Chapter 94: Chapter 94

Serenity could not endure it any longer. She grabbed her handbag and bolted from the hotel room. Her heavy sobs merged with the rhythmic drumming of the rain against the windowpanes.

Left alone, Vince sat there, running his hands through his hair until it was a tangled mess. He was a cocktail of confusion, regret, and agony. A sudden realization jolted through him. He couldn’t do it. He couldn't become part of Serenity’s family this way. If they continued the lie, she would withdraw. She would give up entirely. He couldn’t lose her.

Vince grabbed his coat and charged out of the room. He ran like a madman through the white veil of the downpour, heading straight for the station. He called her name over and over. "Serenity. Serenity."

He spotted her standing solitary by the station, her shoulders trembling. Vince reached her and gripped her shoulders, gasping for air. "Serenity. I can’t let you go back alone. We’re going back together."

Serenity looked up at him, her face a blurred map of tears and rain. "Vince, I don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore, but I can’t keep lying. If we go on like this, we have no choice but to be siblings. But I don’t want us to be siblings."

Vince’s gaze was resolute. "I’m going to talk to Aunt Briona. I’ll ask for her permission for us to be together."

"Do you mean that?"

"It’s not that I don’t care who I hurt. It’s just that I truly cannot lose you. Call me a demon or a devil, I’ll accept it all. I’d rather have the whole world turn its back on me than have you leave my sight."

Serenity threw her arms around him, whimpering into his chest. "Me too. I can't stand the thought of being alone without you."

"Then let's go home. We’ll face everything together."

They stood there, locked in an embrace amidst the rush of people seeking shelter and the blaring horns of gridlocked traffic, ignoring the stinging bite of the rain against their skin. Vince took her hand firmly in his and led the way.

After two hours of struggling through flooded streets and a paralyzed transit system, their familiar home finally emerged through the misty rain. But behind that door, another storm was silently waiting.

Mrs. Briona sat in the living room, her heart racing with anxiety. The door creaked open, and Serenity and Vince stepped inside, soaked to the bone and deathly pale.

"Mom, we’re home."

Mrs. Briona’s expression darkened. "Do you two have any idea what time it is. Serenity, where have you been?"

"We went to visit Dad’s grave. Because of the rain, the train was delayed, so we couldn’t get back right away."

"Then why didn’t you answer my calls?"

Serenity lowered her head in silence. Vince took a step forward, shielding her, and confessed. "We went to a hotel to shelter from the rain."

Mrs. Briona gasped, standing up abruptly as if struck by a bolt of electricity. She stared at her daughter in total shock. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Serenity whispered.

A stinging slap landed on Serenity’s cheek. The room fell into a terrifying silence. Vince caught Mrs. Briona’s hand. "Aunt Briona, if you want to hit someone, hit me. Serenity isn't to blame. I’m the one who loved her first."

"You two are siblings. Vince, do you even realize what you’re doing?"

Serenity dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "Mom, I’m sorry. Even if you never forgive me, I have to tell you. I love Vince so much. I know this is impossible, but I truly cannot control my heart."

Vince helped Serenity up and looked at Mrs. Briona with pleading eyes. "Aunt Briona, Serenity has been fighting herself for a long time. She was thinking of you, of your happiness, and my father's. There were times we wanted to let go, but we couldn't. We admit we are selfish, but you have to understand. Serenity cares so much for your happiness that she nearly choked the life out of herself."

Mrs. Briona turned away to hide her tears. "I need time to think about this. Your father returns tomorrow. We should tell him then. I’m tired now. Both of you go to your rooms and rest." With that, she headed upstairs.

That night, Vince called Serenity from his room, even though they were separated by only a single wall. "Are you asleep?"

"No."

"Does your cheek still hurt?"

"Not anymore. I’m okay, because I finally told Mom everything in my heart."

"Serenity, if Dad and your mother oppose us, I’ll keep trying to convince them until they accept us. Even if I’m rejected a thousand times, I will beg for the thousand and first."

His words gave her the courage to face the coming tempest. That night, both lay restless under the same roof, separated not just by brick walls, but by the weight of prejudice and parental expectation.

The next morning, Serenity went down to the kitchen early. Mrs. Briona was busy cooking, but her demeanor was avoidant. "Mom, don't avoid me. What do you think about yesterday?"

Mrs. Briona stopped, looking at her daughter with eyes full of both heartache and regret. "Serenity, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize my daughter was old enough to love someone. It’s just that I never expected the person you loved to be the one about to become my son. I remember we promised no secrets, so when I think about the burden you’ve been carrying, you must have suffered terribly. It makes me feel so guilty."

She took Serenity’s hand, touching the ring. "This ring. Vince gave it to you, didn't he?"

"It was a birthday gift from him."

"He must love you very much."

Mrs. Briona reached the most painful decision of all. "But you two cannot live together. Lovers cannot be siblings under the same roof. We have to leave. This is Caleb and Vince’s home."

Serenity was stunned. "So you won't marry him."

"Serenity, I love Vince’s father. Even if I don't marry him, I can still love him. And he can still love me. My happiness doesn't have to be on a marriage certificate if it means you can live truthfully."

Vince, standing on the stairs, had heard everything. He walked down and bowed his head to Mrs. Briona. "Aunt Briona, I’ve been waiting for breakfast and heard it all. Thank you for accepting us."

Mrs. Briona looked at the young man. "Vince, if you ever make Serenity cry, I will hold you accountable."

Vince smiled brightly at Serenity. "That will never happen."

The phone rang.