It’s Not Night - Chapter 189.2

Dustin, who used to get jealous even at the thought of her talking to another man, was now stepping aside for her. This baffled Andra and sparked a whirlwind of thoughts in her mind.

Anxiety and doubt twisted together, making her head spin.

It wasn’t just that. Andra’s mood swung wildly throughout the day. The time that Ian had given her kept slipping away, and she couldn’t produce any substantial results. How could she not feel distressed?

And it all finally erupted on the last day.

“What are you doing?”

Dustin was packing his bags. The problem was, these weren’t his bags; they were Andra’s.

In fact, it seemed like this was the last bag, as a corner of the room was already filled with neatly arranged bags. Naturally, these were all the things Andra had brought when they came to the South.

Andra managed to hold back her contorted face as she stared at Dustin. It was clear that he needed to explain about what was happening, but Dustin continued to quietly sort through the bags.

After a while, Dustin called for a servant and instructed them to load the bags onto the waiting carriage outside. Unable to hold back any longer, Andra approached him, demanding an explanation.

“What’s going on? Why are you organizing my things? What’s with the carriage? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“……Andra, I think you should go back.”

Andra couldn’t believe her ears for a moment. She blinked in disbelief at what Dustin had just said.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly that. Go back to the East with your brothers. No matter how I think about it, this seems like the right thing to do.”

“So… you’re trying to send me away?”

He didn’t respond, but she easily sensed that his silence agreed with her words. Andra’s face began to pale. Although she thought he had been acting strangely since Ian had left, she never expected him to take this route.

Go back? Now?

“Why… why are you trying to send me away?”

Andra asked, trying to steady her trembling voice. Meanwhile, Dustin couldn’t even meet her gaze and kept fiddling with the handle of the bag. A moment of silence enveloped them.

It was Dustin who broke the silence first. He answered with a heavy, subdued tone.

“I feel like… I’m making you unhappy.”

“What?”

“You’re getting into trouble because of me.”

Those words made Andra feel as if she couldn’t breathe. She stared blankly at the man in front of her. Dustin still wouldn’t look her in the eye, turning his head away.

“Look at me, Dustin.”

“…….”

“Get your act together and look at me properly, Dustin Airak!”

When Andra raised her voice, Dustin finally met her gaze. His eyes were heavier than ever. Andra reached out and firmly grabbed both of his hands.

“You said you love me. You said you’d stay by my side. I love you too. I want to be by your side. Isn’t that enough? Why are you thinking like this?”

“……Andra.”

“Aren’t we supposed to get through this together? We promised to always be together, no matter what happens. So why is this happening?”

“…….”

“Is it because of Ian? Is it because of what my brother said? You told me not to worry about that.”

At that moment, Dustin released Andra’s hand as if drawing a line between them. Shocked, Andra stared up at him in disbelief.

“You know it’s not because of that, Andra.”

“Then what is it? Why are you trying to send me away? Is it really because you think you’re making me uncomfortable? Don’t be ridiculous. You’re the one who waited for me. You waited for such a long time. And now that we’ve finally met… why are you doing this?”

Little by little, she began to feel out of breath. Thoughts she didn’t want to think about started to surface in her mind.

Ian’s words that everyone changes.

He had said that love would change too. Andra tightened her grip on Dustin’s hand, pressing him.

“Say it’s a joke. Say this is all a game! There’s no way you’d give me up for such a reason.”

“……It’s not a joke, Andra.”

Suddenly, Dustin handed Andra one of the bags. She stared at it blankly.

‘Why? Why all of a sudden?’