziness throbbed in my head.
Leaning my face down, I was helplessly sobbing as I gritted my jowls. “I was such a pathetic fool all this time...Your every kind and gentle action was nothing but cruel lies…My entire life until now was a lie yet I never understood it…”
“No one knows me better than you, Gabriel.”
All of a sudden, his bold voice and the sound of his boots approached me as I sensed he walked a few steps closer to reach me. Just before he could move further close to comfort me, I quickly retreated a step back but the dizziness grew even stronger in my head. Moreover, a strange sharp pain on the back of my head was also making me uneasy.
“I know, that you resent me the most now and perhaps, you won’t believe my words anymore, but I have never lied to you, not about a single thing, Gabriel! I …meant it…” This time, instead of his solemn tone, I could sense a desperation in his voice as he stood gawking at me.
But hearing such sincere words from the person I loved and lost stabbed my heart with agony as tears uncontrollably dripped down my eyes. I exhaled a heavy sigh and lifted my wet eyes above to look into him, “Zordan, you know what…I had a dream in the morning. A beautiful one indeed…
I dreamt about that cold winter night when you approached me for the first time by wrapping your coat on my shoulder when Marcus left me alone at that annual gathering. Your gentle warmth and the way you took me out of that suffocating crowd gave me a deep solace in my heart on that cold night.
E-Even though, I was engaged to someone else, but I realize it now, perhaps on that day…I was enchanted by you.” My teary voice shivered a little as a sad arc of a smile curled my lips.
Baffled at my words, Zordan stood like a block of ice as he peered a deep gaze into me. I don’t know if it was my illusion again, but I could vividly sense a painful longing in his eyes while he was gazing at me.
I lifted my eyes down at the ground and further continued, “At that moment, you felt like a dazzling distant star to me whom I could only watch from afar but never reach… I admit I couldn’t recognize my emotions by then, but every moment I spent with you afterward was blissful to me.
Even after how you warmly welcomed me back to our pack made me realize…you were my fated pair and a precious person to me, Zordan. I have admired you and…I…admit…that I have truly loved you…” Tears stifled my chest my inside as my heart broke with the painful confession I uttered.
“Gabriel, I—” Before he could give his answer, I could feel him gritting his jowls as if he was suppressing something inside.
“But, I just want an honest answer this time. Did you plan to betray me from the beginning? Is that why you approached on that night?”
I lifted up my sorrowful eyes above, as I demanded my answer from him.
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