-=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
-=Martina's Point of View=-The following morning, I was shocked when I woke up and felt that my cheeks were wet, and when I touched them, I realized those were my tears, and then I remembered the dream I had.I felt an ache inside my heart that I couldn't explain, like I experienced losing someone before, and then I remembered that maybe this was the same feeling I felt when I lost my mom, and even though there was this feeling like it was something different, I decided to ignore it since that was the only reasonable reason.My thoughts were filled with what happened to Kian last night, where he passed out and completely lost consciousness, and the worry inside me returned. With that in mind, I decided to request a video chat with my dad. I didn't think much of the time as I contacted him.He didn't answer my video call on my first try, but on my second try, he finally accepted my call, and I saw him trying to blink away the drowsiness he was feeling seeing his action. I automaticall
-=Martina's Point of View=-As usual, time seemed to slow down whenever I was anticipating something, but I reminded myself once more that there was nothing else I could do but to calm down and let the event unfold; however, I couldn't stop myself from looking at the time.I'd just been on video chat with my father for an hour, and I still had plenty of time until my arranged meeting with Kian.With nothing else to do, I decided to grab my phone and surf the net for other information I must have missed out on while checking for Kian's possible illness.I know I already consulted Dad's doctor, but still, I didn't want to remain idle and try to maximize my time while waiting for lunch, which should be in the next fifty-five minutes.I kept strolling and reading every article I could read pertaining to possible reasons why someone might lose consciousness, but almost all of the sites I visited said the same recommendation, which is to seek a doctor's advice.The next thing I needed to do
-=Martina's Point of View=-Just like yesterday, I took a peek first in the small gap of my door when I opened it to check if there was anyone outside, but seeing and not detecting any movement, I finally opened it widely, allowing me to exit my room. The whole place was so quiet that you could even hear a pin drop, so I made sure not to create any unnecessary noise to avoid being caught by any of the maids or, worse, by Annie herself. I could already imagine Annie's reaction if she found me outside my room at this hour, and she wouldn't believe me if I told her that I was just hungry, which was the reason I stepped out of my room since it never happened before that I ate something after my dinner. While walking, I couldn't stop myself from looking at the part of the castle that I believe is Zion's room. It took me a lot of self-control not to go there to start my investigation. "You have another day, Martina, but for now, you should meet with Kian." I forced myself to continue wal
-=Martina's Point of View=-I opened my eyes and couldn't help but feel disappointed when I noticed the ceiling with which I was familiar.I was back in my room, and here I thought, Kian would allow me to be beside him waiting for me to wake up, so we could talk about my plan of confessing to Zion, but I guess whatever reason he had was something that he couldn't just ignore."Oh well," I said, before getting out of bed and starting to stretch to remove the drowsiness I was still feeling.I probably kept on stretching when I saw something at the top of my dresser, so I walked toward it and saw a letter."Sorry if I needed to return you to your room again without us talking about your plan, but let's meet again later, so we can discuss it. I love you."I couldn't stop the smile from forming on my lips when I read the last part, and unconsciously, the word I love you escaped my lips as if Kian could hear those words.It was still early, giving me the time not to do anything yet, and bec