My Lover Cheated, I Read Our Fate

Chapter 4

The card meant great hardship, obstacles that seemed impossible to overcome. In other words, this bond was the trial Avelisse could not escape.

Her heart seemed to fall straight into darkness. Warm air drifted in through the window, yet it brought her nothing but a deep, biting chill.

Avelisse sat motionless for a long time, until slowly she gathered the strength to rise and put her things away. As she did, she remembered the words Caedryn had spoken to her long ago when he had given her those very cards.

"You were not found by the headmistress, you know. You were brought here by someone else. You were left at the foot of the mountain. It was Theron, only a few years older than you, who found you and carried you up here."

And then she remembered. She had not come down from the mountain and married Theron only because she loved him. She had also come to repay that kindness.

A great, heavy weariness swept over her, so deep it felt as though she might drown in it. She could still see the look in Caedryn's eyes then. It was filled with sorrow and worry.

"No matter what awaits you down there… know this. You will always have a home here. You will always have a place to return to," he said.

Thinking of those words, her throat tightened. Tears pricked her eyes.

He had known. He had foreseen all of this—yet such is the way of fate, every trial must be walked alone.

She looked out at the sky, heavy with dark clouds. Her eyes burned with exhaustion and sorrow.

After a long silence, she rose and packed a small bundle. She would return to school.

The school for seers had always stood apart from the world, built high upon the Peak of Whispering Winds. There was no road, only a steep path that must be walked. By the time she reached the foot of the mountain, night had fallen.

She was about to begin the climb when she saw him, standing waiting in the moonlight, dressed in flowing white robes, his presence calm and timeless.

It was Caedryn Drevain, the very man she was thinking about mere hours ago.

Their eyes met.

Avelisse paused, surprise touching her face. "Caedryn? Why are you here?"

A faint look of concern crossed his usually serene face. "At dawn, the birds outside the school cried out, a sign someone dear was returning. I knew it would be you. So I came to meet you."

Avelisse felt a quiet warmth in her heart.

She walked beside Caedryn, following his steps up the mountain path. Two hours later, they stood on the school grounds.

Avelisse washed her hands and dried them. Then she lit incense and knelt reverently before the shrine of the First Seeress. At that moment, every memory of her life with Theron passed before her eyes, all five years. His kindness, his smile, every moment they had shared. And all of it bound itself around her heart, tightening like a chain she could not break.

Avelisse bowed her head three times. "I ask that you watch over me," she prayed softly. "Let me pass through this trial safely. Let my heart find peace."

When she had finished, she set the candles carefully before the shrine. She watched the smoke rise, and slowly the tightness in her chest began to ease. But at the next moment, the incense she had just lit snapped clean in two, falling sharply onto the stone.

The flame died.

Avelisse went pale. She looked toward Caedryn, helpless and afraid.

Caedryn frowned slightly. He said nothing. He simply bent down, picked up the incense, and lit three fresh candles.

He bowed respectfully before the shrine and spoke clearly. "Great Seeress, watch over Avelisse. Keep her safe through this trial. Let all things go well for her."

Caedryn rarely prayed before the shrine. The last time he had done so was the day Avelisse had left school to marry Theron. Then, his prayer had been, "Watch over Avelisse. Grant her happiness. Grant her peace and joy all her days."

Avelisse's eyes filled with tears.

Since marrying, she has rarely returned. And when she did, she had chosen times when Caedryn was away, so Theron would not grow jealous or suspicious.

Yet here Caedryn stood, holding nothing against her. Still caring for her, as he had always done. Her heart ached so deeply she could barely speak.

She whispered to his back, "I am sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Caedryn turned to her, looking truly confused.

Avelisse gripped her hands together. Shame filled her face. "Theron always believed that there was something more between us than friendship. I ask your forgiveness, for his sake."

A flicker of something unreadable passed through Caedryn's eyes, gone before she could understand it. Then he spoke calmly, changing the subject. "The headmistress left a word. She asked me to examine you." He held out his hand.

She could not refuse, and so steadying herself, she reached out and pulled back her sleeve.

The moment his fingers touched her wrist, Caedryn's face changed. He went still. His hand began to tremble. He had felt the curse, sensing a magic that eats away at the one who bears it.

Left unchecked, it will consume her entirely. And to remove it, the curse must be torn out of the heart itself.

Finally, he sighed, heavy and sad. "Why do you bear this alone? If he has made you unhappy, this place is always open to you. You could have come home."

But Avelisse only looked toward the dark green mountains beyond the door, lost in thought.

Had Theron been cruel to her?

She remembered clearly. Once, early in their marriage, a man at a banquet had spoken insolently to her, trying to humiliate her. Theron had broken the man's arm then and there. He had held her close and said, "Business can be rebuilt. Wealth can be earned again. But you, there is only one you. As long as I live, no one shall ever hurt you."

And as their fortunes grew, he had cherished her beyond measure. Whatever she wished for, he gave it to her. Nothing was ever too much.

The mountain wind sighed softly through the trees. And every memory felt like a blade, cutting deep into her heart.

A single tear fell from her eyes. "He has always been good to me. From the very beginning, he has been kind."

And that was why it hurt so terribly. Because he had been so good, his betrayal cut deeper than any cruelty ever could.

Seeing her grief, Caedryn spoke gently. "Your room remains as it was. Rest now. Tomorrow, someone will come to see you."

With that, he turned and left her.

Avelisse looked toward the shrine of the First Seeress, her thoughts heavy and confused. Then slowly, she walked away to go to her room, but even there, within these quiet walls, she could not find peace.

She lay upon her bed, turning from side to side. Sleep did not come. When dawn broke, she rose early to attend morning prayers.

Stepping into the hall, she stopped. There, kneeling before the shrine, was a figure she knew well.

He spoke earnestly, his voice full of remorse. "I have failed her. I have hurt her. This is why I must ask for forgiveness. But this child... this child is all my mother has ever wished for. I could not bring myself to grieve with her." Theron spoke with great solemnity, before he continued to say, "I swear this, as soon as a child is born, all ties shall be broken. Maerith shall never appear before us again. If I break this vow, let all the fortune of my house fail. Let my name and line be brought to ruin."

"Theron! Stop!" Avelisse cried out, fear piercing through her. "Do not speak such things!"

Theron started violently. He turned quickly, and saw her standing there.

He had climbed the mountain through the night. Weariness marked every line of him. Yet his eyes, when they fell upon her, burned bright and warm.

"You have forgiven me?"

Avelisse gripped her hands tight. The word "yes" felt heavy as iron, stuck fast in her throat. She could not speak it.

The light in his eyes dimmed. Silence stretched long between them.

Finally, he turned back to the altar and reached for the cards. "Great Seeress," he said, "Hear my vow. Watch over this child. Grant them safe passage. Let the child be born healthy and whole." He drew a card.

One card slipped from his hand and fell face down upon the stone.

Avelisse looked down. She saw the image. Her breath caught. She stood frozen, as though struck by lightning.

The card showed clearly, this child was destined not to survive.