Killing Your Sweet Breath - Chapter 24
Chapter 12.2
Sheeran’s question held a mix of curiosity and fear. Van smoothed a hand over his chest.
“Hmm.”
Van’s thoughts drifted toward Winter.
He recalled the way her lashes trembled whenever she tightly closed her eyes to hide her confusion.
The way her red lips responded to his kisses, the soft breaths that escaped through them.
The rhythm of her heart every time their bodies were pressed together.
Her pale, beautiful body, even with its scars.
Though she bristled with thorns, her gentle nature quickly succumbed to his temptations.
Yes, it would be hard for anyone not to fall in love with her.
Even Van Helgram’s frozen heart raced like a madman whenever he held her.
But love?
After a moment of thought, Van admitted with a smile,
“I hope Winter is the one who loves me instead.”
Van Helgram did not love her. At least not yet.
He wasn’t foolish enough to fall victim to Helgram’s cursed fate.
* * *
The sound of Sianna’s knocking woke Winter from her sleep.
She usually woke up before sunrise, but today, the bright sunlight greeted her, and it was surprisingly disorienting.
Gathering her thoughts, she turned to the spot beside her.
As she expected, Van was gone.
Right. Just because they spent the night together doesn’t mean they’re at the point where they can greet the morning together, side by side.
A hollow laugh escaped Winter as she touched the sheets, finding that they no longer held any warmth. She got up and allowed Sianna to enter.
As soon as the door opened, Sianna pushed in a trolley carrying a simple meal, but then paused.
That was when Winter suddenly became aware of her naked body, and the fact that it was no longer covered by a blanket. Looking down, she saw that her skin was covered in marks from last night. It looked like a rash.
“When I brought tea earlier this morning, you were sound asleep, so I prepared you a meal thinking you’d wake up soon, but it seems I was too early. You probably don’t have much of an appetite. Should I take it away?”
Was that the only issue she saw?
Sianna’s expression didn’t change as she maintained eye contact with Winter, only asking if she wanted the meal.
She seemed more surprised that Winter, who normally suffered from insomnia, hadn’t woken up, rather than the red marks scattered all over her body.
She had served breakfast to her employer who hadn’t woken up yet.
“No. I feel well-rested. I’ll eat a little later.”
Saying she felt well-rested was an understatement for Winter’s current state.
Since losing everything, this was the first time she had fallen asleep at night and not woken up until daylight. It had been a long time since she hadn’t been tormented by nightmares.
“Would you like to take a bath first?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could prepare one.”
Winter got up and picked up her robe that was near the bed.
Because of last night’s events, she felt a strange discomfort and soreness in her muscles, so she stretched to loosen them.
Looking out the window, she saw the sun was already high in the sky. She had slept for a long time, and although her body was stiff, her mind was clearer than ever.
That made the memories of last night all the more vivid.
“Comfort.”
Winter chuckled to herself, thinking about Van and his strange possessiveness toward her.
It clearly wasn’t love. What he felt for her was more like the obsession a child feels when they finally get back a toy that was taken from them.
Afraid that someone else might steal it away again…
That’s why Winter didn’t resent him for saying he wanted her but then leaving after spending their first night together.
Even though they were soon to be married, their marriage would be much different from a typical one.
Their revenge would result in taking someone’s life.
This cruel resolve would seep into the gaps of their intertwined bodies, preventing any useless emotions from taking root.
Just last night, they had been physically intimate, but she didn’t feel a deep emotional connection or a sense of fulfillment.
It was like pouring a single cup of water onto her parched heart, entwined with someone who shared similar scars.
Her thirst had been temporarily quenched, which saved her from having nightmares last night, but when the red marks covering her body faded, Winter knew she’d be wandering through the flames again.
When their bodies had been completely intertwined, her heart had pounded wildly, but that was merely a physical reaction.
Winter wondered if she could keep her heart from being swept away by his advances in the future, but she forced herself to deny even the slightest chance of it.
She wasn’t someone who could afford to fall in love.
Winter remembered those who had died by her hand, and she vowed not to indulge in the luxury of love, even if she stayed by his side.
Just then, there was a brief knock at the door, and in came a man who did not wait for permission to enter.
The only person in this estate entitled to do so was, of course, Van Helgram.
“I’m sorry for leaving you alone after our first night. I had a lot to take care of.”
Winter had to reassess her own disheveled state, seeing Van looking so pristine and composed, as if their night together had been a lie.
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