Chapter 100
BRIANNA’S POV
It’s only been three days, but it feels like an eternity without him. The castle has turned colder and oddly quiet in his absence. Everyone has changed since they took him, fearing he might never return. The guards lied to me – they assured me he’d be back soon, but it feels like it’s taking forever.
I don’t know how long I stood by the window, looking out as I wore a gloomy, dry smile on my face. I felt like the pregnant wife of a Viking warrior, waiting patiently for his return even though there was a high chance he wouldn’t. I kept waiting to hear a car honk, a police siren—anything signalling he had come back and an assurance that he wouldn’t be taken away again. But it didn’t seem like that would happen anytime soon.
I couldn’t help but wonder what might be holding him back. Could they have started the trial and sent him to a high-security prison? Maybe they’ve hurt him, and he’s badly injured in the hospital?
When I thought about the worst-case scenario of him being sentenced to death, my heart stopped, and my blood turned ice-cold. For a moment, I felt like I might lose my breath and collapse.
I shook my head, tears ready to fall. “That can’t happen… it just can’t be true,” I muttered in agony. It’s only been three days since they took him. Wasn’t that too early to sentence someone to death for a crime?
I swallowed hard and tried to hold back my tears, but they got the best of me. I yielded to the compulsive sobs that shook me like an earthquake. My legs threatened to give up underneath me, so I leaned against the wall beside the window for support. He was only trying to save me. Now look where it landed him. This was all my fault. If I had perhaps done things differently, this wouldn’t have happened.
For a moment, I wished he wasn’t there at the auction hall, I wished he hadn’t bid the highest offer to buy me. I wished I had escaped that night at their anniversary party, and I wished fucking fate hadn’t brought us together. If that had happened, Catherine would still be alive, and he wouldn’t be suffering like this.
Why the fuck was I feeling this way? I have never felt this way for anybody. Could this…could this be love? After the pain Hermes subjected me through, I had the wrong notion of men. I feared them, viewing them as sexually aggressive creatures who only thought with what was between their legs. As a result, I locked my heart, swearing never to give love a chance. But Sebastian made me rethink all that. He was slowly unlocking my heart and making me learn to love again even when I have pushed him away. He was giving me a second chance at love. He’s a miracle in my life and I won’t give up on him that easily.
Smothering a sob, I wiped my cheeks clean of the tears that stained them and strengthened myself. If his guards won’t do anything to help, then I’ll just have to do it.
I will find a key and take one of those cars to the garage. Even though I don’t know shit about driving, I’ll figure it out. Even though I didn’t know my way to the police station they took him to, I will figure it out.
I was heading to the door when it swung open, and the head maid rushed in, closing it urgently, as if she had a secret to tell me.
On seeing my red swollen eyes, she looked at me with empathy and pulled me in for a hug.
“Don’t hold it in,” she gently patted my hair and back. “Let it all out. Sometimes, we need to release those emotions before they tear us apart from the inside. So, dear, don’t be afraid to let it all out…”
Her words penetrated deep into my being, unleashing a torrent of tears. Deep sobs shook my throat, and each breath I took seemed to fill the entire room. I buried my face in her shoulder, letting it all out like I had never done before. I really needed that.
“As long as we’re alive, life will keep throwing shit at us. It’s now left for you to decide whether to let those shit shit you up or prove that they can’t break you. Keep pushing, keep moving, and keep surviving. You’ll reach there soon.”
When my sobs quieted, and I began to feel better, she stepped back and held my shoulders. Her eyes met mine, a comforting smile on her face, making her wrinkles more noticeable.
“I know you love him,” she said, her words leaving me dumbfounded and frozen on the spot.
Looking away awkwardly, I tried to think of something to say in defence. But words weren’t processing in my head. My mind was blank; nothing was coming out. I sighed and averted my gaze in defeat. I couldn’t deny the feeling. Yes, I love him. Even though it’s hard for me to accept and admit it, I do love him, I won’t deny it any longer and I don’t regret loving him.
Gaining a little bit of control, I faced her and was about to say all that to her when she squeezed my shoulder, that warm smile still on her face and said.
“You have nothing to worry about or be ashamed of. I’m not here to judge you. Love is not a crime, and you won’t get punished for simply loving someone. Love is blind; we don’t get to choose who we fall in love with. Look at me,” she chuckled wistfully, remembering something. From her expression, I could tell it was something pleasant.
“I’m a living example. My late husband had no parents, siblings, or any property or inheritance linked to his name. He was an orphan, and after not being adopted by the age of eighteen, he was left to take care of himself. At that age, a child is now considered a liability in orphanage homes because they’re now adults. So he had to fight tooth and nail to survive.”
Tears glistened in her eyes as she continued. They were the tears of a woman who had passed through a lot in believing in love. Tears of a woman who wasn’t afraid to love.
“My parents and friends suggested I leave him and find someone wealthier and more influential. My parents even arranged for me to marry a man thrice my age,” her smile widened as I focused on her story. “But I refused and threatened to run away if they didn’t let me be with him. I stood by him, and I don’t regret it at all. He was a gardener and owned a flower shop. Every day when he came back, he brought the most beautiful flowers for me.”
She cupped my cheeks.
“If you really love him, go for it. Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back. Life is too short to not pursue what you want. Just please don’t be like Catherine, okay?” She leaned forward, emphasizing her words.
Her final sentence left me a bit confused. Was Catherine so disliked that even the head maid had an issue with her? Did Catherine hurt her in some way? I wished I could ask, but it seemed unnecessary. I didn’t want to dwell on Catherine’s matters any longer.
I nodded and she nodded back in response. Then she dabbed her eyes.
“All this talk has made me emotional,” she sniffed in a sob, continuing to dab her eyes nervously. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go and continue giving pep talks to the other castle maids. They’re afraid Sebastian won’t return, and their paychecks won’t be handed to them by month-end anymore,” she chuckled nervously as she left, as if everything happening was too overwhelming for her.
Thinking about everything she said intensified my urge to find a car key, take a car from the garage, get to the station and know what they were doing to him before it was too late. I don’t want to lose him. Ever. The sound of police sirens outside interrupted my thoughts.
Quickly, I rushed to the window and looked out. The car door opened, and I saw Sebastian stepping out. He made it. He’s back. Yes! He came back.