Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 143
Deception, Layers upon Layers
His cold, frozen face told her that something had ended.
The thought that she should say something only swirled in her mind, but her lips didnât move. The blue eyes looking down at her held a light Adeline had never seen before in her life.
No matter the situation, Shane had always revealed his emotions to Adeline. Whether it was gentle affection, fierce jealousy, anger, or a desperate longingâhis eyes always spoke volumes.
But now, those blue eyes were empty, devoid of emotion.
The person who had been crying over her just a few minutes ago.
Now, it was as if he had given up.
As if he had grown tired of her.
Adeline opened her mouth. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
She didnât even have the chance to explain herself.
He pushed her away, and that was the end of it.
Feeling the warmth of Shaneâs palm as it covered her eyes, Adeline didnât try to cling to her fading consciousness.
*
When she opened her eyes again, Lloyd was sitting at her bedside.
His head was bowed as he read a book, seemingly unaware that she had woken up.
âWhere am IâŚ?â
This definitely wasnât the master bedroom of the Blanchard estate.
The scent was different.
But because of that, she felt a strange sense of relief.
Adeline had thought that when she opened her eyes again, she might have returned to the Bertrand estate.
This time, it seemed, Shane had finally tired of her.
The way he had pushed her away, his gazeâboth had been so firm.
The flickering candlelight on the bedside table cast shadows over Lloydâs face as he leaned over. Adeline opened her mouth to speak but winced as her throat burned dry.
âYou really thought youâd be fine after ingesting poison?â
âWaterâŚâ
âWait.â
Lloyd quickly brought her some water.
He set the tray with the water on the bedside table and carefully helped Adeline sit up, propping her against some pillows for support before handing her the glass.
âDo you want some honey water too?â
âNoâŚâ
âThe healer said you survived because you took the antidote before the poison spread. It worked immediately, but if youâd been any later, there wouldâve been nothing they could do. He said you were lucky.â
âLuckyâŚâ
âWell, no, it wasnât luck. Itâs because you knew exactly what would happen again, Master.â
ââŚâŚâ
âI wonât ask any questions. But this time⌠this time, I wonât be able to help you.â
Lloydâs voice trembled with suppressed emotion as he bit his lip.
Adeline was surprised. She had never seen Lloyd lose control like this.
Since the day she brought him into her home at the age of nine, until now, when he was seventeen, Lloyd had never once let his emotions surface.
She had hoped he would act more his age, be playful, and show his true colors. She even teased him on purpose, but he had always remained calm and composed.
If she hadnât taken him in, he wouldâve become Lucianâs right-hand manâhe would have either killed her, or she wouldâve been forced to kill him. One of the two.
She had brought him in to save her own life, but in his life, if there had been no “Adeline,” he could have lived much more freely as Lucianâs right-hand man. He wouldnât have had to endure as much or live by such strict rules.
Adeline wanted to give Lloyd a better life than the one he would have had. If nothing else, she wanted to keep her promise to him to the very end.
Had she made him more unhappy by bringing him into her life?
But asking Lloyd, âAre you glad you followed me?â was outright impossible.
He wasnât the type to give a straightforward answer, and asking a question like that in the wrong way would only feel like pressure.
