Married To The Villain
Chapter 44: The Face In The Light

Chapter 44: The Face In The Light

Chapter 44: The Face in the Light

"Let me go!"

Strong arms grabbed her from behind, pinning her in place.

She screamed, twisting and kicking, but the grip didn’t loosen.

"Lirian! Relax. It’s me," a man’s voice said, it sounded urgent but oddly familiar.

"No!" she screamed, thrashing against him with all the strength she had left. "Let me go!"

The voice came again, firm yet trembling. "Lirian, stop. It’s me."

His words only fueled her panic.

She couldn’t see his face, couldn’t trust the voice in the darkness.

Her mind screamed that this was another trap, another tormentor.

"I don’t know you!" she shouted, clawing at his arms. "Get away from me!"

The man tightened his hold, lifting her off her feet as she struggled.

"Lirian, stop fighting!" His voice broke, pleading now. "Please... it’s me. I’ve found you."

She kicked and squirmed, her breath coming in sobs. "You’re lying! I don’t know you! Let me go!"

Without another word, he carried her toward the faint light ahead.

Lirian’s body went rigid, the inner voice kept thinking of every horrible possibility of who this could be and what they might want.

As they came into the light, she saw him.

"Gabriel?"

His face was pale and drawn, his eyes sunken with exhaustion and surrounded by dark circles.

His once-pristine armor was battered, and his hair was disheveled, clinging to his damp forehead.

His chest heaved as he looked at her, his eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Lirian," he whispered, almost breaking as he set her down but kept a hand on her arm. "I finally found you."

She froze, her heart thudded, each beat felt heavy in her ears.

"No," she murmured, shaking her head as she backed away from him.

"No, you’re not real. This is another trick. Stay away from me!"

Gabriel flinched as if her words had physically struck him.

"Lirian, it’s me," Gabriel’s eyebrows arched high, drawing together in a desperate knot, as if he was silently begging her to listen to him.

The corners of his brows seemed to quiver, "It’s Gabriel. I’ve been searching for you for days. I—" His voice caught, and he swallowed hard, his eyes shimmered with tears.

"Stay away!" she screamed, retreating further.

Lirian’s back hit the cold stone wall, and she trembled, her body coiled with fear and rage.

"You abandoned me! You sent me away alone, and now I’ve been... I’ve been—" Her voice cracked, and fresh tears streamed down her face.

Gabriel’s face crumpled, and for a moment, he looked like a broken man.

"Lirian, I’m so sorry," he muttered...

He took a hesitant step forward, his hands trembling.

"I thought I was protecting you. I thought it was safer if you weren’t near me. I never meant for this to happen."

"You never meant for this to happen?" she shouted, her voice rising with her anguish.

All she wanted was to escape from the mess in the North, but not to get kidnapped and tortured.

"You sent me away like I was nothing! Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? Do you even care?"

"Of course I care!" Gabriel’s voice cracked as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his composure slipped further.

"I’ve barely slept, barely eaten since you disappeared. I’ve searched every corner of this kingdom for you. I couldn’t—I can’t lose you."

Lirian’s tears fell harder as she shook her head.

"You don’t understand. You don’t understand what they did to me. How they—how they used me."

Her voice broke, and she sank to the ground, her arms wrapped around herself.

"And you weren’t there. You didn’t protect me."

Gabriel dropped to his knees in front of her, his own tears slipped down his face.

"I failed you," he said while trembling.

"You..."

"I know I did. I should have never sent you away. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong. I was so wrong."

Lirian’s sobs wracked her body as she looked up at him, her eyes seemed to be filled with transparent pearls.

"You left me," she said in a raw voice. "You left me alone."

Gabriel reached out hesitantly, his hand hovering near her shoulder.

"I’m here now," Gabriel replied, softer but desperate.

"And I swear, I will never let anyone hurt you again. Please, Lirian, let me make this right."

She flinched at his touch, her heart felt torned between anger and hope.

"How can I ever trust you again?" she mumbled to herself, but Gabriel heard her perfectly.

Gabriel’s tears fell freely now, his shoulders started shaking.

"I don’t know," he admitted, his mouth was breaking. "But I’ll spend the rest of my life trying, if you’ll let me. Just... don’t push me away. Not now."

Lirian’s gaze locked onto him, eyes darkened as her jaw tightened.

A flutter ran through her, fingers curled into fists at her sides.

She swallowed hard, her chest kept rising and falling...

She didn’t trust him—couldn’t trust him—but the small vulnerability in his eyes made her pause.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke, their breathing was the only sound in the still air.

Finally, Lirian wiped her tears with trembling hands and stood, her legs looked quivering.

"I can’t forgive you," she finally stated after her jaw stopped vibrating. "Not yet."

Gabriel nodded.

"I understand," he replied gently. "But I’ll stay by your side, no matter what. I won’t leave you again."

Lirian turned away, her heart heavy.

She didn’t know what the future held, but one thing was clear—nothing would ever be the same again.

Lirian took a shaky step forward, leaving Gabriel kneeling behind her.

As she reached the mouth of the corridor, the small light of dawn spilled into the darkness.

A low growl came from the shadows ahead, freezing her in place.

The atmosphere immediately grew colder, and a pair of crimson eyes emerged from the gloom, glowing like embers in the dark.

Behind her, Gabriel’s voice rose, frantic. "Lirian, get back!"

But it was too late. The monster lunged.