Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

Vivian fell silent for a moment. Confronted with Vivian’s silence, Luzia also realized what secret she had blurted out. She bit her lip and lowered her head. She didn’t dare to look into Vivian’s eyes, afraid of seeing disdain or disappointment in them.

“I…” Luzia struggled to speak, eager to explain or say something to cover up her unusual concern for Mare. But perhaps because of her urgency, the more she wanted to say something, the more her mind went blank. Being speechless was her current predicament.

Vivian sat silently on the edge of the bed opposite Luzia for a while. She had a slight headache and more so a sense of helplessness. She rubbed her forehead, sighed, and said, “You…”

Just as she started to speak, she faltered. Vivian ran her hand through her hair, reorganized her thoughts, and said, “The situation was chaotic at the time, and I wasn’t in a good condition. I’m not sure about the specifics of Mare’s injuries.”

Vivian recalled and said, “Alajos told me that Mare was shot in the shoulder and had two broken ribs. He underwent surgery the night he was taken to the hospital.”

“That’s the information they told me, but there’s probably more than that. His injuries might be more severe than what I know.” This speculation had existed for a while.

Even though Mare was staying in the room next to hers, they wouldn’t let her confirm Mare’s condition. Why, other than the severity of his injuries, could Vivian not think of any other reason?

Upon hearing this, Luzia couldn’t care less about being discovered by Vivian. She burst into tears, covering her face. “I don’t know, I don’t know anything. He suffered so many injuries, and he didn’t tell me anything. Last night, he was in pain for the injuries he suffered for me. But he kept his own injuries tightly hidden, not revealing a single bit to me. Even if it was just to seek a bit of sympathy from me, he didn’t.”

Vivian didn’t try to stop her from crying. She quietly sat on the edge of the bed, accompanying Luzia as she released her pent-up emotions. When Luzia had cried enough, Vivian went into the bathroom and wrung out a cold towel, handing it to Luzia.

“Wipe away your tears,” Vivian said. “And also apply it to your eyes, crying for too long will make them swell.”

“Okay,” Luzia responded sullenly, pressing the cold, damp towel against her burning eyes.

The stinging sensation in her eyes was relieved. Luzia buried her face in the towel, taking in a deep breath of the damp air.

Finally, as if she had made a decision, she gathered the courage to face Vivian. “If you have any questions, ask them.”

Vivian looked at her in surprise, blinking repeatedly, unable to shake off the doubts in her eyes. “What do I need to ask?”

“Such as…” Luzia nervously gripped the towel, her knuckles turning white from the pressure. “Such as asking about me and Mare…”

Vivian looked at her calmly.

Although Luzia was timid, she also stared at Vivian, watching her closely, afraid of missing even the slightest change in her expression.

But there was none. Vivian’s expression remained consistently calm, her gaze serene and gentle, exuding tolerance.

Luzia suddenly realized something and her eyes reddened. “You…”

Her throat tightened, and she almost couldn’t speak. Luzia hastened to cough a bit before finding her voice, though it was still quite hoarse. “You know, don’t you?”

“I don’t know,” Vivian’s expression remained calm, except for a sigh. “I hope I don’t know. But you won’t lie, Luzia.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Luzia pressed her lips together.

She heard Vivian ask, “Last night, the one you were with was Mare, wasn’t it?”

Thinking about what she and Mare had done last night, Luzia’s cheeks flushed slightly.

She didn’t need to answer; Vivian already knew the answer. Since seeing Luzia yesterday, Vivian had sighed countless times. “You two are quite daring.”

It was as if Vivian knew that she and Mare had made love outdoors last night. Luzia blushed even more. “Vivian, would you, would you mind?”

Luzia was a bit hesitant. “Would you mind me… being with Mare…”

“Saying that I don’t mind would be a lie. You are my friend, and Mare is my friend too.” Vivian’s expression kept changing, overall, it could be described as awkward. “I may return to Los Angeles, but I still have to face Mare. I’m not sure how to deal with him.”

Despite her dislike for Joseph, he was still her brother. Luzia felt sorry, she had put Vivian in a difficult position. “I’m sorry.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize,” Vivian understood Luzia. “If it were me, I would choose to love Mare, not Joseph.”

“I was originally going to pretend not to know, but as I said, you don’t lie,” Vivian cautioned Luzia to be careful and to learn to lie. “This cannot continue; you will be discovered, and you will be killed. Joseph is a violently loyal follower, he is a sociopath, and violence and bloodshed have long replaced the goodness in his humanity. He won’t forgive traitors.”

“No one forgives traitors,” Luzia swallowed hard, speaking with difficulty. “But no one is willing to follow a demon, and I have never been his loyal follower.”

“I won’t reveal your secret to anyone, neither to my husband Alajos nor to my brother Vilem. But you need to hide your secret well; you have to learn to lie,” Vivian warned Luzia to be cautious. If a fourth person found out, both Luzia and Mare would die, and it would be a gruesome death.

Luzia imagined the horrific scenes and her face turned pale, as if she had taken Vivian’s advice to heart.

Vivian breathed a sigh of relief, giving her some time to compose herself. “You should go and freshen up first.”

Vivian left the room, closing the door behind her. At that moment, there was a “click” from the next room. Mare turned the doorknob and walked out of his room.

In truth, Vivian also had not fully composed her own feelings. Mare’s sudden appearance always made her unable to help but wonder what he and Luzia had been doing behind the glass door last night.

Both of them stood awkwardly in the corridor.

“Um…” Vivian tried to break the awkwardness. “Today we are going to Mrs. Yazmin’s apple orchard to pick apples. Would you like to come with us?”

Mare blinked. He might not have known Vivian’s discomfort, only that the atmosphere was strange. He remained as expressionless as before. “Of course. I need to protect you.”

“Then let’s go downstairs for breakfast first,” Vivian said, heading towards the stairs.

According to their usual habit, Mare would agree with her and silently follow her downstairs for breakfast. But today, he briefly paused, and when he resumed walking, his steps were noticeably slower, as if waiting for something.

Yet, even as they descended the stairs, the doors to Vivian’s and Luzia’s rooms remained tightly shut.

“Has Luzia not gotten up yet?” Mare mentioned casually, as if by chance.