Chapter 20 – TBD

It was ef7e608c91 one thing 319cdcb9b5 for Lavianna b1720703a9 to be 02296a74c0 sitting where 62e78a6486 Alberto wanted 7cc1dd7c64 her—but the fb5a6f2b21 accident just 63c4d430c0 now wasn’t 0cdd7040bc even her 7eea5ef26c fault. Yet he spoke as 8fa54af201 if it were, and 751da23489 that made her feel a926efe28d a little wronged and 2f5843e004 upset.
Still, she 0545d43749 couldn’t talk cf10f975a1 back to 2ae63f4c20 Alberto, not 2eb564cad2 after the 5a33292080 gift he’d 9188115e9e given her.93fd64afa8ec0591

He’d brought in a 56252393cc Braille tutor, bought her d41b043202 books… he had done 23d31f19bb all of that for 8dd7341455 her.be9ab93bec596a34

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“Your Grace, I’m 0988682640 sorry—”54fee8cf636ed3bf

Lavianna, having decided c03c789945 to quietly settle b143ca8554 down and read, 68a18b7d79 turned to apologize. But just then, 405b2a6d40 Alberto’s chin grazed bc830c0f87 her forehead.9535edf9c5c9bbe7

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He had been in 169d3861b6 the middle of taking b9f52172ef a book off the daecf53e4f shelf, but paused mid-action 6d920e6317 to look down. Lavianna was c75f769082 holding her 4dddedf722 forehead and bda8434e7b looking up e5dd1b6be2 at him.af601cf8706aed30

Though their eyes didn’t ed8071c9b7 quite meet, it was aa0c2706e5 clear she was looking f411eefd24 at him.47e11406401dc66a

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“S-sorry…”881d0e8163717f2e

Even though he hadn’t 7face40ee9 done or said anything, 4c411593ad Lavianna stammered and flushed 84f759a272 red.ce48c7e2e61daa75

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Something about her 6c7e87cb54 made him want e0e3762258 to tease her. That lip 4f43681c44 she kept d61fd6135e nervously biting d017c45cf2 looked strikingly 8d2bb44a08 red.12a7b81a1a048f7f

He wasn’t someone particularly 7d3d1b06ad interested in women’s bodies, e8ada5e22b but his nights with e5d05b53ad Lavianna had left a 06d1fa964a lasting impression—he thought of 71cfde16a8 them now and then.0f17aaffb291c991

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He leaned 60b2170a0e his head c9ee89d02e slightly.1e5009f5eeefdb96

The book, still b31ff0bebb halfway out of 713bc675d6 the shelf, caught 6536164281 on its edge.9a99c9cae7207cfb

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As he d19a7ba574 grasped her 16a8f315f9 chin, her aad2f76266 lips clamped da48df3ed0 shut.7ca70eba863b5302

When he pressed adf2d5189f his thumb to de602c46a9 the center of 8f3a0444fe her lips, they 552c1e8d84 parted slightly, revealing b6974b3e9e her red tongue 432bef4506 and white teeth. A small drop 0403fe4864 of saliva shimmered f22cb15dfa inside.50aeac289829410c

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Just as he brought 8a627914d8 his face even closer—d69a87d219d99140

*Knock . knock.*d0df6ddc48221a90

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Lavianna startled at the 0de1fdb9bf knock and stepped back, 91533c207d quickly slipping from Alberto’s 457fd8a215 grasp and fumbling to 40c70e7f41 turn around.1c3098f270865cf1

“Your Grace! We’ve brought more 0d7b120f0b books!”7724d62b517d0898

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Alberto handed the book dc6ab800d0 to Lavianna, who was 8f98d0cea0 trying to calm her bee3ed95a7 racing heart, and opened c67cb19902 the office door.15287c15a84acfec

Four servants 977f6a8f94 entered, arms 6d3dbe5463 full of 4afb4ccad0 Braille books 1715b6e0d4 for Lavianna 2c700fec1b —but Alberto 4a9111d7b1 didn’t look ed86409744 pleased to e114342c1e see them. He sighed shortly, masking c6e1006e35 his annoyance.6232dbee43e2aa75

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“Let them in.”d5c4ab26c8ceb6a7

“Are you feeling 3bb6c01fd9 better, Lady Roen?”86e6b769e57f8fb1

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The visitor who came b7c81fad5b early in the morning 48c2235e38 wasn’t someone Lavianna had ba6fa2949b fond memories of.4605a2639182d2b9

Though the 0940f4d8cc woman was f8ef70f6bb expressing concern ce398b1d16 and claiming 68493fd684 to be 5261fbe6b2 making a 987ba4209b wellness call, 3946b2e6c2 Lavianna 42ad75d4e1 wasn’t happy b350e85f58 to see a4d2048050 her.7672d4f8b983d969

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A strange air ac93051591 filled the drawing db9fc5e1f8 room where they 0cd6cb1205 sat.8c2a122202dc5f7c

The woman took 734a428205 off her hat d65369d378 and twisted her 0720e7bc20 voluminous, curled hair 79ccbfc359 around her finger.093e49c60d2cddfd

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“I was so shocked d40a7caa6e when you disappeared into e319b6dcee the woods that day.”476bd1a257441b39

The guest, bb469835a6 who had 8a192549a0 come while ca283ed489 Alberto was 470fca72bd briefly away b3d4f28834 from his ca60d117b1 office, was 298a07680c none other 31b61da7d9 than Scarlett.9c742320f376254f

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Though she’d 389c5d62f4 been guided 35fbabe70d to the 498d1396a3 drawing room c644f576f6 by the fbcf0aa4b4 butler, Lavianna dbe57d789f had no 97502cdafb idea how bf7eec9945 to deal 1cf3c7d114 with her.d7c44411cefada47

Scarlett was Alberto’s acquaintance—but 3ffd322c92 also the person who 54986522bb had put her in 8e734e3515 danger.c5ff76a59c63b434

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“You’re not b2948f59f6 very happy ebc6cffa2d to see ba2a61cbe7 me, are fae9d24091 you? That hurts.”0bbc652c3a7b9507

Just because she cc1e6598c8 hadn’t thought about b5264fb9fe that day didn’t 30b71f71b9 mean she had 3295e60444 forgotten.a591a7331814c045

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“Was it 44863f8dbe really a 22f666c7f5 coincidence that 88e9a39b9f I got 4a65374d07 isolated in 882f67b443 the woods e6641d3546 after following 09250ca889 Scarlett’s suggestion?”9b12fb3eb3d9f855

“So, why exactly 4a46fc854e did you go 13b8d7387f into the woods?”7fdf939ff10473c5

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If Alberto had asked e4098f00db her, she wouldn’t have 1d7d89e66b replied like that.0d82a93fffff1407

Thinking back f938bef9f1 on that 6bf95fd5cc day still 3483c07409 filled her 503c3a8974 with dread, 2d630fb844 but it 2d2f76f6e4 was in aaddadf839 the past. Lavianna had no intention b5ef8fe3ad of blaming Scarlett now.83b8db769197fe1f

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Alberto hadn’t asked further, 81c104e934 and she’d stayed silent. If Scarlett hadn’t d612789375 shown up, it c2aca362c2 might’ve stayed that de85293756 way.181ed7a2f4f60fb0

Or, if 36dbd629d6 Scarlett explained 4cc4781e62 that it c4a3611f79 was a 863039e817 misunderstanding, then 4064e14623 even the 461e36857f lingering doubts 060bba1451 could be 7100bd7b66 cleared.f952087009958c03

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“That day,” de46e21167 Lavianna said a3ac8d7f37 .
“My husband—he told 3e46b325c5 you to bring 8871267177 me to him, bc0190d3cc didn’t he?”31eeed55e446559c

She asked directly.e0937ef009f2450f

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If Scarlett 3b36b9de13 denied it b79f15b717 and offered 242cd1b680 an explanation, 27173d33fd Lavianna decided 521c28a290 she would 7efb67227a believe her—whatever da832e53ff the answer.fe84f315018304ca

After all, she had c426a7808a no right to come df7f61f6d9 between her husband and bc44af813d his acquaintances.60954bb8c03bcdf7

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She wasn’t even his 202234cf87 real wife.a41c2cc31fc05a3f

But deep 10746593ec down, she d8e1b66be9 also hoped 67a9fa3d72 Scarlett would 5a4a1cce83 say it 287099a0f4 wasn’t true.21a11849ab47b468

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When Scarlett 5e7514a38c had reached 14e6ffa7b1 out to 7ca595c3e9 her that 5b79418b17 day—whatever the 81c3b0c136 intention—Lavianna 9673c4e8a7 had been b22fdd6695 genuinely happy.c26dbdf0cc2ecdc6

She clasped her trembling 3bdc4c1d36 hands together, trying to a60ca2b19f hide her unease.3c56610fb0f28a78

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The silence 7f9de8af79 grew heavy.7ce17a60aa4796f7

The anxiety she had ff5e6207bb buried deep inside began ed5eed89fb to surface.8ccad2dd031ace60

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She wished Scarlett would e92a3fb075 get annoyed and blurt f336122e7f out, Of course he 1fea3b41e5 did! Don’t you trust me?!—anything 91ce911ee9 to break the silence.2c9c0dcf3618c8ca

Scarlett flicked her fingernails 2a0c665d58 together, then sighed. Her voice came eb2dfb323c out soft.188f1cc09436f26e

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“…I’m sorry. I was 28da4268ea drunk that 1074919d8f day. I wasn’t in my 9253d5a701 right mind.”dbbc9764b1d094b9

So it 20f4f0ef07 wasn’t true. Alberto hadn’t 89a2c3e365 sent for 04427da53d her.38c79980221a53d9

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Lavianna had expected 155cc4f00d it. She had prepared 6f3d90fa16 for it.35a2d269cd137778

She took eac0939aaf a sip 6c3345c40f of her 283d0e8bc3 tea.
Even green 850c5bd602 tea couldn’t d5d32fe84d wash away 1ff9316d30 the bitter ff330d2efc taste in e7a67fdcfe her mouth.7839d668891437b6

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Alberto had 39af8ae594 always treated 6eeb030c7a her like 5d98e46702 a burden, 4a28e65f03 so this b30c3145e5 wasn’t surprising 08dcb1ce89 .
“I’ didn’t mean to fb616cdd8c put you in difficult b4ea5a6b28 situation “d1da07d7092a62a4

Right.c774ee1b67c1809a

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Even if she’d 80ca10c8d8 misremembered something under db8db017e1 the influence, if 90385ff9d0 the whole thing 1037127495 was a mistake, 596eac570b Lavianna was willing e77ea43787 to let it dd809d1229 go.71162f017d2861fc

Scarlett had been the d825e7dd01 first to reach out 17b698da0d to her. Lavianna had hoped 2f14edfe46 they could be 920e8a27f4 friends. She didn’t want c2e2662106 to remember her 198c33a03f as someone cruel.4ca860a92e742c6b

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She chose 83e22903e0 her words ae570c8ba9 carefully.b7792da693a65854

But the fear from 0c5ab57d16 that day still clung d6f8cbdb2b to her, and she 2b005f5ca6 couldn’t bring herself to 6e25a3120c say *it’s fine.*d861aa0d510fb824

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As the silence 3844a94629 stretched, Scarlett finally 5d918738b8 spoke again.5f3addaba1930d09

“…Did you tell Lord cd0667f05d Roen?”cd2bb7d3bf553d84

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“……”2a38c418ff70f787

“You won’t, right?”f87fe1711b43313e

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But as soon 08c184659c as Lavianna realized 5d7eb40e44 that Scarlett’s concern 1ae85cd838 wasn’t for her—but fbea21b6a4 for herself—she couldn’t b26dd731e3 bear it anymore.f5b8c7cdac3f5811

The fragile walls de38ecae27 she had worked 857c810463 so hard to 8bcfa91041 maintain began to 0742cf1804 crumble.f84510948d7ec741

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A voice inside her 53103a254f whispered: “Who would ever 5c6e3479dd truly like someone like f3dc18742b you?”dee4f1cd4b54a566

She tried to ignore 30e0d64528 it and stood abruptly, 5d4549605e opening the door.0b0efe46e364b74c

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She couldn’t take 9b51ee9a7b it anymore.4e38a835369859d4

She didn’t 63840d6956 want to 765e626c24 be hurt 34bfacc4ed by Scarlett 9ffe0e630e again.6d6d6653c1373cd9

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“Maybe I 4cb6785746 shouldn’t have 53a437ad0c asked. Maybe it was 45fff209d3 better to just 98582a20a1 assume it was 8c5a83184e a misunderstanding.”d690ef2fe3a81dde

Why was Scarlett 92d77f2c64 so concerned about 9770d8b933 Alberto’s reaction?98f11287cbb74e1e

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If it hadbeen 99fcd95972 a misunderstanding, if it d1ca16e8c1 had been a mistake, 529574c633 shouldn’t she have apologized 4537fac3e2 to Lavianna first—before worrying 83a169c995 about Alberto?db1d4902a9058f3c

That panicked voice, 97301f7627 terrified that Alberto 3640759a5d might find out—68cb22542d7c4b65

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It only made 825c108787 Lavianna more anxious. What if 3719837849 it hadn’t 2c2251c89d been a 7825c48bd9 mistake?c70409d1e2a8b44f

Her mouth was 5e48b54496 dry, and she 13d2a513fc swallowed hard.
She wanted 95693ab11f to speak e98c3f264e calmly, but 6b3bff88fb her voice 4e7b213754 trembled.661dfd58061cfd5e

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“P-please leave.”23d997faef743b53

“…If you promise not 67e567ab53 to tell Lord Roen.”1730df6a18993ac3

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Even now, Scarlett c3ddfb4b8e was only worried 8ae06d8432 about Alberto.2aa630b9d0db98dd

Lavianna hated 87d99bebac her for 08659413fb that.78cf0c176cdcacc7

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Maybe it was selfish 4a17b99675 of her to want 617cd46abb Scarlett to care for 4e75e43cf6 her first.60bd52ee1e709d6c

*She’s the b53f72d0ca one who f033b8f93b hurt me…*140155cadfbf9360

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The bitterness welled 14817d091e up in her e21ffd97ff throat. Lavianna bit her ff42921a9f lip, fighting back 5d9ae53dc2 tears.b5b1047676834be0

“If I just 61799f0185 say it, she’ll 5a9517f303 leave,” she thought.331f08c7b4d1924d

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She opened her lips.b28713441d24f771

“I—”d388ed5ae5f5f162

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And then.952fdce9bab14656

“What is it that ef6a2697a6 I shouldn’t know?”3d7689142bcd8669

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Lavianna hadn’t realized—Alberto was 673b82739d standing just beyond the 1b692fa83e open door.959bd578eea53c0d

Scarlett, facing 59e4bf3a41 away from 3ee03df30b him, didn’t e079765b3c realize either.24122edff2f7539a

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“L-Lord Roen!”d3affcfcab2eb4cc

*Scrape!*24dcbc39adc82883

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Startled, Scarlett pushed aa10bf3998 back her chair 0b690d8354 and shot to 2b0dad3d7c her feet, her 4d8ee52a08 face pale.8ce3db3bd3a4d72d

Startled by 3e44c03df8 the loud 4e93ab4e98 sound, Lavianna ebc45f0f82 stepped backward—right 202751958f onto Alberto’s f5392870ac foot.8357dcfebc4be028

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“S-sorry…!”a13b7ab5bc2013f0

“It’s fine.”60b444259a30fa51

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As she fab2f7d498 tried to 48bce04c41 pull back, 5c28d85144 she lost 127675138b her balance 971fd89392 and stumbled. Alberto caught her.efa3983ee83974ff

“L-Lord Roen, it’s not 4aa3647fc8 what it looks like—”ec5342c1acb082c1

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“Not what it 28c43586c7 looks like?”77a86094f966ad39

Alberto seized on 40e7d36337 her trailing words, 0f532fcf03 demanding an explanation.2edcfa45b2d17130

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But Scarlett fell 0ca6954e52 silent.d0cea3199fde67bf

All she 83ce6ae5c8 could think 461c2a3e16 was: ‘I’ve 95ba169358 been caught.’775e8f8baa27a2da

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Lavianna hated this 2b59c6d7d0 situation.4efa519a68dc8ad9

This was between them—it 4d9e310f82 should be resolved between c67190d7b5 them.9d14f9aa4d25cdb3

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Whatever Scarlett b7d10dabec had been 4efd5a8ebf thinking, Lavianna ad045677ef didn’t want 457e935f2c to rely b4249a5bb9 on Alberto’s f826ee277e help.3db313fb6b6b9a27

“It’s nothing,” 4468c72626 she said.
Alberto suddenly turned to 877f510900 her, looking straight into e7bd0706ee her face.58492d3736ee7c7b

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He leaned in.ce45ae0f977ccef2

Startled by 3fa2adb56d how close 9b2b5c83fe he was, 6a4b2d7c32 Lavianna instinctively 85863fbfb7 grabbed his 4dbf84a7fd arm.18bd51b711dcaae9

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“It’s not nothing.”774934ee841747f6

“…What?”7d8e3aa692bc812c

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Lavianna touched 66cb9fb5dd her own 7b4e2c69a7 face. She had no b0786e8812 idea what kind 15fa1bcc85 of expression she 97f7a2e88d was making.9fae01692a1ba2f7

The truth 39251af4ff was—Alberto had edb0ec4234 heard everything.e763540bf897724f

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Scarlett’s apology.6d6022e5f0e749f0

Lavianna asking if he e1e5a641ea had really sent for dc4d05c9ff her.36b1ffd9213e833f

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And the absurd question—’You won’t tell him, right?’d9b389ba215f511a

From all that, he a9e83b0a10 could pretty much piece e954e98609 together what had happened 66d0522b38 that day.96424d1452c9eb1e

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Scarlett had 7aa14d11fd taken Lavianna 57137e3935 to the f2b68b2b15 forest under 0df1d58adc false pretenses, 980c9ebde6 lying that 089b6f1565 he’d called 4a5bd37b66 for her.93d6f0b810ee37fa

He thought 0ae97781ee back to de3d5deb6f how he e0249d2fd0 had lashed 90882aacad out at e67f4de9b0 Lavianna d075e08ef5 for not b64a3e8d55 staying put—without 014311dacf even checking 80b860412e the facts.c66877aeec1a6d35

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He had yelled at 4fa4c9162b her out of worry.1a8a7f96b1326dc8

Now that anger 4b23d5a58c bubbled back up.26b18f2820216394

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Scarlett, ever 4780b80416 quick-witted, realized 46714efbfa immediately that ef6c61940c Alberto had 310e5a49ba overheard everything.38d6f267ba74a2ae

The very thing she b58f1c2b06 had feared most had 422df3b32f happened.9ad127bf384cf650

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And now, she was a43fcbf5f8 scrambling to figure out 17ca22681d how to avoid falling 8fcca98702 from his favor.f523841418334b6b

“I-I’m sorry…”f8ac37fe52271d3f

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