Chapter 271. Cracks in the Bond

Chapter 271. Cracks in the Bond
There it was again—that possessive, commanding tone. At any other time, she might have given in a little, because she knew his nature well enough: the more she pushed back, the worse things would get. But she had only just gone through a horrifying moment that had nearly cost her life, and yet her husband was still caught up in this ridiculous jealousy, without the slightest regard for how she felt.

Jacintha looked at his face, at the madness that had not yet fully faded from his eyes, and suddenly, fear rose in her chest. She was afraid of this loss of control in him.

Her voice grew softer, but that only made Raphael suffer more.

“You’re scaring me, Raphael.”

The moment the words left her lips, Raphael’s face turned deathly pale. He wanted to touch her, but she had already stepped back half a pace, leaving his outstretched hand frozen in midair.

In that instant, his expression was so terrible that even Lucas, standing nearby, could not bear to keep looking.

Jacintha turned her face away. “All of you, get out. I need some quiet right now.”

Raphael did not move. Naturally, neither did Rhea or Lucas. Knowing they would not listen to her, Jacintha sat down in the chair, closed her eyes, and ignored everyone.

Lucien spoke up. “Then get some rest. I’ll tell the director to cancel your scene today. In your condition, you’re not fit to film.”

Once he had said that, he left the makeup room at once, without lingering any longer. Lucien’s actions stood in complete contrast to Raphael’s stubbornness, making it seem as though Lucien respected Jacintha’s wishes while Raphael did not.

And yet, the moment Lucien stepped out of the makeup room, the worried look on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the satisfaction of someone whose plan had worked perfectly.

Inside the room, Raphael stood there staring at Jacintha, while Jacintha kept her eyes closed and paid him no mind. They remained locked in that silent standoff for more than ten minutes. Then Raphael spoke first.

“Lucas, Rhea, you two go outside first.”

The two of them obeyed immediately and left. At that very moment, Jacintha’s brows drew together ever so slightly, and her mood darkened even further.

When only the two of them were left in the room, Raphael suddenly dropped to one knee beside Jacintha. He took her hand and pressed it to his face, his eyes fixed on her the way a devout believer would look upon his goddess.

“Jacintha, I’m sorry... please don’t be angry with me. Don’t shut me out...”

Jacintha’s eyelids trembled faintly. Even without opening her eyes, she could already picture the wounded expression on his face. He always made her feel as though she had dragged a god down to earth—while at the same time making her feel like she was spoiling an overgrown child.

In the past, Raphael had always carried himself like a tyrant—arrogant, overbearing, and dismissive of everyone around him. In his eyes, other people’s suffering had always been nothing but trash, unworthy of even a shred of his concern.

And now was no different. He had not changed at all; he was merely trying to cover it up with this thing he called love for Jacintha.

Jacintha felt exhausted, yet there was no longer any way for her to pull herself away from Raphael. She had loved him so deeply that she had lost herself in the process.

She let out a soft sigh and slowly opened her eyes. Faced with the fear in Raphael’s expression, she thought to herself, Raphael, what am I supposed to do with you?

Just then, Lucas walked in, his face grave. “Alpha, Old Alpha has summoned you back to the estate immediately. He says he needs to speak with you.”

Raphael tightened his grip on Jacintha’s hand. “Will you come back with me?”

Jacintha pulled her hand away. “No. I still have scenes to shoot this afternoon.”

Raphael’s brows drew together so tightly he looked as though he was about to lose control. Meeting his gaze head-on, Jacintha asked, “Are you planning to force me to go back with you?”

Raphael clenched his fist. The truth was, that thought had indeed crossed his mind. But when he saw the cold indifference on Jacintha’s face, fear rose in him again, and that fear overpowered what he truly wanted to do.

“Jacintha, I won’t do that. When you’re done with work, we’ll talk everything through clearly, all right?”

Seeing that Raphael was no longer spiraling and was managing to rein in his volatile temper, Jacintha stopped looking at him so coldly.

She stood up, went up on her toes, and pressed a light kiss to his lips. “Raphael, let this be the last time, all right? You have to trust me.”

Raphael nodded at once, then bent down and kissed Jacintha hard on the lips, a genuine, joyful smile spreading across his face.

Only after Raphael had left did Jacintha take out her phone and send Lucien a message apologizing. Lucien, for his part, was magnanimous enough not to hold Raphael’s actions against him.

She had thought everything was finally settled, but ten minutes later, Carol came rushing into the makeup room, flustered and out of breath. She said that the video of Raphael fighting with Lucien had been posted online.

This time, the uproar was even worse than the earlier incident with the secretly taken photo.

Some people said Jacintha was nothing but a jinx, that trouble followed her wherever she went. Others cursed Sharon’s fans, calling them lunatics who ought to be locked up. Then there were those who turned on Jacintha instead, saying she did not know how to keep her distance and that was why men were fighting over her. Others defended her, saying she was the real victim in all of this. But no matter which side they took, Jacintha’s name was dragged out and torn apart all over again.

“The people online are seriously sick!” Carol ground out through clenched teeth. “You were nearly disfigured with acid, and they still have the energy to dig up some jealousy drama?”

Jacintha sat silently in her chair, saying nothing.

Carol walked over and crouched down in front of her. “Are you okay?”

Jacintha was quiet for two seconds before nodding. “Don’t worry. Raphael will handle it.”

Sure enough, when Carol checked social media again, every last video of the fight had been taken down. Carol let out a relieved breath, but Jacintha did not. Everything had hit her too hard and too fast, and she felt as though her mind was on the verge of giving out.

At the Wulfhart estate, the door to Kaelthor’s study opened.

Raphael walked in looking drained and deeply weary. Kaelthor watched him for a few seconds before asking, “Don’t you think your mental state has been abnormal lately?”