-=Martina's Point of View=-I kept pounding on his chest, releasing all my pent-out frustration, fear, sadness, and anger for everything that I experienced, from missing my friend to my almost demise and how much I miss him, and not even once did Kian stop me from doing it; he just let me.I know my punch to his chest was strong, but why does it feel like my actions mean nothing to him? It's as if he's not even affected or hurt, to the point that I become tired and eventually stop.I was about to say, "I hate you," but before I could get the words out, I was caught in his strong arms. I was completely enthralled by what he said after that, and I stood there frozen."I'm sorry, Martina," he said, his voice full of emotion.Hearing his sincerity in his words made me feel as though I were melting, and as a result, all of my resentment toward him seemed to disappear.Wrapping my arms around him, I held on tight, terrified that he might slip away from me again. The thought of losing him wa
-=Martina's Point of View=-As Kian gently lifted me from his bed, I made a conscious effort to remain completely still, pretending to be asleep. Time was a mystery, but I had been waiting for this moment with bated breath.I had a nagging intuition that after our night together, he'd sneakily move me back to the castle without my knowledge, and sure enough, that's exactly what he had in mind.He lifted me like I weighed nothing, and there was this nagging feeling that I wanted to open my eyes and look at Kian, but I stopped myself.For some reason, I felt drowsy with my eyes closed, and no matter how much I tried to resist it, it eventually won and forced me to fall asleep once more.I had no idea how long I had been sleeping, and here I was planning to catch him off guard, but I awoke next when I felt my back hitting the ground, and instinctively, I reached out my hand and felt Kian's arm, which I clutched tightly."Are you really planning to leave again without even saying goodbye
-=Martina's Point of View=-The word "shock" seems inadequate to express how I felt during those hours, especially as I had not expected to see her now. In fact, I expected her to remain gone for weeks or perhaps months before she returned to the castle.I have mixed emotions while looking at her stoic face. I missed her so badly that I wanted to talk to her, and I felt like an hour was not enough for us to catch up at the same time. I was scared because if I still hadn't confessed to Zion about my infidelity, she would probably think that I was still not taking my issue seriously.When she learned that I was still living here, she would already guess that my secret still remained a secret, which was probably why she was distant and cold to me.I had a lot of things I wanted to tell her, but honestly, I didn't know where to begin or how to begin. We were still not okay, obviously, so how could I talk to her without stepping out of line?I was still contemplating how to talk to her whe
-=Martina's Point of View=-The weather was hot, especially with the sun shining brightly, so why did I feel so cold at this very moment?I could feel the sweat already forming at the back of my neck and a deep, cold feeling seated inside me.I was still stunned while gazing at Zion's old but strong face, his silver eyes looking at me intently, and I felt like I was being suffocated by how much intensity those eyes were showing.Honestly, I didn't expect to hear those words from Zion, and from the way he uttered those words, it felt like he knew something, something that I was unwilling to confess for now."Did he already know about my secret affair?" I thought to myself, and I was waiting to see any hint of rage in his gray, almost silver eyes, but the expression in his eyes still remained neutral, making it hard for me to guess what was really running through his mind."What... do you mean?" I asked, trying to stop the quivering in my voice."Nothing; I was just saying that if you n
-=Martina's Point of View=-After my conversation with Annie, I decided to stay in my room, trying to think of a way to prepare myself for confessing to Zion about my infidelity, but even though I tried so hard to prepare my heart and my mind, I still couldn't erase the fear inside me.I mean, any husband would be furious once they learned that their wife cheated on me, and I don't think that Zion is any different from them, but even though I knew he would definitely get mad, there's like a little voice inside me telling me that Zion would never hurt me, physically at least. Not because of his physical strength, since I knew even before that Zion was different from people his age, and I bear witness to those peculiar actions that he possessed.I felt so tired as I laid down my exhausted body. I really didn't do anything, but I felt like all my strength had disappeared.I know that one week of preparation wouldn't be enough to prepare me, but since I promised Annie that I would confess
-=Martina's Point of View=-"What's wrong, Martina?"I was startled when I heard Zion's question, and when I looked at him, I saw confusion on his face."What do you mean?" I asked back, trying to maintain a calm facade."You appeared uneasy; is there something troubling you?" He asked."I assure you, there's nothing of the sort; trust me," I said, a slight cringe coursing through my body as I spoke the word "trust." After all, trust was something I had broken a long time ago, not just with Zion but with many others who cared and believed in me."Oh, okay," he just replied, and then went back to his meal, or rather, to his red drink.I breathed a secret relief as soon as Zion withdrew his gaze. Another pair of eyes peered into my back, however, and when I swiveled to see who it was, Annie's gaze was fixed on me, and it didn't escape my notice how intense she was looking.Before Zion could notice, I immediately removed my gaze from Annie and focused on my food, but I was guessing that
-=Martina's Point of View=-My heart was beating so fast from the ribcage of my chest; honestly, I didn't know if it was because of the nervousness or the excitement and thrill of finally going and seeing the secret passageway, or maybe both.I tried to remember what Kian told me about how I could open it. Still, before taking any action while standing near the stairway in the hallway, I roamed my eyes to see if there was anyone around. Still, seeing that no living soul was around, I took a deep breath and moved my hand towards the switch that Kian had mentioned, and just like he told me, the secret door appeared before me.I thought that the door was going to be heavy, but when I gently pushed it, it immediately opened, revealing semidarkened stairs that were only lit by some dim light bulb, which didn't really make so much difference that led the way, and I guessed it should lead to the western part of the island."This is it, Martina. There is no turning back," I silently told myse
-=Martina's Point of View=-I tried to catch him and support his weight, but he was far too heavy compared to my weak, thin body. It was fortunate that I managed to lay him down on the ground without hitting his head."Stop it, Kian. Stop this nonsense," I said in a quivering voice, hoping that he was just messing with me because of what I said, but his eyes remained closed.I put my hand on top of his heart, and as soon as my hand touched his chest, I immediately felt his heartbeat, assuring me that he was still alive.I'd never been so worried about Kian before. I'd always thought of him as unbreakable, a rock of strength resistant to harm. Seeing him in this vulnerable position, however, forced me to see him through a whole different lens.A lot of things were running through my mind right now, and none of those thoughts was reassuring. I couldn't help but think that maybe he had a terminal condition that he didn't tell me about, and the thought of losing Kian was putting so much s