Chapter 198
Lorik sat beside me, his jaw tense, his hands gripping the steering wheel as if it were the only thing keeping him grounded. He hadn’t spoken since we left the hospital, and I had no desire to break the silence. The music, the rain, and the weight of everything unspoken created a strange harmony of its own. The soft notes of the piano lingered in the air, haunting yet comforting.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and reflective. “Do you remember when you were still at the academy?” His words came out slowly, each one laced with nostalgia. “I used to pick you up after your lessons. It was always raining on those days, like today.”
te paused, glancing toward me, though I kept my eyes fixed on the blurred scenery outside. “And we always had that monologue playing in the car. You said you liked it back then.”
His words seemed distant, like they belonged to another time–another version of us. I didn’t want to acknowledge them, didn’t want to wade through memories that only served to remind me of what we had lost. I remained silent, letting the piano music answer for me.
But Lorik didn’t give up. His voice, now tinged with a strange vulnerability, continued. “It’s still your favorite, isn’t it?”
“Lorik,” I interrupted softly, my voice cutting through his words like a blade.
He turned to me, waiting for something, anything–some sign that this wasn’t the end, that there was still hope.
“I am the Monologue.”
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The car screeched to an abrupt halt, the jarring sound of brakes cutting through the delicate music. My body lurched forward slightly, the sudden stop forcifi me out of the trance–like state the rain and music had lulled me into.
Lorik’s eyes were wide with shock as he turned to me, his confusion palpable. “What did you just
say?”
“I said,” I repeated, turning my gaze toward him for the first time since we left the hospital, “I am” the monologue.”
flis confusion deepened, his brow furrowing as he tried to comprehend my words. “I don’t understand, he whispered. “What do you mean?”
Taking a deep breath, I explained, though my voice remained distant, detached. “During the years.
you were injured, while I cared for you, I didn’t have much time to focus on anything else. But whenever I had a spare moment, I played the piano. I composed the piece you love so much and uploaded it anonymously. People noticed, but I didn’t think it mattered enough to tell you.”
The convoy of black SUVs from the Thorne Valley Pack stopped behind us, their headlights casting long, sharp beams through the rain. Horns honked impatiently, their sound mingling with the storm, but inside the limousi
it was eerily quiet.
Lorik’s mouth opened and closed, his confusion gradually shifting to disbelief. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” he asked, his voice strained. “Why hide it from 4ne?”
I looked back out the window, watching the rain fall steadily against the glass. “Would you have believed me?” I asked, my tone quiet, almost bitter. “Would you have believed that your incompetent una, the one you dismissed, could create something so beautiful? That she was capable of anything more than failure?”
His face paled at my
words, the weight of his past treatment of me sinking in. “Sherry.
I…”
His words trailed off, but I didn’t need to hear them. It was too late for apologies, too late for explanations. What had been broken between us couldn’t be mended with a few regretful words.
Lorik’s hands tightened around the steering wheel once more, and without another word, he pressed his foot down on the accelerator, the car moving forward again. The rain continued to fall, the rhythm now mirroring the pounding in my chest.
We drove in silence, the distance between us growing heavier with each passing mile. The piano piece continued to play, but now it felt more like a requiem–a farewell to everything we had once
been.
Before long, the border of Silvermoon and Thorne Valley came into view. The trees, tall and dark, loomed like sentinels guarding the threshold between two worlds.
As soon as we came to a stop, I gently lifted the child from the car seat, holding him close to my chest. His tiny cries cut through the rain, and I could feel his little hands gripping my dress as if sensing the separation that was about to happen.
