He Used Me for Her, I Walked Away

Chapter 7

Zairine offered a bitter, self-mocking smile. The last warmth within her heart died away entirely.

Without hesitation, she turned and walked away, leaving behind every former tenderness, every endurance, every hope. She would never look back.

Zairine did not return to her bedroom wing. Instead, she made her way alone to the riverside apartment that had been half-destroyed.

Workers were clearing debris and beginning repairs. Amidst the wreckage, she found a journal filled with her own private thoughts.

The winter sky hung dark and overcast, no sunlight breaking through. She sat beneath a great tree in the grounds, took up her pen, and wrote these final words.

I once thought that moving into Rynell's apartment would carry me beyond the walls of this estate, that I might lay down the heavy chains of being the Veridian family's eldest daughter. But fate has turned in circles. After every disaster, I am brought back once more to this suffocating house.

It matters not. Before long, I shall be Zairine no longer. I shall be no heiress to the Veridian Group.

I shall be free. No longer bound by every rule the Veridian family lays down. No longer forced to yield whatever I hold dear to Seralyn.

Zairine wrote until dusk fell, until the light was so dim her words blurred beyond reading. Only then did she walk back toward the estate.

The moment she stepped through the door, Rynell rushed forward and clasped her tight.

His voice shook uncontrollably. "Zairine, where have you been? I have searched all afternoon. I have been nearly wild with fear! You are still gravely wounded. The streets are filled with those made homeless by the earthquake. What if harm had come to you?"

Zairine looked calmly into his eyes, seeing genuine relief and joy at her return.

Her face remained utterly still. "Veyra's wounds were too grievous. She did not survive. I have found a quiet place for her to rest."

Rynell took her hand and walked her toward the house. His tone was casual, indifferent. "She was but a personal attendant. To die saving you is simply the duty of her station. There is no cause for sorrow."

'Simply an attendant?'

A cold, bitter smile touched Zairine's lips.

'To her, Veyra had been the only sister who truly loved her. She had never been merely a servant.'

"When the building fell, I thought I heard your voice. Yet it was Veyra who burst through the wreckage to shield me," Zairine said quietly but firmly.

At these words, a flicker of remorse crossed Rynell's face.

"Everything happened so suddenly," Rynell said in defense. "In the chaos, I helped someone out and carried her to safety, only to discover afterward it was Seralyn, not you. When I turned back to find you, the whole building had collapsed. There was no way to enter. Thanks to the heavens, you are safe. Otherwise, I should never be able to forgive myself…"

But every word he said only turned Zairine's heart to ice.

'Had the way truly been blocked by ruin? Or had he never truly wished to return for her at all?'

Closing her eyes, she saw but one image, Veyra, bloodied and broken, shielding her with her own body.

Back in her room, Zairine lay down, exhausted to the bone. She would not speak another word to him.

Rynell saw her cold, distant back and spoke quickly, earnest in his vow. "Zairine, my heart is true, as heaven bears witness. I went to church of my own will, and lived in devotion. I lit thousands of tapers and offered prayers each day for you alone. Then I broke my sacred vow to return to the world, for you. Have I not proven my love through all these years?"

Zairine's hands knotted tight in the coverlet. Her chest ached as though pierced through.

'Rynell was a master of performance.'

'The one person who had loved her without reserve, who had been willing to die for her, was gone forever.'

Now the venom rose within her again. It felt as though her body was being dragged over thorns, agony reaching deep into bone.

And his soft, feigned words hurt worse than any poison. It was as though a blade cut her, again and again, slowly and deliberately.

She felt torn and bleeding, her heart pierced through.

She closed her eyes tight, bit her lip, and swallowed every cry of pain, bearing it all in silence.

Rynell leaned close, about to kiss her.

Then a knock sounded at the door. "Master Rynell, the second miss is asking for you. She says that after taking the medicine you gave her, she has been stricken with fever and sickness. She begs you to come and see whether something may have gone wrong."

At once, Rynell stood up. "Zairine, I must go to Seralyn. She is frail, and may not bear the medicine's effects."

With that, he hurried out, not waiting for her reply.

The door clicked shut. Zairine's hands unclenched, weak and trembling.

'This grand, false performance of devotion was nearly at its end. Rynell need not pretend tenderness any longer. And she, she would soon be free of this gilded cage that was the Veridian family's eldest daughter.'

'Only one more day. Tomorrow, every soul here will be set free.'