Rainy afternoons always created a sense of anxiety. The sound of rain falling upon the roofs formed a melody with the power to amplify melancholy. The storm continued to devour the setting which, at first, seemed the best hiding place for an insecure man. However, despite his efforts, everything ended in disaster when darkness fell.
Eilith waited for nearly an hour in the dining room of Duke Billeter's estate, where they would be staying during their time in Yuor. It might seem like a long time, but even she—who impatiently wished for Cain to return soon—spent much of that interval lost in her own thoughts.
When they arrived at the mansion, she ordered a bath to be prepared for him. She was far too worried about what that chaotic encounter might signify. Without having asked directly during their silent journey back to the residence, she easily surmised that the woman was the one to whom Cain had been engaged: the woman who had caused him irreversible pain. She understood it from the instant she saw how his expression vanished into a cruel mixture of sorrow and bewilderment.
—I am sorry for the delay.
Cain entered the dining room escorted by one of the cooks. His serene posture was deceptive. His hair was still damp from his recent shower, and his clean skin looked smooth and relaxed; this only intensified Eilith's desire to make him feel better. An uncomfortable silence settled between them.
From his perspective, Cain felt ashamed. A hidden part of him had been revealed: precisely the part he had spent so long trying to bury in the deepest depths of his true self. Even so, he refused to show his fearful side, though his body was beginning to feel incapable of standing firm.
—I am so sorry... —Eilith said suddenly—. It is my fault. If I hadn't dragged you to Yuor...
The blonde beauty stood up and walked toward him with an unexpected reaction.
—I didn't mean to intrude on anything —she continued, her voice trembling—. I was so nervous.
Eilith took his hand. Her beautiful blue eyes shone in an unusual way, revealing a vulnerability that forced Cain to face his own reality.
—There is no reason to apologize for something that is evidently not your fault —he responded softly.
Cain raised a hand and delicately touched her face. His fingers slid through the young woman's blonde hair, offering a small gesture of comfort.
—In a way, you saved me. Thank you.
Just as his hand was about to pull away, a sudden feeling of anxiety washed over Eilith. Without thinking too much, she leaned toward him, pressing against his firm chest to reach for his lips. The kiss was sudden, yet sweet.
Cain barely had time to react. His lips were sealed by that unexpected contact. The lack of air forced him to pull away. He remained motionless for an instant and then gently separated her from him, though there was an inevitable coldness in his gaze.
Eilith lowered her head as she moved back. She did not have the courage to persist upon those lips that had not responded. She knew that this could further complicate her already unstable emotional situation, yet she had seized the moment anyway.
—I'm sorry —she murmured.
—It's alright —Cain replied with a soft smile—. You've always wanted to kiss me, haven't you?
The young woman blushed intensely and took a step back, wearing the embarrassed expression of someone who had been caught. But as she retreated, Cain caught her by the arms and drew her back to him.
—If you wish to kiss me, it's fine.
Eilith knew perfectly well that she could get whatever she wanted from that man if she desired it in that moment. But she also knew that she would never come close to touching his heart. And that night, she understood it with painful clarity.
The damage Layla had left in him would not disappear, regardless of the method she tried. Through those hollow eyes, she could understand what was imprisoning his heart. His trembling body revealed how much the past continued to affect him.
—Do not say those things so easily when you are being dishonest —she whispered finally.
Cain let out a heavy sigh.
If he was going to feel this miserable, he should never have allowed himself to be so careless with himself in the first place. He had to abandon everything that could wound him in the future. If he was incapable of enduring even something as simple as a betrayal... then that was the only path left for him.
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