Shane returned late at night.
Adaline, who had just relaxed in a warm bath and settled into bed, opened her eyes slightly when she heard the door open.
“I thought you were already asleep.”
"I couldn't sleep."
Even with her eyes closed, she could not rid herself of the thoughts that were spinning in her head.
Sitting up in bed, Adaline looked at Shane intently. His face, which seemed distant and alien during the day, now looked more tolerant.
Yet her skin remained painfully pale.
Shane walked over and leaned over her, examining her neck. Adaline tilted her head back to make it more comfortable for him. His fingers, carefully touching her skin, slid from her earlobe to the hollow between her collarbone and sternum.
“No bruises, no marks. Lucky that you were saved right away, right?”
Adaline didn't answer.
“The doctor also said you’re fine.” - he added.
[There is not even a mark left on the neck from how it was squeezed. Even Lloyd, usually prone to panic, scolded him for the act itself, but did not express concern for his health.]
Shane's hand stopped. His touch, although slow, could seem threatening. But Adaline just stared at him, looking straight into his shadowed blue eyes. She smiled faintly.
"Do you want to kill me?"
He said nothing.
“Then let go.”
Shane pursed his lips.
Adaline knew her words hurt. But she couldn’t stop.
“Shane, tell me. What should I do for you to let me go?”
"Shut up, Adaline."
The muscles in his jaw tensed. He clenched his teeth, suppressing a flash of anger.
But the fingers on her neck were still soft.
"I'll do whatever you want."
"Please shut up."
“I got my name back. I didn't resist our marriage. What more do you want from me?
[Their story could not end without pain.]
Adalyn decided to wait. She didn't see an opportunity to escape right now, so she had to wait until Shane had his fill of revenge.
[Perhaps he was angry about unfulfilled love. Or for the deception committed by his fiancee.]
[She hoped that things would calm down over time.]
[But if all he feels is love...]
Adaline could not, did not want, to accept her.
“You said yourself that you want me to suffer. What should I do? Cry? Should I beg you with tears?”
The voice trembled. Shane did too, but Adaline didn't stop.
“Should I get on my knees and ask you for a divorce? If it's necessary, I'll do it."
She flashed before her eyes: Shane, smiling with such confidence, as if he held the whole world in his hands.
How she wanted him to just…be angry.
[So as not to follow her as a shadow, not to care for her with that strange tenderness that was hidden under the mask of “supervision.”]
[To not hold her hand all night while she was unconscious.]
[So as not to lose face from fear that she might get hurt.]
[It would be better if he was just angry.]
[If he hadn't turned blue at that moment...]
[If he had been angry like he was when he was a child, Adaline might have been able to endure this peaceful confinement a little longer.]
“Just being here is enough for me, Shane. What else do you need for you to believe that I’m feeling bad?”
"..."
“I really can’t do it anymore. Let me go please. Enough. I beg you..."
[She felt that she could only survive by escaping from Delmez. She didn't want to be part of the plot that was starting to unfold again.]
[The love she couldn't accept only hurt Shane more. And she knew that the only way to truly protect him was to push him away.]
A quiet laugh escaped from under Shane's frowning lips.
“Do you think words like that could hurt me, Adaline?”
She remained silent.
“If you thought I would let you go after this, then you still underestimate me.”
Now Adaline bit her lip.
Shane chuckled, almost bitterly.
She knew what he would say next. And yet she closed her eyes tightly, as if this could save her.
“The thought of me loving you still seems scary to you, right?”
“Enough...please.”
He kissed her closed eyes.
“But I’ve already given up hope that you’ll ever love me.”