SPELLBOUND

"You can still call me Evie when we're alone. We're still friends after all, right?" Evie smiled amiably at Vera.

Vera looked down and lowered herself slowly back to her chair. "I'm not sure if I'm still worthy to be your friend. I am… I am just a nameless lady now."

"You're not nameless. You are Vera… and you are still the most beautiful human I have ever seen." Evie grinned and Vera's lips trembled a bit.

Evie moved forward and enveloped the trembling lady in a warm hug and the two embraced each other for a long time, not breaking the silence until Vera's trembling became a bit better.

"I'm not sure how you ended up here. But… if you want to go back to the surface, just let me know. I can help you." Evie told her carefully. But Vera shook her head, slowly but firmly.

"Thank you but I don't want to go back up there anymore. There is nothing left for me up there on the surface." She said decisively then she averted her eyes and looked up at the fascinating crystals above this dark paradise. "I don't want to see the sun anymore. I think… I want to spend the rest of my life here, in this beautiful… dark paradise."

For a long while, Evie just observed her expression. She could see the obvious hurt flashing within those baby blue eyes of hers.

"Is…" Evie hesitated for a moment, "Does this decision of yours have anything to do with Prince Gideon?"

Vera pressed her lips tightly together. "I… I was the one to ask him to bring me here. No, I… I forced him actually. So, I…" Vera was hesitating as she explained and finally trailed off when Evie began to smile at her.

"Have I mentioned to you that my husband is his brother?" Evie said, grinning sweetly and Vera's eyes widened, surprised. "You like my brother-in-law, right?"

The question made Vera nibble the inside of her lower lip. But then she looked away. "But he is in love with someone else."

Evie heard the wealth of hurt in her voice as Vera stared at her hands that were clutching at the blanket covering her legs, twisting them nervously as she did not know what to do with her hands. "He only took pity on me and… and took me along with him and want me to stay with him here because I… I apparently resemble the woman he loves." Vera added weakly, her voice strained and sounded to Evie as though she were at the edge of tears.

"He… he told you to stay with him?" Evie asked incredulously, eyes slightly widened. She had already talked to Kione about Gideon's late lover. Last night, while Gideon was with Vera, Evie had made Kione and Azrael tell her more about Leah. That was why Evie was not surprised at all about what Vera revealed about another woman that Gideon loves, because even Azrael and Kione mentioned that Vera's eyes made them remember the late Leah.

Of course, this made Evie feel sad for both her friend and brother-in-law too. It was obvious that it was true, that Gideon took interest of Vera because of her resemblance to Leah. That was why Evie asked her if she wanted to go back to the surface. And yet… Vera just told her that she wants to spend the rest of her life here… was it because she still wanted Gideon despite all this?

"You want him… Gideon?" Evie asked with a soft voice and Vera smiled at her bitterly as she raised her eyes glittering with unshed tears to look at Evie.

"Yes." She replied simply and then she let out a shaky sigh. "I never desired anyone as much as this in my entire life like I do now… to the point that I feel like it's fine if I suffer as long as I can be with him. I know I am being ridiculous, but I feel as though I am spellbound by him since the very moment that I saw him appear as an angel in front of me."

Vera's smile became utterly helpless Evie felt her heart breaking for her.

"You're going to stay with him like he told you…?" Evie uttered again, her voice very careful and when Vera nodded, Evie did not know what to say for a long while. "Are you… are you sure about this?"

Another shaky sigh left Vera's lips as though she too did not know what she wanted, but then she smiled and nodded firmly at Evie.

"I know this will be hurtful but… I realized that with my terrible luck, I somehow feel like I'll suffer anyway even if I give up on him now… I think that he's worth suffering for. At least… he's someone I willingly chose and really want." The gleaming wetness in her pale blue eyes were filled with sadness and a heart-breaking smile decorated her pale face. "I have suffered too much and too long for people I don't even care for, for people who don't even bother to give me even a cup of warm water to drink when I'm sick and dying. He… he saved me, Evie… he embraced me and didn't leave me until I woke up. Even if he did that all because of the woman I resemble…" she took a sharp breath and looked down at her hands that were now entwined, before she looked up again at Evie. "I will be fine, don't worry. I'm used to this already." Vera shrugged and her tone was light, as though being abused was nothing to her. Evie's heart broke to hear how Vera spoke of her mistreatment as something so natural.

"When I begged him to take me with him, I told him I only needed safe shelter… not his love." Her voice trailed off and sounded so small and pained as she denied wanting Gideon's love.

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HAPPY 7MILLION VIEWS SPELLBOUNDERS! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STAYING WITH ME UNTIL NOW! LOVE YOU ALL!

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