“No!” I refused outright.
How could I? If I agreed, wouldn’t things just go the way Kael wanted? Vivienne would tear me apart.
“Why not? Seraphina, you have a feeling for me too, don’t you? If that’s the case, why not take this opportunity…”
“Kael, we’re not a couple. I don’t have feelings for you. You’re just a tool I used to get back at my ex!” I cut him off immediately.
By then, I had already returned to my room and closed the door. I didn’t want Evelyn to overhear my conversation with Kael and worry. But now, I had to settle everything with him.
In short, there was no way I could be with Kael. He was a werewolf, and I was just a human. If it had been before, maybe there was a chance. But after discovering he was a werewolf, all I wanted was to stay away from him.
After I finished speaking, Kael fell silent on the other end of the line. I could hear his slightly hurried breathing. He didn’t seem calm.
At that moment, guilt surged within me. But I forced myself to hold it back. I knew I had to draw a clear line with Kael. It would be best if we never crossed paths again.
“I’ll clarify our relationship. I hope you’ll say the same thing as I am going to say. You know your words carry more weight.”
Kael was a celebrity with a sizable following on Twitter. His clarification would be far more effective than mine.
Kael replied, “I disagree!”
I frowned. Although I had anticipated Kael might refuse, hearing it directly still left me disappointed.
“Do you want every girl to see me as their enemy? Kael, I just want to live a normal life. Please, let me go.” My voice was pleading, almost pitiful.
“That won’t happen, Seraphina. I’ll protect you,” Kael said firmly.
“Kael, enough! You’ve slept with so many girls. I am not the first and I won’t be the last. Why can’t you just leave me alone?” After saying this, I hung up immediately.
Damn it. Kael refused to clarify our relationship, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do it myself.
Soon, I posted a clarification on Twitter. I explained that I just had a part-time job at the Eagle Club, coincidentally interested in boxing. Kael was a good person who had kindly offered to teach me because of my interest.
After posting, I felt a wave of relief.
Quickly, comments flooded in beneath my post. Most of them were attacks. Honestly, the negativity hurt.
I thought I needed to calm down. So did Kael.
Just then, Evelyn’s voice came through the door. “Seraph, are you okay?” Her tone was full of concern.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my emotions, then opened the door. “I’m fine, Evelyn.”
“How did this happen? I just saw your statement. Seraph, I think you should keep your distance from him. You know he’s a playboy.”
“I know.”
“He changes women faster than he changes clothes. Don’t be fooled by his good looks.”
Evelyn’s concern made me realize I should tell her the whole truth. She was my best friend. Why was I hiding things from her?
But I didn’t know how to tell her directly.
After some thought, I walked to the fridge and pulled out several bottles of beer. Placing them on the table, I sat down on the couch with Evelyn under her puzzled gaze.
“Evelyn, let’s have a drink,” I said.
We started drinking, one bottle at a time. The bitter, cold beer felt refreshing as it went down. I finished a bottle in one go, startling Evelyn.
“Seraph, slow down,” she said, her eyes wide.
I nodded and put the bottle down. I had a good tolerance for alcohol-otherwise, I wouldn’t have worked part-time at a bar.
“Actually, I’ve already slept with Kael.”
After much deliberation, I decided to come clean.
As soon as I said it, Evelyn’s beer fell to the floor. Beer spilled out, soaking into the dark gray carpet, deepening its color.
Evelyn quickly picked up the bottle, and I handed her a cloth to clean the mess. I remembered she didn’t like wasting too much paper-she thought it was bad for the environment. So, we usually used clothes for cleaning.
Evelyn wiped for a while but couldn’t get it all. She sighed, “I guess we’ll have to clean it properly later.”
I knew she was still processing the bombshell I’d just dropped.
“It’s okay. It’s not sugar-it won’t attract ants,” I said with a smile.
Evelyn looked up at me, her eyes filled with confusion.
“Seraph, I still don’t get it… I thought you two were just getting to know each other. How did you end up sleeping with him?”
“Lucian betrayed me. I went to a bar, met Kael, and decided to get back at them by doing something crazy…”
As I spoke, Evelyn’s eyes widened like saucers. I felt guilty for only telling her now.
“So all those times you stayed out overnight, it was with Kael?”
I nodded.
“God, why are you only telling me now?” Evelyn sounded angry, her tone sharp.
I opened another beer and drank, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at her. I knew she was upset about my secrecy.
When I was with Lucian, I had kept it from her. Now, with Kael, I had done the same.
“I’m sorry, Evelyn. I was just afraid you’d worry about me.”
“You didn’t treat me like a friend,” Evelyn said angrily. “You’ve hidden things from me twice now. I’m really disappointed.”
“That’s not true, Evelyn… I wanted to tell you, but I was scared you’d think I was crazy.”
I put down the beer, wrapped my arms around Evelyn, and held her hand. “I’m sorry, Evelyn. I know I was wrong. I promise, this is the last time.”