Page 85 of Villainess's Redemption
But he still looked confused.
“That day, I purposefully made you drink more than you normally do. Any servants could take you to your room easily but I insisted on accompanying you. No one forced me,” I put a bit of distance between us and flicked my hair with my chin jutted out in my signature arrogant tilt. “And no one can force me to do anything I don’t want, not even you Lord Noah. Don’t you know who I am? THE Lady Ilyana D’Arcane.”
Please, let this work.
His eyes widened as realization set in.Well, he probably suspected this. He couldn’t possibly be this stupid.I watched as shock gave way to anger, his jaw clenching.
“You!” he sputtered, his voice rising. “How could you?”
He stopped abruptly, rubbing his face with his hands as if trying to erase what he’d just heard. His breathing quickened, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he processed this revelation.
My mouth dried as the weight of my next confession sat heavy on my tongue. The late afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting long shadows across the rugs in the drawing room.
“There’s more,” I forced the words out, unable to meet his eyes. “The brooch… it wasn’t me you gave it to. It was Rosalind.”
I risked a quick glance at him. The anger and betrayal had vanished from his face, replaced by an eerie stillness that made my skin crawl.
I swallowed. I had never seen him like this. He looked dangerous, not the kind gentleman I remembered.
Do I need to worry about my life now?
“I took it because…,” I swallowed hard, my rehearsed speech deserting me. “I’ve loved you for so long. Watching you with her, I just…,” I let my voice crack, summoning tears. “I was so jealous. So, I stole it from her. I know I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t stop myself.”
The silence stretched between us like a chasm. A clock ticked somewhere, marking each excruciating second.
Go ahead. Hate me.
“I understand if you want a divorce. I would, in your position,” I sniffled, dabbing at my eyes with my sleeve.
His continued silence unnerved me. Where was the rage? The denouncement?
“I’ll leave quietly,” I pressed on. “You’ll never have to see me again. I can arrange everything discreetly if you want.”
Come on. Say something.
He was quiet for a while. I held my breath for him to rage, to say how I betrayed him and how he hated me now but I wasn’t prepared for what he said next.
“No.” His voice cut through the room like ice.
His chilling demeanor sent a shiver up my spine, raising goosebumps. I looked up at him, shocked. “What? What do you mean?”
“You love me, don’t you?” His tone was flat, emotionless.
“Y-yes?”Where was he going with this?
“Then you’ll stay. Forget about divorce.”
I stared at him, my mouth hanging open most unladylike. “But after everything I did to you? To Rosa—”
“Don’t,” he slashed his hand through the air. “Don’t even speak her name.”
I took an involuntary step back. This cold, controlled anger was worse than any outburst I’d expected.
“You seem very eager to escape.” His lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “But no. You’ve made your bed, Ilyana, and you’ll lie in it. You’re not getting out so easily.”
He turned on his heel and strode to the door, yanking it open so hard it crashed against the wall, making me jump.
I stood frozen in the middle of the drawing-room, my heart hammering against my ribs. The lavender scent that had seemed so comforting earlier now felt, suffocating as old burning rage simmered beneath my skin.
