CHAPTER 73: – MOM –

’HAHAHA!’

Her mind was laughing at her.

’Look at you. You’re a mess. Perfect on the outside, but a completely broken vase on the inside. You can’t be loved. Broken people like you can’t be loved. He won’t love you. He will never love–’

"Viviana."

She flinched around.

Nikolas was standing over a small distance, staring at her. His gaze ping-ponged between the broken glasses and her. "What... happened? Are you ok–"

"Sorry. Sorry about that." Viviana rapidly blinked, wiping at her eyes. She quickened over to the broken pieces on the floor and bent to pick them up.

Nikolas furrowed his brows. "Hey, stop that. You’re going to hurt yourself."

"No, no. I can do it. I actually didn’t mean to break it. I was confused and–"

"Viviana!" He was next to her in the blink of an eye, snatching her up by the arm. He spun her around and held her still, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Stop it. You’re going to get hurt."

"I won’t..." She slowly shook her head at him. "I was careful. I wasn’t going to get hurt."

A soft breath fled his nose. "Tell me first, why are your eyes wet?"

"Huh?"

"Who made you cry?" He brushed his finger against her cheek. "You have to understand I’d punish whoever hurt you. So tell me who it is, and I’ll even make them apologize to you if you need me to."

Viviana couldn’t respond to him.

’He’s lying to you. Don’t believe him. Your father did the same to your mother. He will hurt you’

Before she could react, Nikolas pulled her close into his warmth, hugging her. He buried her face in his chest, fingers weaving into her hair to caress. "Take a deep breath, wife. Breathe for me. I’m here. I’m right here. Stop thinking for a second and just breathe for me."

"Nikolas..." she mumbled.

"Mhm, it’s me," he hummed softly, voice vibrating. "I’m right here."

"Nikolas," she spoke his name for the second time.

He brushed his fingers gently down her hair.

"Are you upset?" When she didn’t answer, he added, "I’m here. Rest if you’re tired. And it’s okay to cry. I’m right here, and I’ll always be here with you. I’ll always be by your side without question." He cupped her cheek, tilting her head up to kiss her closed eye.

He peppered kisses all over her face before hugging her again. And Viviana, who proceeded to bury herself in his warmth, sobbed silently to herself.

"Are you hungry?"

She shook her head at him. "No."

"Sleep in my arms then." Before she could even digest his words, he scooped her off the floor into his arms and left the kitchen towards the bedroom. "I’ll hold you."

Seated on the bed, Viviana watched Nikolas shake his head.

"Stubborn woman, I told you you would get hurt, didn’t I?" Nikolas sighed softly as he grabbed her hand. Her palm had been cut and it was bleeding. "Does it hurt?"

"Mhm." She nodded.

Without a warning, he brought her hand to his mouth, sucking down on her palm, which made her eyes bulge.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Don’t you feel better now?" He lifted his head briefly to ask, a little bit of blood smeared over his lips.

Her breath hitched. "It does, but you don’t–"

"Let me finish what I’m doing then. You’ll be better by the morning." Nikolas’s eyes dropped shut before a pool of red could mask them.

His chest was pounding. His fangs were itching, wanting to bite.

The taste of her blood. He’d never bitten her before to draw blood, and now he wished he’d not had a taste.

It sped up his heartbeat.

It was coursing through his system, and he felt out of breath like he hadn’t tasted blood once in his entire life.

"Nikolas, are you—"

He let go of her hand. "Get some sleep, Viviana. Let me clean up the glasses." He left the room before she could speak and she stared at the closed door, perplexed.

What was that?

Biting her bottom lip, she touched her palm, noting that the cut really wasn’t hurting any longer. That made no sense.

She puffed out a breath, her brows furrowed in thought.

———

Viviana stretched over the bed, blinking her lashes apart to slowly sit up, palms pressed on the material.

It took a few moments of slow blinks and looking around the room to remember that she had a cut on her palm. She quickly took her hand off the bed, but when she took a look, the cut wasn’t there anymore.

Her palm was as fresh and soft as if the cut hadn’t been there in the first place.

"What’s going on?"

She frowned. "I’m very sure I was wounded. Where is it?" She glanced at the other palm, but there was nothing there, not even a scar.

"No way. Impossible." There was no way she’d only dreamed all that. It was no dream because the pain had been very real and vivid.

So then what happened? Where was–

The continuous ring of the bell dragged her attention, and she settled her feet on the floor.

Viviana walked out of the room to answer the door, but she ended up almost bumping into Nikolas. The man was holding a bowl of yummy food while clad in an apron, a few of his tousled hairs in his eyes.

She blinked up at him. The tiny fang that she’d noticed was much longer than the rest of his teeth, but not too lengthy, peeked out as he grinned at her.

There were too many strange things about this man.

"Did you sleep well?" Nikolas asked, cupping her jaw with his free palm. He leaned in to kiss the spot under her eye. "Eat up. Let me see who’s at the door."

He gave breakfast to her and walked off before she could utter a word.

Nikolas opened the door and lowered his gaze. However, when he saw who was at the door, he froze, eyes dilating.

"Mom...?"