"So, you brought lily flowers for me when Nightroe was there too?" asked Svanna skeptically while studying something that might be lingering behind Orlando's expression. She did not understand the man's thinking. They were two siblings who had lived together since childhood; Orlando should have known that Nightroe did not have a good tolerance for the flowers the man had chosen—no matter how consciously.
However, the reluctant response behind Orlando's shoulder was a reminder of things pending. It took a lot of effort for Svanna to actually dive in, even though she could not fully grasp the prospect of being left around. The man even chuckled before finally saying, "I didn't know Nightroe was coming to see you. I thought he would never set foot into your infirmary because he never cared." If Orlando's thoughts were true like that. Svanna would not deny that it made sense. She herself never thought she would wake up and find Nightroe already there. Talking with somRussol Sullivan was waiting there. It instinctively left a tension on Svanna's shoulders. She wondered a lot of bad things about what her father-in-law might say about the situation. However, an odd image soon sneaked up on her as she also noticed that the middle-aged man seemed to be carrying a lot of things. Around the sofa, there were already a lot of shopping papers arranged.Svanna swallowed harshly when she finally decided to step closer."Mr. Sullivan," she called nervously. There was an absurdity where Nightroe's father looked so reluctant. The middle-aged man chuckled, then gestured for her to take a seat. Svanna's mind clearly remembered: it was better for her to keep a little distance. Facing each other was at least the most promising part."I heard you were hospitalized for drowning in the bathtub?"There was no preamble. Russol Sullivan would not be able to hold back for too long. It was something ridiculous. Svanna could not deny the awkward atmosphere
"I don't want to see that bastard."Svanna's lips almost unconsciously parted in response to Russol Sullivan's confession."I'm here to visit my favorite daugther-in-law," the middle-aged man continued with a wide smile. It was a statement and gesture that put Svanna in a slightly better mood. She had not expected that Russol Sullivan would suddenly haul the items set aside on the sofa towards her."These are all gifts for you."Surprised. However, Svanna could not express some things that were not fully able to water the arid knowledge around. Wondering what Nightroe would do later when the man found out about this.Irony. Svanna could not make Russol Sullivan wait any longer. She... by necessity—had no choice but to extend a hand to accept whatever the father-in-law gave her."You shouldn't have bothered, Papa."That was all Svanna could say. Russol Sullivan's expression implied something—perhaps she would never understand, until the middle-aged ma
"You know how much I hate you. Be prepared for the hell you will face if you dare to sign this marriage contract even once." Svanna understood that she would never escape the dark images of life after deciding to leave California and returning to this horrible city. There was no choice. There were no good prospects that could save her from a desperate emergency. Nightroe had explained how the man still hated her so much after four years had passed. Four years filled with bad flashes, so much so that Svanna wished she no longer had perfect memories just to be drawn back to those painful dark times. Her breath came in long gasps when she saw how Nightroe's broad shoulders were already out of sight behind the door of the house. How pathetic. The man had only come to warn her about something that was a complicated decision between them. Svanna never expected that the offer of marriage on paper would lead to a perfect life. Nor was she sure if a pure bond could be such an incomprehens
"You think I'm protecting you?"Svanna's body jerked against the room wall after a sudden grip landed on her jaw. Nightroe even whispered sarcastically, as if to show that all this was not part of the man's will.The sound of gunfire. All forms of events created thunderous sounds. Everything. It would never end like something that was being imagined. Svanna should have understood that someone with such intense hatred would not have the slightest interest in any situation.The veins of Nightroe's hands burst to the surface as the man's grip descended to her neck, then narrowed tightly, for an instant sending pain shooting through Svanna's nerves. She blinked repeatedly. Instinctively parted her lips to inhale the last of the air held in the back of her throat."Nightroe—"Svanna's vision blurred. Tightness took over, demanding something inside her to do at least one thing....She let the touch of a hand tighten around Nightroe's wrist and, through pure reaction, dug her nails in—sharp,
Nightroe saw her offer herself up for their wedding, and it shouldn't have come as a surprise that Svanna would face moments where the wedding night felt like a freezing polar vortex.She wasn't in denial about how much it hurt when everyone witnessed a decision that wasn't okay. After the wedding vows, the man wasn't even willing to give her any additional touches at the direction of the priest, other than rudely placing the ring on her ring finger, and then the tall body just walked away. Gone as if there had never been a day when a pure relationship had bound them.Svanna would not blame Nightroe for a situation like this. It was her fault for not reconsidering the man's threat. Wouldn't it be much fairer to imagine what kind of hell Nightroe would offer? Rather than thinking about her husband's current whereabouts.Husband ....The corner of Svanna's lips twitched bitterly at the thought of that one prospect. Pathetic. She married a man who hated her so much. It was the most ridic
Now, a sudden touch made their eye contact clash intensely. Svanna held her breath, detecting Nightroe's grip quite painfully on her jawbone. She winced slightly. With pure reaction, she touched the wrist that felt solid so that the man would understand how to release someone who had not even done anything as a form of guilt."What do you want, Nightroe?"Svanna could hear for herself how her voice was laced with a restrained trembling tone. The worry in her tried to urge her to fight back. However, Nightroe always had a way of making the situation extremely painful. The anger in the man's eyes left many unexpected things that she could not describe between them. In the blink of an eye, the grip on her jaw went down like a horrible stranglehold.The remnants of yesterday morning still lingered in Svanna's mind; how Nightroe made her almost lose her breath, but this time she imagined that the man would end her life immediately just to get this marriage over with."Nightroe—"Svanna's c
The situation seemed surprising when Svanna had to jolt awake and found herself no longer facing the cold floor of the room, but this was no bed. Strange. Who had moved her to the sofa? Still in the same room. Svanna's face twisted in various directions. The bed was so empty. There was no Nightroe there, and the blanket... was now neatly spread out on the surface of the mattress. Someone had obviously stepped in and finished the rest of last night's mess. Could it be Nightroe? Svanna immediately sighed, thinking that was the most improbable part. The man who hated her would never pay the slightest bit of attention. There had been so much pain already and she didn't expect there to be any moments where Nightroe's habitual need to choke her would return. It was the first day after becoming the wife of that cruel man. Nightroe Da Sullivan. The second Mr. Sullivan, Don Nightroe, would continue his father's leadership based on the rules of their marriage being the main condition. Sva
A place as beautiful as this, Svanna understood more and more the purpose of Nightroe forbidding her to roam freely. He did not want her to enjoy anything that was truly relaxing. The green grass was wet in the morning, and across the way—just a short distance away from the back garden of the mansion—was the expanse of the Mediterranean Sea and the rolling waves that seemed to move perfectly.Svanna knew that she might incur Nightroe's wrath when she decided not to be obedient. Silently escaping from the room was against the rules. Elisabeth looked so worried when she saw her leaving the room, but she made sure the middle-aged woman would not get involved in anything.It felt like there was a desire to go further there, but Svanna could not overstep the boundaries. She did not know when Nightroe would return home. Hopefully not soon, then she could return to the room in peace after being completely satisfied."I heard that Nightroe won't let you out of the room. Why are you here?"Som
"I don't want to see that bastard."Svanna's lips almost unconsciously parted in response to Russol Sullivan's confession."I'm here to visit my favorite daugther-in-law," the middle-aged man continued with a wide smile. It was a statement and gesture that put Svanna in a slightly better mood. She had not expected that Russol Sullivan would suddenly haul the items set aside on the sofa towards her."These are all gifts for you."Surprised. However, Svanna could not express some things that were not fully able to water the arid knowledge around. Wondering what Nightroe would do later when the man found out about this.Irony. Svanna could not make Russol Sullivan wait any longer. She... by necessity—had no choice but to extend a hand to accept whatever the father-in-law gave her."You shouldn't have bothered, Papa."That was all Svanna could say. Russol Sullivan's expression implied something—perhaps she would never understand, until the middle-aged ma
Russol Sullivan was waiting there. It instinctively left a tension on Svanna's shoulders. She wondered a lot of bad things about what her father-in-law might say about the situation. However, an odd image soon sneaked up on her as she also noticed that the middle-aged man seemed to be carrying a lot of things. Around the sofa, there were already a lot of shopping papers arranged.Svanna swallowed harshly when she finally decided to step closer."Mr. Sullivan," she called nervously. There was an absurdity where Nightroe's father looked so reluctant. The middle-aged man chuckled, then gestured for her to take a seat. Svanna's mind clearly remembered: it was better for her to keep a little distance. Facing each other was at least the most promising part."I heard you were hospitalized for drowning in the bathtub?"There was no preamble. Russol Sullivan would not be able to hold back for too long. It was something ridiculous. Svanna could not deny the awkward atmosphere
"So, you brought lily flowers for me when Nightroe was there too?" asked Svanna skeptically while studying something that might be lingering behind Orlando's expression. She did not understand the man's thinking. They were two siblings who had lived together since childhood; Orlando should have known that Nightroe did not have a good tolerance for the flowers the man had chosen—no matter how consciously. However, the reluctant response behind Orlando's shoulder was a reminder of things pending. It took a lot of effort for Svanna to actually dive in, even though she could not fully grasp the prospect of being left around. The man even chuckled before finally saying, "I didn't know Nightroe was coming to see you. I thought he would never set foot into your infirmary because he never cared." If Orlando's thoughts were true like that. Svanna would not deny that it made sense. She herself never thought she would wake up and find Nightroe already there. Talking with som
After blinking repeatedly, taking in the silence around her. Svanna suddenly jerked awake, only to find that she was still in the same position as last time before falling into a deep sleep.She rubbed her face roughly and slowly moved her attention in various directions. A little incredulous to find Nightroe still there. Sleeping on his back, as if the man's position had never changed. What exactly was Nightroe planning?The alert level in Svanna's mind tried to take part. She knew... when falling asleep for a long time. Supposedly, when she woke up, she no longer found Nightroe in bed. The man was always gone, busy with various matters. It felt odd when things didn't go as usual. Perhaps something was wrong.Svanna's body's instinctive response implied the latter anyway... making her stop everything in place. The touch of her hand tightening on the sofa with such careful attention. Perhaps it was best to leave Nightroe like that. There was still other busines
"Be careful, Ms."No idea what was really going through Nightroe's head. The man had committed an act of rape, too severe, and the impact was unfinished, even when she only had to step foot into the room.How Svanna scratched her head. Trying to endure the pain in several parts of her body. She needed to hold on. Thankful that Alina was always patiently guiding their steps.The door to the room opened, and it seemed that this place still left so many bad memories. Svanna's breathing was heavy, detecting how she would be trapped here again. Imagining so many memories between Nightroe and another woman.It was so sad. She could only touch the bed and some additional prospects when it was no longer about Yohana's things. Nightroe might have asked Alina to change such an important part, as if to cover the tracks or because... this time the man was starting to realize how important it was to not involve the presence of other women, though there was still the validity wher
"You're not allergic to daisies, are you, Nightroe?" asked Svanna skeptically, while taking a determined look at Nightroe.The man's expression dragged her towards the atmosphere... when things were still fine."You've been sneezing ever since you stalked me all the way to my own garden," Svanna commented, not quite able to stand hearing Nightroe continue to make the same sound, but the man said nothing to give her at least a hint.Svanna immediately half-turned her body backwards with the flower basket she had hanging on her arm. What an immediate sense of surprise to find that Nightroe's nose had turned bright red, and the man still didn't look like he was about to stop from a brutal sneezing attack."Are you okay, Nightroe?" asked Svanna when she finally stepped closer to the man who loomed stiffly there. "I didn't know you grew so many lily flowers."Nightroe's heavy voice finally slipped to the surface while adding the effort of covering half of his fac
"Don, I have some bad news to tell you. The evidence of the fire. Everything—including what you've been holding on to—is untraceable. Someone seems to have burned down the details, and now... we've just hit a dead end."The sound of conversation from outside was faintly audible, a kind of tugging at Svanna's will to be pulled to the surface. Her eyelids immediately blinked. It took a bit of getting used to the light spreading directly onto her face.Still in the same room. Svanna wasn't trying to do anything. Just wanted to hear more about what exactly was being talked about outside.Don ....Perhaps the doubt in her could confirm Nightroe's presence there, but she had no clue when the man's heavy voice would sneak up on her hearing. Everything seemed to be lost; no amount of conversation could pull her back to the events of the past few years. The fire. Something inside Svanna was trying to understand what gave Nightroe impact, so it seemed there was a piece le
Orlando showed a brief response when he heard the sound of the door opening and someone walking resolutely into the room. He silently grinned sarcastically, still deciding to keep his face down—or rather busy playing with his phone without trying to be distracted. After all, it was highly improbable to have Nightroe show up in this place, but the man was already here.No skeptical talk. Damn it, Orlando was curious about what Nightroe was doing. Immediately stopping any action, he dropped his attention straight to stare at the towering body facing the chest-length shelf there.It was Lili's flower. The one he brought the first time he heard the news about his sister-in-law. She decided to leave for a while, then returned to wait here for a while longer. Let Orlando guess, Nightroe knew who placed the flowers with the vase on top of the shelf and when he dropped his attention to another point. The corner of Orlando's lips immediately turned into a faint grin. Nightroe was hol
Svanna instinctively curled her thin lips; smiling; realizing this would be a good prospect and she wouldn't have to dwell too much on the gap between them. "I know you and your brother's relationship isn't good. It seems like you could start, why did you bring the doctor for him?" "No idea. A brother's instinct, because he solved my problem—perhaps." Again. Orlando's shoulders twitched again. The man looked calm, unconcerned, and tried not to choke on the situation. "Solved your problem?" Svanna underlined the important part. She did not see anything bad happen that day, just someone coming over and Nightroe walking out of the pool. Yeah, that was it. That was it. However, she still wanted to know more. A quick look at Orlando's face simply left the man with no significant reason to hold back in a situation like this. "Yeah, my problem. You know... I'm a mess. I'm the most fucked up in this family. That's why the esteemed Mr. Sullivan doesn't wa