All Chapters of Two Centuries Wasted on a Lie: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

One month before my Union Ceremony with my Vampire fiancé, Vincent, he insisted on postponing it to hold a mock wedding with his childhood friend, Camilla.I disagreed. The vows of a High Coven are unbreakable. Yet he brought it up daily, as if the decision had already been made and he was simply informing me of it.Then, two weeks before the ceremony, I received an anonymous package.It was a blood analysis report from an advanced medical facility in the Undercity.The data was clear: Camilla's weak bloodline was now deeply infused with Vincent's pureblood.They had formed a Mutual Blood Bond, the kind reserved only for mates.In that instant, I understood everything. The night he'd stayed out wasn't to quell a werewolf uprising as he'd claimed.He had already made all his decisions. He just needed me, his official fiancée, to graciously step aside.I stood before the castle's floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the endless, moonlit night as a chill seeped into my very bones.The

That night, Vincent did not return to the castle.I didn't use my Sight to check on his whereabouts; I'd already seen Camilla's social media feed.The photo showed two hands clasped tightly, holding a magnificent solid-gold blood goblet.The caption read: "You are my endless night, and you are my sun."I zoomed in on the photo, my gaze fixated on their overlapping wrists.Beneath their pale skin, two dark red, thorn-like marks were starkly visible.The Bond Mark.Only vampires who had formed a Mutual Blood Bond, their souls and bodies deeply intertwined, would develop this indelible mark.For two hundred years, I had poured my heart and soul into him.Because he was highly sensitive to light, I spent day after day in the lab developing the Daylight Serum.Countless times, I suffered extensive burns from high-intensity UV lamps, the pain so great my entire body would seize.But he merely watched with cold indifference, never showing a single shred of genuine concern.He always said that

For a week, Vincent didn't return to the castle.But I knew his every move.Just like now, my phone screen lit up, a notification popped up: Camilla's latest post.Nine high-definition photos filled the screen.In the pictures, she was wearing the couture wedding gown I'd had commissioned, standing by the edge of the Blood Springs in the Undercity.One even showed them in an intimate embrace under the faint moonlight.Through those posts, I once again saw a completely different Vincent.It turned out the formidable, bloodthirsty Prince could be as tender as a mortal lover.I laughed coldly and placed my phone face down on the table.With ten days until the ceremony, I kept busy.There were too many of my things in the estate; it took me several days just to pack everything.I also made a trip back to my own clan's territory."Elena, what's this I hear from the Milan workshop about the order being canceled?" the First Elder of my clan asked, his voice laced with concern.With a calm exp

Vincent stepped out of the shadows, having heard the last few words of my phone call.Clearly, he'd missed the rest of the conversation.I turned around calmly, tapping my phone screen dark."One of my human lab assistants," I lied smoothly, my voice unhurried. "The hours were too demanding for her, so she resigned. She's leaving New York tomorrow."Vincent watched me for a few seconds.He had never concerned himself with his subordinates. Seeing it was just a human, the suspicion in his eyes vanished."Just an assistant. If she's gone, hire another." He stepped closer, his tone returning to its usual arrogance. "The ceremony is almost here. You should be focusing on more important matters."I lowered my eyes, offering no comment.Four days left.Vincent emerged from his study with a thick stack of photographs.They were photos of Camilla in my couture wedding gown. He had actually had them printed.Then, he took a video call from Camilla right there in the living room."I've had the

"Canceled? By what right?"Vincent lunged forward, his hand clamping around the head steward's throat. His crimson eyes blazed with furious disbelief.The head steward's face went deathly pale as he choked for air. "Your Highness... I would not dare lie...""Lady Elena herself dismantled the wards."Vincent's throat worked. After a long moment, a hoarse, strangled sound escaped him. "I didn't know..."He gripped the specialized communicator so tightly that the skin over his knuckles stretched white and thin, immediately dialing the frequency bound to her soul.Static hissed in his mind, followed by a cold, automated voice. "The blood bond you are attempting to reach has been severed."She had cut off all tracking signals.Vincent flung the steward aside, tore a rift in space, and stormed back to the castle.With a tremendous CRASH, he kicked open the heavy doors, only to be met by an eerie, profound silence.On the magnificent velvet sofa, not even a trace of her warm, sweet scent rema