Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Emilia’s POV

I was about to leave when I heard Nivaan’s furious voice coming from a tent. He seemed pretty upset and I couldn’t stop myself from checking on him. I moved the canvas of the tent to one side and peeked inside. Valence and Nivaan seemed to be engaged in a heated conversation.

I tried hard to ignore the fact that Nivaan’s shirt was lying crumpled on the ground but it was useless. Envy and despair gnawed at my insides. I closed my eyes, clenched my teeth, and tried to walk away but my feet wouldn’t move.

I stood and watched as Valence and Nivaan argued back and forth; the topic being me and my son. No surprise there. No woman can bear her man to be associated with another. What shocked me was Nivaan’s reaction.

“I have realized that I can’t be unfair to Emilia anymore,” his words were like a soothing ointment to my burning heart. Valence didn’t give up; when words didn’t work she used her magic. She even threatened to kill me and my son.

Nivaan, however, stuck to his decision. That bitch didn’t give up and she threatened him with some secret. It had to be something huge. Nivaan was pretty disturbed by it.

I stood there at the entrance for a long moment; torn between leaving and staying. In the end, I went to him. He had stood up for me and my son. So, I had to be there for him as well. So what if he didn’t love me?

“Nivaan, are you okay?” I said in a hesitant voice as I approached him. My fingers trembled as I place it over his shoulder. I had expected him to shrug it off but he didn’t. He stayed still for a while before looking up; his emotions hidden meticulously behind a mask.

He ran the tip of his tongue over his lips, “I was about to come and meet you….” His voice turned slightly hoarse, “I shouldn’t have taken blood for the ritual by force…. I don’t know what came over me at that moment…” he looked into my eyes, “I am sorry.”

His words were sincere. So, I couldn’t bring myself to criticize him even though I was upset. Drawing in a deep breath, I changed the topic, “Can I ask you something?”

“Um…”

“Did you have any role in Kiara becoming a poisoned wolf?”

His eyes popped out and he gasped, “How much did you hear?”

I lowered my gaze; suddenly feeling guilty for intruding his personal space, “I didn’t mean to but I guess I heard everything.”

Nivaan’s expression deflated and he pulled himself into a fetal position, “I never thought that Valence would threaten me like this…”

I had sensed Nivaan’s love for Valence through the bond. He loved her more than his life and she… I couldn’t fanthom the amount of despair he must be feeling. I took his hand in mine and drew closer, “If you tell me about it… Maybe I can help?”

I knew that he wouldn’t tell me anything. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from asking. He lifted my hand and clasped it close to his chest as he spoke, “Our Packhouse was burned to the ground by a ferocious fire. Everyone inside was burned and killed.”

“How is that possible? They could have easily broken the doors and windows and gotten out even if they were stuck inside…”

His voice grew heavier as he continued, “I thought there was something fishy too. So, I started investigations. I even managed to put together some clues but before I could find out the culprit, I was abducted….”

Nivaan’s voice trailed off and he grew silent. His eyes glazed over and a shudder coursed through him. I squeezed his hand and prompted, “What happened next? How did you escape?”

“I was abducted by an evil witch, Ariana. She would conduct all sorts of experiments on me and when they failed, she tortured me…” he swallowed hard. “She came up with ingenious methods, I have to give that to her.”

“At first, I tried to put up a fight but I couldn’t last long under her vicious methods. Eventually, I started begging her for mercy but she was relentless. She broke me physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. I was in a very dark place when I found Valence.

Valence was nothing like her evil mother. She came like a ray of hope in my life. She helped me sneak out so that I could continue my investigations. One day, Ariana found out and she locked Valence up. I thought she would kill me but she offered me a deal….”

Tears rolled down Nivaan’s cheeks and his voice choked, “I accepted the deal, Emy… I fucking accepted the deal. I disclosed Kiara’s location.” He broke into a peal of dry laughter, “I betrayed my own sister and that bitch; she didn’t even set me free….”

I finally understood that look Nivaan bore whenever he looked at Kiara. It wasn’t concern; it was guilt. My heart ached for Nivaan and I wanted to console him. But, I didn’t know what to say. So, I wrapped my arms around Nivaan and held him tight.

Nivaan proceeded to tell me how much Kiara had to suffer because of that. Ariana was a conniving bitch. She used the siblings as leverage against each other. Nivaan had initially planned to save Kiara once he was set free but Ariana went back on her words and he became even more helpless.

Whenever he tried to sneak out or rebelled, she would threaten to kill Kiara. Thus he became a puppet in her hands.

“Valence helped me save Kiara from her mother’s clutches.” Nivaan pushed me away abruptly, “I owe her more than my life….” He got to his feet and muttered, “I shouldn’t have slapped her. I shouldn’t have hit her. She owns my heart and soul…”

He gave me a long hard look; multiple emotions flitting through his eyes. Slowly all the emotions settled leaving only indifference. His voice was cold and harsh as he spoke, “Don’t try to talk to me ever again. You are nothing to me.”

I gaped at his disappearing form with a dumbfounded expression. What happened to him suddenly? He was willing to accept me and my child until a while ago. He even fought with Valence for our sake. Now, this….

Every time Nivaan came a bit closer to me, something related to Valence drove him further away. If Nivaan didn’t feel anything for me, I would have given up but he showed concern for me and my baby. I was sure that it was not fake. He might not love us but he didn’t want to be with us. That was enough for me.

I wiped my tears and got to my feet. I knew the perfect solution to this problem created by Valence. I went straight to Kiara’s tent but Nivaan was already there. His fists were clenched behind his back but his face hid his inner turmoil well.

“I have made my decision, Kiara. I want you to take Emilia with you. I have always loved Valence and I want to start a new life with her.”

I staggered slightly at his words drawing Kiara’s attention towards me. Her eyes flashed with regret, “Emy?”

I didn’t know if Nivaan would change his decision if Kiara found out the truth. Still, I had to tell her. I wanted Nivaan to make the decision of his own free will.

Stepping inside the tent, I said, “If you ever find out that your brother has betrayed you, what will you do?”

Kiara’s eyebrows knit together as her eyes narrowed, “What are you trying to say?”

I drew closer to her and held her arm, “Just answer me, Kiara. Can you find it in your heart to forgive your brother if you find out that you suffered because of him?”

“Emilia! I will kill you if you breathe a single word,” Nivaan’s enraged voice sounded. I could feel his furious eyes boring holes into me but I ignored him.

“I heard that your parents died in a fire and your brother was captured… How did you escape?”

“I had gone to my friend’s home for a camping trip. When I was about to leave I got Nivaan’s message asking me to stay back as there had been an emergency. Whenever I made up my mind to return, another letter would find its way to me. I didn’t find out about the fire until a month later.” She stopped talking and looked at me with a perplexed expression, “Why are you asking about this suddenly?”

“So, Nivaan was the only one who knew where you were?”

“I guess so…”

“Didn’t you ever wonder how you got captured? Did it never cross your mind that Nivaan might be the one who told Ariana where you were?”

Kiara’s face flushed with anger and she slapped me, “How dare you try to drive a wedge between me and my brother! I can’t believe you are doing this just because he chose Valence over you. Nivaan was right, you are shameless and selfish. You don’t deserve him.”

She gave me a hard push causing me to bump against Nivaan. Despite being angry, he had rushed to save me. I looked into his eyes, “I think you should tell Kiara everything honestly. If you don’t, the knot of unspoken secret will keep tormenting you for the rest of your life….”

With those words, I spun around and walked out of the tent. The sun had just risen above the horizon bathing everything in a soft glow.

I grabbed the duffle bag from my tent and walked out into the clearing; hoping to start afresh….