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“And Cass hasn’t seen you all day either,” I reminded him. “This isn’t like you to just disappear without a trace, without letting us know where you are or what your plans are.”
His brow furrowed immediately. His frustration was evident in his expression. “I tell you whenever I go away, don’t I? If I don’t tell you anything, I’m here. Somewhere. Why do I always need to let you know exactly where I am?”
I immediately felt hurt by his words. I had no idea that he would react like this. My entire body started to tremble, and it took all of my conscious effort to calm myself down.
“Of course you don’t have to tell me where you are at any given point,” I replied, feeling my tongue becoming more and more tied. “I was just saying that”
But he didn’t give me time to continue. Instead, he cut me off.
“I needed some time alone, Lilith,” he said, his gaze locked onto mine with even more intensity this time. “I didn’t expect you to make such a fuss about it.”
“A fuss!?” I was unable to control myself at this point. “You knew how worried I was last night. And this morning as well. And you just disappeared like that. You can’t do that and expect me to be fine with it.”
“I told you that there was nothing last night,” he reminded me, sounding even more annoyed. “I repeated that to you this morning as well, but you keep pushing about some non-existent threat, and it’s been like that all day.”
He got up and paced about the room, raking his fingers nervously through his hair. I felt helpless. I couldn’t remember the last time we had argued like this, if ever. I almost felt as if this wasn’t him at all. At least, this wasn’t a side of him I’d ever seen.
He finally stopped and turned to me again. I saw something in his eyes, something that terrified me.
“You’re smothering me, Lilith,” he told me, his voice tinged with irritation. “I need my space. You’re treating me like a child.”
“I’m not,” I tried to explain myself, although I had no idea what was expected of me to say. “I worry about you because I love you. That is all, Adrian.” I shook my head, biting my lip not to say the following words, but I couldn’t prevent myself. “You seem to think that my love is a burden.”
His eyes flashed with frustration. “Love isn’t about suffocating someone.” I could hear his words dripping with bitterness.
“It’s not about suffocating you,” I continued, hoping that we would be able to find our way back to each other, while it seemed that we were only drifting further and further apart. “It is about caring for your well-being, about being here for each other. Isn’t that what we’ve always done, what our marriage has always been about?”
His face was still contorted with annoyance. “Maybe… but I still need space to breathe and be myself.”
I felt like someone punched me in the gut. “I never thought you couldn’t be yourself with me.”
“That is exactly it. I am myself with you, but I am also someone without you,” he replied.
I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my emotions. I knew that we should end this conversation right now. We seemed to be too hurt by what was already said, and I was afraid that we might say something even worse, something irreparable.
“We’re a team, Adrian,” I reminded him of something he should have known without being reminded. “At least, I thought we were.”
He frowned again. “Don’t be a spoiled brat, Lilith. Just because I need some time to myself, it doesn’t change anything.”
I just noticed that he hadn’t called me Lil once. Not since last night. This whole day, he’d been referring to me by my name, not my nickname. I knew that wasn’t much to go on, but I felt like something was wrong and now, I was even more convinced of it. I felt like someone had taken my husband, the vampire I had fallen in love with and substituted him with this empty shell of a man, who wanted to be left alone.
“I’ll give you some time to think,” I told him, turning around, realizing that we had reached a breaking point, leaving us both hurt and emotionally raw.
He didn’t say anything to that. Not that I expected him to. Turning away from Adrian, my steps heavy with a mixture of anger and sorrow, I left the library. The ornate wooden door closed behind me with a soft, mournful creak, sealing the distance that had grown between us. I walked down the corridor, my heart heavy, replaying our heated exchange in my mind.
Thoughts swirled in my head, and I couldn’t help but wonder where we had gone wrong. We had always been so close, so connected, and now it felt like we were drifting apart. It all started last night, and I felt as if I had woken up in the wrong reality somehow, in a reality where this wasn’t my husband at all.
With a heavy heart, I made my way to the part of the castle where our daughter Cass had set up her own little sanctuary. The sound of my footsteps grew softer as I approached her room, a cozy haven filled with her drawings, books, and an array of colorful art supplies.
Pushing the door open gently, I found Cass sitting cross-legged on the floor, her raven-black hair framing her small face as she concentrated on her drawing. Her fingers moved with precision, creating vibrant, fantastical worlds on the paper in front of her.
I couldn’t help but smile, despite the turmoil in my heart, as I watched her immerse herself in her art. Cass was a source of joy and light in my life, a constant reminder of the love Adrian and I had shared.
“Mom!” she smiled, her eyes brightening as she lifted her gaze from her drawing.
“Hey, sweetie,” I replied, kneeling down beside her, wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace. “I just wanted to come and give you a hug,” I admitted.
“You came just in time,” she said importantly, waiting for me to hug her for as long as I wanted. “This is for you.”
