Semua Bab I Protected Him for 200 Years, He Killed Me in 1 Day: Bab 1 - Bab 8

Buried deep in the Aster estate was the Heartwood—ancient, sacred, mine.Told my husband, Julian Aster—back when he actually listened—that if it ever fell, I'd die with it.At first, he freaked out. Flew in glacier water, hired a whole squad of plant experts to nurture it 24/7.Then one day, just because his childhood friend—Isabella Duvall—got a scratch from the bark, Julian had the Heartwood ripped out.The second it crashed, I choked on glowing blood—ichor. My power? Gone.Barely standing, I grabbed his arm. "You knew. If the Heartwood dies, I—"He laughed. Straight-up mocked me. "Sera, come on. That fairy tale? Only Grandma still believes that crap. Is that mayo on your mouth? Relax—it's a tree. I'll buy you a forest if you want."Overnight, my hair turned gray. Skin cracked. Eyes dulled.Still, I dragged myself to his grandmother, Henrietta."I kept your family safe for two hundred years. That's why the Asters thrived. But the Heartwood's gone. Debt's paid. One day left. Whatever

The fire snapped and hissed, filling the room with a weirdly sweet smell.Isabella sprawled across the couch, soaking up the heat. "This tree smells INCREDIBLE. Like, I swear I'm getting healthier just breathing it in. Julian, could this be, like, healing or something?"Julian snorted. "Sera's full of it. It's just a tree."Then he gave her that soft, smug look. "But hey, my family's always been lucky—healthy, strong, all that. Stick close to me and you'll get some of that too."I couldn't even twitch from the pain, but a sigh slipped out anyway.The Asters had their legacy, their luck, their power—all because I protected them.Julian's life? Only still going because I broke the rules to save it, burning through my own soul to do it.I kept my vow to his ancestor, binding myself to the Heartwood, feeding this land and his bloodline with my power for two hundred years.He was just a kid the first time he stood before the tree.He'd reached out, eyes wide. "Grandma says you're o

I thought I'd fade into nothing. But when I blinked back to life, I was wrapped in this soft, glowing light.No pain. No weight. Just calm. Stronger than I'd ever felt.Then came a voice, smooth and powerful in my head: "Sera, you've passed the trial of love and loss. Your sacrifice has cleansed you. Welcome home to Aetherium."I looked down through the clouds.The manor roof exploded in cursed fire, black magic tearing through it.Julian didn't move—still stuck in the shock of watching me vanish.Behind him, Isabella and Henrietta dropped, too scared to even breathe.Julian's chest felt hollow, like something essential had just been yanked out.He shoved the feeling aside, blaming the chaos."What are you waiting for? Put out the damn fire!" he barked, voice cracked, rage barely covering the panic.He tore his eyes from the sky, muttering, "It's just a storm. Nothing big. Yeah. Sera's behind this—used the mess to bail."But karma was already cashing in.Outside, the founta

Julian gave the signal. Cold metal pierced Isabella's arm.Another needle slid into his vein.Her blood—bright, too red—ran through a weird-looking machine, then slowly dripped into him.Her skin faded to paper white. Lips went gray. Breathing got shaky.But all Julian saw was Sera.Eight years ago, right after the crash, she'd shown up.Pale. Eyes heavy. He figured she hadn't slept.Back then, he'd actually been mad she didn't stay with him like Isabella did.Now? He finally got it.That wasn't exhaustion.She'd torched half her life force dragging him back from the brink.And she never said a word.She'd just looked at him, made sure he was okay, then walked out—quiet, alone, ready to face the fallout of breaking nature's rules.And he? He crushed everything she was... for a damn lie."Mr. Aster, your body might reject the blood. You'll need sedation—painkillers," Dr. Wells stammered."No." Julian's voice was raw but steady.Dr. Wells froze. "Sir, that's not possible!