It’s Not Night - Chapter 166.2

As he curled his fingers inside her, scrapping out his fluid, Andra buried her face in his chest and let out a soft moan. Suddenly, her head slumped.

“Andra?”

As he got no response, Dustin checked and found Andra fast asleep. He smiled faintly at her peaceful expression. He finished scraping her up, and gently carried her into the warm bath. The warm water enveloped them both.

Dustin held Andra in his arms and slowly washed her with a wet cloth. He lifted her arms to clean her carefully. As he did….

Suddenly, he found her wrist bare.

“….”

A feeling of something forgotten surged through him, bringing with it a wave of anxious emotions.

He checked Andra’s other wrist, then his own, and found nothing on either. He cursed under his breath. Damn it. He had momentarily forgotten about it. The pattern on their wrists.

‘It’s gone…?’

The magic that had bound their fates had vanished without a trace. Looking down at Andra, who lay asleep in his arms, Dustin’s face was puzzled.

Without magic meant. They wouldn’t get into heat towards each other. Andra could leave him at any moment. The forced bond that had connected them was gone.

“….”

His heart began to pound fiercely. His mind became a tangled mess. It felt like the last shred of hope he had been clinging to was now muddied and trampled.

So suddenly…. It was too much to handle. He wasn’t ready to accept this. Without this, he….

He could no longer hold Andra.

Now, their relationship had to be maintained only by the genuine feelings Andra had for him.

Fear assaulted him. Instinctively, Dustin pulled Andra closer, burying his face in her neck as if she might disappear like a mirage at any moment. Despite her physical presence in his arms, the anxiety was overwhelming. He felt like he had become a coward.

What if she no longer liked him? What if she grew tired of him and threw him out? What if she said she couldn’t stand to look at him anymore and told him to get out of her sight?

The weight of his wrongdoings toward Andra loomed large, causing all kinds of disastrous scenarios to race through his mind. Wasn’t she discontent with him recently? He couldn’t forget how she had looked at him coldly. How she had harshly pushed his hand away.

His heart, which had been pounding with heat, now plummeted into an icy dread. It was a horrifying moment, he never wanted to experience it again.

What could he do? How could he possibly keep her? Did he even have anything left to offer? He doubted himself. Until now, their relationship had leaned more on physical connection than emotional. Because he was aware of this, he had actively exploited it.

But now that even this is gone, what was left?

Their relationship could simply end if Andra decided to push him away and leave. It was a one-sided bond that could be severed at any moment. No matter how much he apologized or asked for forgiveness, if Andra turned her back on him, it would all be over. Dustin would be left behind, alone.

The more he tried to get close, the further she seemed to drift away.

Because she was Andra Avelin.

The woman Dustin Airak once hated and tormented so much.

She would probably shudder, saying that just looking at him gives her goosebumps.

Crucially, while Andra could well thrive without him, Dustin knew he couldn’t survive without her.

Because Dustin had fallen in love with her. He was fully prepared to give up everything. There was no way out of this love. There never had been. That’s why he had confessed his wrongs and clung to her. He was prepared to offer his heart.

He needed a plan. He had to do something. He couldn’t bear to see Andra walk away. Whatever… it took? A voice whispered to Dustin. It was neither loud nor soft, a familiar yet commanding whisper.

Why not just keep her by your side, even if you have to break her?

Break her? Who, her? Dustin numbly asked. Break Andra? How could he consider such a thing? That would surely make her hate him forever. Yet the voice, cunningly knowing his deepest desires, chuckled and challenged him.

Are you willing to let her go then? You don’t want that, do you?

One had to choose.

Dustin’s face hardened and he pressed his lips. The voice continued to whisper.

You already know how to keep her tied to you.

It’s quite simple.

The voice was correct. Dustin dimly knew of a way to keep Andra by his side forever. After all, this was Hezel. A place where once Anat and Dean had managed to live eternal lives. Yet… as Dustin hesitated, the voice whispered again, more insistently.

Do you really think she could ever truly love you?

Dustin was left speechless.

He couldn’t be sure of the answer to that question.