Chapter 46.1
Chapter 46.1
Damian didn’t answer. Feeling his uneven breaths, a man who likely didn’t even know what a massacre was, Adeline continued, “Or perhaps, even if I couldn’t enjoy it myself, it would have been enough. If only my child could live freely there.”
A child was another word for the future. Even the mere hope of a free future would have been enough. In her mind, the thirteenth cage was too small for a lion, and she was suffocating within it.
“Did you have a child with Damian?” he asked quietly. Adeline found the question strangely amusing and let out a small laugh. “No, not yet. I didn’t want to have children until our lives were more stable. We had only been married for a year. But now that I think about it, was that truly within our control?”
It was impossible to know what was real. Had the parents who gave birth to her even existed? If this world was fake, could they, mere characters, create new life?
The distant clang of the hammer ceased. In the complete silence, she called to him again. “Damian.” He didn’t reply. Undeterred, Adeline continued, “Honestly, a child isn’t absolutely necessary.” She tilted her head back, resting it against his shoulder. “I have you. That’s enough for me.”
He stopped breathing as if someone were choking him. A confession didn’t need to be a passionate cry. Her quiet words were filled with love for Damian. The rigidly frozen man slowly exhaled and lowered his head. His lips brushed against her ear, hot.
“Tell me more.”
“More?”
“About adventuring together, discovering and learning about the world. What it’s like.”
“Well, I don’t really know yet. It’s an adventure because it’s unknown. Which reminds me, after we rescue Luce, if we have the chance…” She turned her head to the side. Desire shimmered in his eyes as they met. “I want to explore other districts, and go up to the surface.”
“If we have the chance?”
“Yes. It’s not a decision I can make alone.” She had been thinking about this since she lay ill on the beach, knowing it was a topic they needed to discuss. Of course, simply reaching the surface wasn’t her ultimate goal. Adeline had good instincts.
Her intuition whispered that if she followed the book, if she clawed her way up from the underground, perhaps she could encounter them, the ones who looked down from above.
“Even if it’s just buying time, at least… at least we might see ■■.” She suddenly remembered her last conversation with Kyle, the researcher from District 13. The man’s last words as he urged her to leave the cage. The partially garbled sentence… the word she had assumed referred to the surface… perhaps it was a term for them?
“We agreed to stay together. So we should discuss it together,” she said, emphasizing the word ‘together’ and smiling brightly. Damian stared at her, transfixed, as if time had stopped at her fragile smile.
“So, will you come with me?”
His eyes, dark and unreadable, slowly scanned Adeline. Finally, with an expression that was neither a smile nor a frown, he asked in a low voice, after a long pause, “Even if I’m not him?”
“After asking for his name, you’re questioning it now? You are Damian.”
“How can you be so sure?” He was curious about the source of her trust, the certainty that he was human, not a monster. Adeline had been special from the start. She had called his name without hesitation, promised to stay by his side, taken his hand without asking, laughed freely, and protected him.
Her unique nature fueled his unnatural fascination. After their kiss, after the mingling of their saliva, his entire being burned with a desire for her. He should return, but he wasn’t even sure he wanted to. Seeing her cry made his chest ache; seeing her smile stole his breath. He wanted her. He wanted to touch her. He would gladly starve to death if it meant dying in her arms. Everything about Adeline was beautiful: her small laugh, their easy conversation, even the warmth of her hand in his.
He craved her touch like a beast, just as she had touched him. No, even more. But didn’t she hate Serpentine? Hadn’t she blamed him for not being like Damian?
“Because you abandoned everything at my word and followed me, a complete stranger. Because you stayed with me for three days, caring for me while I was sick. Because you finally asked for Damian’s name.” Adeline paused, took a slow breath, and whispered, each word a brand, “Do you know what all of this means?”
“….”
“It means that, even if you didn’t realize it, you loved me from the very beginning.” Strong emotions finally surfaced on his impassive face: realization, longing, and…
“That’s proof that you are him.”
…twisted jealousy.
He tilted his head. His thoughts fractured. His bandaged hand touched her skin.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.