Bound By His Curse

CHAPTER 7

SERAPHINA POV:

We walked back to the mansion hand in hand, neither of us speaking, but the silence between us was no longer cold or heavy. It was soft, charged with everything we had just learned, everything we had admitted, everything we had chosen. Cassian’s grip on my fingers was tight, almost desperate, like he was terrified that if he let go, I would vanish right there. Every few steps, he would glance down at me, his dark eyes filled with a mix of guilt, fear, and a kind of fierce devotion I had never seen from him before.

When we reached the door to my wing, he didn’t let me go. He stepped inside with me, closing the door gently behind us, and leaned his back against it as if to block out the whole world.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked quietly, his voice raw. “Why didn’t you say that every time you helped me, you were hurting yourself?”

I twisted my silver locket between my fingers, looking down at my hands. “What would you have done if I had? You already hated being weak, hated needing anyone. You would have pushed me away. You would have let the curse take you rather than let me suffer for you. And I couldn’t… I couldn’t watch you die, Cassian. Not when I could stop it.”

He crossed the room in two long strides, pulling me into his arms and holding me so tight I could barely breathe, his face buried in the crook of my neck. His body shook, just like it used to when the curse attacked, but this time it wasn’t pain—it was pure, devastating guilt.

“I didn’t know,” he whispered, over and over, like a prayer, like an apology. “I swear to you, Seraphina, I never knew. I thought it was just me fighting it alone. I never dreamed you were carrying the weight too. I would never have let this happen… I would never have dragged you into this nightmare.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest, listening to the steady, strong heartbeat I had saved so many times. “You didn’t drag me anywhere. I chose this. I choose you. And we’ll find a way out. Vince said there are records… there has to be a way to break the curse without either of us dying.”

He pulled back just enough to look down at me, his hands coming up to cup my face, his touch gentle enough to break. “I have teams of people researching it too. Ever since that first night, ever since I realized what you could do… I’ve been digging through old family archives, talking to historians, anyone who might know something. I won’t let you die, Seraphina. I’d rather let the curse take me completely than take another second of your life.”

We stayed like that for what felt like hours, talking quietly, no more secrets, no more rules, no more pretending we were strangers. For the first time since I arrived here, I didn’t feel like a guest or a pawn. I felt like his.

The next morning, I woke up feeling heavier than usual, my limbs aching, a dull fog hanging over my mind that wouldn’t clear. I dressed slowly, pulling on a soft cream dress, and when I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. My face was pale, almost translucent, dark circles smudged under my eyes, my cheeks thinner than before. The cost of every healing I had done was showing, clear as day.

When I walked into the breakfast room, Cassian was already there, waiting for me. The second he saw me, he was on his feet, rushing to my side, his hand hovering over my arm like he was afraid I would crumble if he touched me too hard.

“You look exhausted,” he said, low and worried, pulling out my chair and helping me sit like I was something fragile. “Did you sleep at all?”

“Enough,” I lied, reaching for the cup of tea he poured for me.

Before we could say more, the door opened, and my family walked in. Father marched in first, sharp-eyed and demanding, Mother trailing quietly behind him, and Arabella bringing up the rear, her red lips curved into a sharp, knowing smile that made my stomach twist. She had seen us last night. She had seen everything.

She sat down directly across from me, her eyes locking onto mine, then flicking pointedly between me and Cassian, who sat right beside me, close enough that our shoulders brushed.

“Good morning,” she purred, pouring herself coffee, her voice sweet but dripping with venom. “My, Seraphina… you look positively dreadful. All that late-night activity must be catching up with you. Meeting people in gardens, sneaking around… it’s so unlike the quiet, obedient little wife everyone thinks you are.”

Father looked up sharply, his brow furrowed. “What is she talking about? What have you been doing, Seraphina? Don’t you dare embarrass us in front of Cassian—”

“Seraphina does nothing that is not my wish,” Cassian cut in, his voice cold and sharp, cutting my father off instantly. “And her health is none of your concern. Speak to her like that again, and you will leave this house immediately, and every deal between us will be cancelled. Is that clear?”

Father’s mouth snapped shut, his face turning red with anger, but he said nothing. He knew better than to risk losing everything Cassian had given him.

Arabella just laughed softly, stirring her coffee, her eyes glinting with malice. “Oh, relax, everyone. I’m just saying… it’s strange how sickly Seraphina has become ever since she married. And how healthy Cassian has been. Almost like… she’s giving something to him, isn’t it?”

My blood ran cold. She didn’t just suspect something. She knew. She had watched, she had listened, and she had put all the pieces together.

After breakfast, when Cassian was pulled away to take an urgent business call, Arabella cornered me in the hallway, pressing me against the wall, her face inches from mine, no fake sweetness left at all.

“I know everything,” she hissed, low and vicious. “I heard every word you and Vince said last night. I know about the curse. I know you’re the only thing keeping Cassian alive. And I know that every day you stay here, you’re killing yourself little by little.”

She smiled, cruel and triumphant.

“Here is what’s going to happen. You’re going to tell Cassian you’re too sick to be his wife. You’re going to ask for a divorce, and step aside. And you’re going to tell everyone I am the one who can help him, that I have the same gift as you. If you do that… I’ll keep your little secret. If you don’t… I’ll tell everyone. I’ll tell the press, I’ll tell every business partner Cassian has, I’ll tell the whole world that the great Cassian Valemont is cursed, that he’s a monster kept alive only by a sacrifice. I’ll ruin him. I’ll destroy everything he has, just like I’ll destroy you.”

I stared at her, shocked but not afraid. For the first time in my life, I didn’t shrink away from her. I stood straighter, meeting her gaze evenly.

“You won’t do anything,” I said, my voice steady, strong, nothing like the quiet little sister she used to bully. “Because if you ruin Cassian, you ruin everything you want. You don’t love him, Arabella. You love his money, his power, his status. You would never destroy the thing you crave so much. And Cassian knows the truth now. He knows who I am to him. He knows what we have. Nothing you say or do will ever change that.”

I pushed past her, walking away, leaving her spitting mad behind me. But I had only taken a few steps when a sharp wave of dizziness hit me, the hallway spinning around me, my knees buckling. I grabbed at the wall to stay upright, my vision blurring, my breath coming in short, weak gasps.

Strong arms caught me before I hit the floor.

“Seraphina!” Cassian’s voice was full of panic, lifting me easily against his chest, carrying me quickly back to my rooms and laying me down on the bed. He knelt beside me, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, his face pale with terror. “This is getting worse. So fast… it’s only been a few months, and you’re already this weak.”

He took my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles, his eyes fierce and determined.

“I found something else in the archives last night,” he said quietly. “An old legend. It said the bond between the healer and the cursed isn’t just one way. If the bond becomes true… if it’s rooted in love, not just fate or contract… the balance changes. The healer doesn’t have to give everything. The power becomes shared.”

He looked at me, his eyes dark and deep, filled with everything he felt, everything he had never said out loud.

“I don’t think we’re bound by a contract anymore, Seraphina. Not by a long shot.”

But as he spoke, the door to my room creaked open just a fraction, too quiet for either of us to hear. Arabella stood in the shadow of the doorway, her eyes wide, her mind already racing. She didn’t just have a secret to hold over us anymore. She had found the one thing that could save us… and the one thing she could destroy, to make sure neither of us ever got our happy ending.