“Forgive me, Usher. It seems that I cannot keep the promise I made to you. I couldn’t maintain this bond when you asked to end it.”
Usher closed his eyes, groaning to bear the excruciating pain. The reason was Vione’s words, which kept turning in his head. They echoed incessantly, making his chest tighten as if the whole world was pressing against him from all sides.
His body shook violently. Usher was shaken by a shock that hit him hard. He clenched his fingers tightly to regain control.
No. Usher shook his head. No, Vione. No, please.
But Usher’s hope was not fulfilled. Instead, Vione’s voice continued to echo. Each word seemed to bounce off the walls of his mind, refusing to go away.
Usher tried to control his breathing. He took a deep breath, but it only made him suffer more. It was like inhaling a poisonous gas. As a result, each breath only increased the pain in his chest, leaving a burning sensation that was incredibly painful.
Usher’s mind was chaotic, drifting between reality and the past that had resurfaced. Cold sweat dripped, soaking his temples, wetting his hair and clinging to his skin.
Usher’s heartbeat increased, erratic, as if it were about to explode. It was a sign that his body, his soul, himself, could no longer stand it. His world shattered; everything fell into meaningless pieces.
In the end, Usher could no longer hold on. He collapsed to the ground in a pitiful state. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
Vione’s face hovered before Usher’s eyes. She seemed to be smiling, happy, and then she spoke. “I love you, Usher.”
Usher’s sobs became uncontrollable. The pain in his heart, the pain in his chest, all the wounds he felt were like being doused with vinegar. He writhed in this suffering, trapped and unable to move at all.
“Fate is a mystery. Some things we can change, but some things we cannot avoid. Forgive me, Alpha, but the possibility remains that what you’re doing will be in vain.”
At the most inopportune moment, Rowena’s words also echoed in Usher’s mind, adding to his pain. He became increasingly despondent with a growing sense of sadness. Then he was engulfed in an endless whirlpool of emotions.
It seemed that Usher had found the truth in Rowena’s words. He had found proof that there were indeed some fates that could not be changed, and one of them was their separation. No matter how hard he tried, fate still separated him from Vione.
Everything was futile. Usher felt trapped in a never-ending nightmare. Worse, every second he had fought for only tortured him with unbearable intensity. He had done everything, but the fate remained unchanged.
Now Usher could no longer control himself. He cursed the fate that had toyed with him. He had once thought there was still time. It should have been, because he remembered well the time gap between the fight, Mireya’s pregnancy news and his separation from Vione. He had intended to use this time gap, and in fact this plan had worked for a short time, because he had managed to get the antidote from Rowena.
Something crossed Usher’s mind. He realized something crucial: his actions had changed the past.
Immediately, Usher stood up. Both hands rested on the table and his focus was on the large monitor screen. He watched the footage from the surveillance cameras, and his face grew even paler.
There was no sign of Vione. It appeared she had already left the dining room. Usher quickly searched all the smaller monitors for her whereabouts.
Usher’s eyes widened as he saw The Past Vione preparing herself in her room. He was stunned, remembering clearly that Vione had gone to her parents’ house after their separation.
A cold feeling gripped Usher. It seemed that his actions had actually changed the past, made it move faster, and if everything went as he feared, another tragedy was imminent.
Usher raised his face. He watched the past Vione walk away with an uncontrollable fear.
“Vione’s parents,” Usher whispered, his voice shaking. He shook his head repeatedly. “No. I must save Vione’s parents.”
*
Mireya couldn’t contain her overflowing joy. She called Torin as soon as she got home.
Torin’s excited cry echoed in Mireya’s ear, followed by a question to make sure. “Are you serious, Mireya? You’re not joking, right?”
“I’m serious, Torin.” Mireya laughed until she felt a little dizzy. Quickly she sat down on the sofa. “I’m not joking. Just now Vione and Usher broke up. They really broke up, and it happened right in front of my eyes.”
Torin couldn’t hide his astonishment. “You really are amazing, Mireya! You really managed to conquer Usher.”
Mireya laughed again. “Of course I did. Besides, as I told you before, no woman can stand to see the man she loves happy with another woman, and it turned out to be true. Vione couldn’t stand it when I showed her the ultrasound picture.” She stopped laughing for a moment to catch her breath, and it was then that the pale face of the past Vione flashed through her mind. “Vione really did turn as pale as a corpse.”
It felt so satisfying, and Mireya had never imagined that seeing The Past Vione expelled from the Frostholm Pack’s palace would bring her such happiness. Maybe it had something to do with the progress of her plan. With The Past Vione out of the palace, Mireya’s chances of gaining full control over Usher and the palace were wide open.
Exactly, that was what Torin discussed then. “Still, I’m not entirely comfortable with Vione leaving the palace. We both know that the pack’s loyalty to its Alpha and Luna is immense.”
“You’re right. Vione may not be Luna anymore, but I’m sure there are still people who respect her. That is something we cannot ignore,” Mireya agreed with Torin’s thoughts. “So, do you have another plan?”
“It seems like I do. Basically, I want to get rid of Vione so that your position there is truly secure and unshakable.”
Mireya nodded. “So, what is your plan?”
*