As I thought about it, I couldn’t stop myself from banging my palm on my head several times. I felt deep regret. I must have been tempted by his charm. Why didn’t I control my desire?
Rufus seemed to have accepted our relationship.
Help! How could things have taken such a turn? It felt like I had gone back five years in time when Rufus and I were still in love.
Yana was laughing uncontrollably in my head. “You had sex with him. Now you have to take responsibility for it.”
“What should I do, Yana? Rufus seems to have fallen in love with me again. I can tell from the look in his eyes. ” My mind was a blur, and I didn’t know what my next move should be. If the curse returned, we would be in trouble.
“Relax. Maybe things aren’t as bad as you think,” Yana said, stopping her laughter and beginning to analyze the situation calmly. “Find an opportunity to check if the black thorn has emerged again on Rufus’ back.”
“No, I have to leave him, whether it appears or not. Once the black thorn returns, Rufus will certainly die. I can’t just watch him die,” I said in a voice filled with pain.
“Then what should we do now? Rufus won’t let you leave so easily, and you can’t go back to the border pack. What about Betyl and Arron? Rufus must have figured out by now that Arron is his son. You can’t hide that from him anymore.”
Yana’s words filled me with worry, and her explanation crushed any hope of me leaving.
Right now, every possible path seemed blocked.
No matter what I chose to do, I couldn’t succeed.
Rufus wouldn’t let me or the kids leave.
This was so frustrating!
I scratched my ears and cheeks thoughtfully, but I couldn’t come up with a solution.
“Don’t be upset, babe. We can take this one day at a time and figure out a way to get out of here eventually,” Yana said, comforting me.
“But what about Beryl and Arron?” I felt dispirited. If I wanted to leave successfully, I wouldn’t be able to take my kids with me.
Yana fell silent for a long time before responding, “Maybe it’s a good thing for the kids to stay in the imperial palace. It has the best educational resources, and they’ll receive excellent knowledge. I also believe Rufus will be an exceptional father. He will love his children as much as you do. Although it’s a painful decision, we might not have another choice. If we want to overcome this stalemate, we may have to sacrifice something.”
I listened to Yana quietly, my emotions mixed.
“Sylvia, life is full of unforeseen events. There are things you’re destined to give up,” Yana said, using my former name. This was the first time she’d addressed me as Sylvia in five years.
Suddenly, I felt as though I’d been pulled back to those days, five years ago, when I was trying to break Rufus’ curse.
Yana had stood by me then, encouraging me just as she did now.
Even after all this time, she was still the same, still by my side.
I laughed self-deprecatingly and said, “Yana, I see your point. Maybe it is time to make a decision.”
Just then, a knock sounded on the door. It was Rufus.
“Crystal, are you done? Why are you in there for so long?” he called, followed by the sound of the lock turning.
“I’m done. I’ll be right out!” I panicked, wanting to leave, but then I realized I was naked. I had no bath towel or clothes to cover myself. In my haste, I stumbled and fell because my weak legs couldn’t support me. The next second, Rufus broke in.
Crystal’s POV
After Rufus left the bathroom, I hysterically screamed inwardly. I was so embarrassed that my scalp tingled. I even wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
As soon as I returned to my senses, everything came back to me, including all the stupid stuff I’d done with Rufus just now.
Even worse was the fact that I’d made the first move.
As I thought about this, I couldn’t stop myself from banging my palm on my head several times. I felt deep regret. I must have been tempted by his charm. Why didn’t I control my desire?
Rufus seemed to have accepted our relationship.
Help! How could matters have taken such a turn? It felt like I had gone back five years in time and Rufus and I were still in love.
Yana was laughing uncontrollably in my head. “You had sex with him. Now you have to take responsibility for it.”
“What should I do, Yana? Rufus seems to have fallen in love with me again. I can tell from the look in his eyes.” My mind was muddled and I didn’t know what my next course of action should be. If the curse returned, we would be over.
“Relax. Maybe things are not that bad,” Yana said as she stopped laughing and began to calmly analyze the situation. “Find an opportunity to check if the black thorn has emerged again on Rufus’ back.”
“No, I have to leave him regardless of whether it emerges or not. Once the black thorn returns, Rufus will certainly die. I can’t watch him die,” I said in a pain-filled voice.
“Then what should we do now? Rufus won’t let you leave so easily, and you can’t return to the border pack. And what about Beryl and Arron? Rufus must have definitely figured out by now that Arron is his son. You can’t keep it from him anymore.” Yana’s mind was filled with worry, and her explanation shot down the possibility of my leaving.
Right now, the only path in front of me had been blocked. No matter what I chose to do, I couldn’t succeed.
Rufus wouldn’t let me and the kids leave him.
This was so annoying!
I scratched my ears and cheeks thoughtfully, but I couldn’t come up with a solution.
“Don’t be upset, babe. We can take this one day at a time and find a way to get out of here after a while,” Yana said, comforting me.
“But what about Beryl and Arron?” I felt dispirited. If I wanted to leave successfully, I wouldn’t be able to take my kids with me. Yana was silent for a long time before she said, “Maybe it’s a good thing for both kids to stay in the imperial palace. This place boasts the best educational resources, and the kids will receive superior knowledge. I also believe that Rufus will be an exceptional father. He will love his children as much as you do. Although it’s an agonizing decision, we might not have another choice. If we want to overcome this stalemate, we will have to sacrifice something.”
I listened to Yana quietly with mixed emotions.
“Sylvia, life is filled with unforeseen events. There are things you are destined to give up.” Yana had used my former name. This was the first time she had addressed me as Sylvia in five years. Suddenly, I felt as if I had been dragged back to those days five years ago when I was trying to remove Rufus’ curse.
Yana had accompanied and encouraged me in the same way at that time as well.
Although so much time had passed, she remained the same, still accompanying me.
I laughed self-deprecatingly and said, “Yana, I see your point. Maybe it is time to make a decision.”
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