Chapter 188 Emotional Turmoil

Chapter 188 Emotional Turmoil
Everyone turned their heads when Cassian snickered. I raised a puzzled brow at him, and he coughed lightly. 

“Sorry,” He shook his head. “That was… unexpected. Please, by all means, continue.”

I looked at Caligo for a brief moment, then said, “Valeria’s words matched what Aurora already told me, so I was inclined to believe. Back then, I remember being deathly afraid of you and confused. Confused because I tried probing Nyx. She told me the exact opposite of what Aurora said. So you can imagine how puzzled I must have been. One side was telling me you were a monster, the other was telling me that you were simply misunderstood. And so, I decided to find out for myself, choosing to not allow myself to be swayed by mere words.”

“It was from that point that I began to forget a lot of things. I forgot about Valeria, I forgot about Aurora’s manipulative words. Anyway, what I always found suspicious was the fact that every time I met up with Valeria, it would always be somewhere close to where Ciro was. It was almost as if the true purpose of this hallucinatory meeting was to make Ciro find me there. And he did…”

I fell silent.

The room was similarly silent for a moment. Until Nyx couldn't bear it anymore and sprang up to her feet.

“What are we even doing? Why are we debating this? Why not walk up to her and directly ask.”

“Wait. She could just easily deny if that was the case.” Cassian shook his head.

Caligo stepped forward at that moment, eyes blazing like fierce golden stars. The muscles on his jaw constricted as he said, “Aurora would not lie to me. Asking her directly will clear up this mess.”

“Really?” Cassian scoffed, grabbing Caligo's shoulder to prevent him from taking another step. “Someone who's been spreading lies about you behind your back? That's seriously the person you're trusting?”

Caligo clenched his fists even harder. 

“We don't know if that's true.”

Oh. 

He still did not believe me. 

I pushed back the hurt, and said to him, “I understand that this will be very difficult for you to come to terms with. But, you need to believe me, Caligo. Aurora is not the woman you think she is.”

He did not speak. 

I winced inwardly. 

“You think I'm not in pain too? I'm hurting, Caligo. I cared about that woman! I cared about her enough to wish she had been my mother! Do you think realizing this comes easy for me? But I'm trying to put these feelings aside, because if there's even a slight chance that she does wish you harm, I am going to make her burn for all eternity.”

I reached out my hand to hold him. 

“So, please, do not act rashly. We do not know what that woman is capable of. Confronting her might lead to consequences we aren't prepared for. Let's take our time to think about this and craft a plan. Please, Caligo…”

I begged him not only with my words but my eyes.

Caligo stared at me for the longest time, the turbulence in those golden pupils visible as day. After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, he nodded his head.

“Okay.” He said, voice low to a nadir. “However, I need to clear my head, so I cannot be here right now. It feels choking. I promise that I will not confront her. But at least give me time to gather my emotions.”

Hearing that was a relief…

I exhaled and mustered a weak smile. “That's understandable. I'll be waiting here.”

Caligo returned my smile, even though it lacked the usual warmth. I did not hold it to him, since I wouldn't even be able to imagine the world of hurt and confusion he must be in. I hadn't known Aurora for that long, yet I felt like a part of me had been ripped out. 

What of Caligo then? 

Realizing that the woman who raised you secretly hated you all along? 

That would be more devastating than I could ever imagine. 

When Caligo stepped out of the room, Cassian gave me an assuring nod, saying, “I'll stay with him and make sure he doesn't do anything drastic.”

“Thank you.” I nodded faintly, then watched as Cassian’s left too. 

Nyx and I were left alone in the room. I glanced over at her. She was… troubled, to say the least. Her fingers were digging into her now disheveled hair, frown twisting every so often that I almost thought she was going to start clawing her own face out. 

“Are you okay?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. 

Seriously, what even was the point of the question? 

Get a grip, Rosemary.

Nyx raised her head and looked at me for a brief moment. Her head fell once more. A soft whimper escaped her lips, “I don't know what to do, Rose. If this is true, I really don't know what to do. And I'm scared of what Caligo would do…”

I wanted to speak, but Nyx added in a dreadful tone, “He’ll kill her.”

She looked up at me. Her eyes were a mix of horror and heavy intensity. “He'll kill her, Rose. The moment he confirms that even a tiny bit of all this is true. I… I don't want him to kill anyone again…”

She clutched the folds of her fabric. 

“I don't want him to become like our father. Please, Rose. We have to make sure that once the truth comes to light, you'll be there to stop him from doing anything he cannot take back.”

I rushed out of the bed and hurried to hold Nyx. She was crying. It was the first time seeing her in such a state. 

I embraced her tightly and gently patted her back. 

“That won't happen. I swear on my life. I promise that all this will get better.”

Nyx only whimpered as a response. She was hurting, so it was my job to console her. She had done the same for me more than I could count.