CHAPTER 187: RULE..

Immediately after those words left his lips, Lilia’s tears began to spill as she tried to push him away. But Zethan held her tighter. In fact, at this point, Lilia had no idea why she was even pushing him again.

All she knew was that she was pushing him—despite having no reason to. Still, Zethan held her, showing no sign of letting go, and her eyes welled up with tears. As he continued whispering, "I’m sorry," the words echoed softly through the room.

Slowly, Lilia turned to face him. She dared to look at him, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her again. She had wished so many times for him to wake up—so many times it had hurt—but this time, it wasn’t a dream.

Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. But the moment her gaze landed on Zethan’s face, her body folded again. She leaned in and sniffed him, needing to be sure he was real.

She probably looked like a mess—crying like a child—but she didn’t care anymore.

"R...Real..." Her lips trembled even more.

Zethan pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheeks softly, again and again, as Lilia continued to cry in his arms.

Then, with trembling hands, she began to punch his shoulder lightly.

"I h-hate you," she whispered. "I hate you... I hate you."

But Zethan only smiled—wide and knowing.

He understood.

That wasn’t what she meant. She was just overwhelmed.

Then he spoke quietly, close to her ear.

"I love you too."

Lilia’s body stilled.

She looked up at him, blinking, as if she hadn’t heard him right.

Did he really just say that?

Then Zethan leaned in and brushed a soft kiss on her lips before whispering,

"I love you so very much, Lilia. I love you, Mrs. Zethan. I love you, Mrs. Lilia. I love you, my wife. I love you, Loris. I love all of you."

He said each name like it was a vow—like he was claiming every version of her.

Lilia could only stare at him, her mouth slightly open, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

Did he really just say those words... t-to her?

Her body trembled slightly as thoughts swirled in her head, but nothing could explain how she felt in that moment.

And then, softly, she spoke.

"Oh, you... Why would I be mad at you after saying all that?"

She sniffled, her voice trembling with emotion.

Zethan chuckled, low and warm.

She pulled back a little, her hands resting on his chest. Then she began to gently rub along his body, her eyes searching his face.

"Are you okay... does anywhere hurt?" she whispered.

Zethan stiffened. He didn’t know what to say at this point. The way her hands roamed... fuck. He knew she was checking on him, but why was his body beginning to feel hot?

Her touch was light, slow, comforting—until suddenly, her hand slapped gently against his butt.

His eyes widened.

Did she just...?

He stared at her, completely speechless.

Lilia immediately stood up straighter, a little smirk playing on her lips.

"That’s one of your punishments for leaving your wife for a whole month," she said, her voice quiet but mischievous. "In fact, you have lots of punishments. This makes it four now. You have five in total, and this was just one—so four left to go."

She gave him another gentle slap on his butt before slowly caressing it—not out of anger, but teasingly, like she was enjoying every second of his surprise.

She watched his eyes, the way they followed her in disbelief, and the way his mouth opened—she hadn’t seen him like this before, and it made her heart flutter.

Zethan shook his head in disbelief, clearly not expecting any of that from her. Then he began to laugh—a soft, warm sound.

Tenderly, he lifted his hand and ran his thumb along her cheek, wiping away the trails of her tears.

Before Lilia could say another word, Zethan pulled her into a kiss.

It was warm, deep, unhurried—overflowing with love. The kind of kiss that made time stand still. Her hands moved slowly up his neck, drawing him even closer. The kiss deepened, their tongues meeting gently, tenderly, like every second mattered.

When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, gasping lightly for breath, lips still tingling from the magic of the moment.

Then Lilia glared at him, though her voice trembled with emotion.

"I’m still mad at you, honey," she said. "You left me. You made m-me so worried. You don’t know the kind of thoughts I had every day. But I still hoped."

She sniffled, voice cracking as tears welled again, the fear returning fresh.

"And y-you didn’t... you... you..."

Zethan listened patiently, letting her speak, his gaze calm and open.

"It’s okay, wife. You can talk to me whenever you want. I’m here... and I’ll always listen."

She nodded slowly, her eyes glistening with new tears.

Then he leaned in and gently kissed her eyes, as if trying to take away her pain.

Her eyes stretched open at his gesture.

"You waited so long to tell me those three words... and now you’re making me cry," she whispered.

"You can’t make me stop crying, Zethan. You just can’t."

She repeated the words softly, again and again, her voice catching with every breath.

"You... you made me wait so long."

Then her lips curved into a shaky smile.

"In fact... the punishment is five now. One more for making me wait so long," she said with a soft giggle slipping through her tears as she leaned into him.

Zethan just watched her, speechless—his wife, so strong yet so vulnerable, still finding ways to surprise him.

His gaze drifted to her clothes.

"I can see you came back from work, my wife," he murmured.

Lilia nodded with a small sniff and a tired smile.

"So... how was work today? Did Lucas annoy you again like last time?"

Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized something.

"You—you heard all that I said?"

Zethan nodded, his smile growing as her cheeks flushed.

"Every word."

"Even the part where I said how much I missed you... how much I wanted to fuck you and..."

Flustered, Lilia reached over and covered his mouth.

"Shh!"

Zethan laughed—a deep, joyful chuckle—as he shook his head in quiet happiness.

Then, his body stilled slightly as a thought crossed his mind. He spoke, his voice quiet.

"I’m actually surprised you’re not mad at me."

Lilia gently punched his shoulder—just enough to make her point.

"Why would I be mad, Zethan? After all you’ve done for me? You’ve protected me, loved me... why should I be mad?"

Zethan reached out, holding her chin delicately and lifting her face to meet his eyes. His expression turned serious.

"You have every right to be mad at me, my wife," he said softly. "Because I did something that..."

His voice trailed off, his gaze faltering as shame crept in.

But before he could say more, Lilia gently placed a finger over his lips.

"Shhh, honey," she whispered. "Don’t bring back the past. Let it stay where it belongs. We’ve buried it... It’s in the past, okay?"

To his surprise, she moved her finger down his lips again, like she was testing the strings of a guitar.

This wife of his... was really getting too comfortable with him—and he was enjoying every inch of it, even though she was leaving him speechless.

Zethan nodded slowly, still holding her.

Trying to shift the focus, he asked, "How’s your body? Are you okay?"

Lilia hesitated, then answered in a small, almost shy voice.

"I... I think I’m undergoing some changes."

She bit her lip and continued,

"My vision’s gotten clearer. I can hear things—like heartbeats. It’s strange, but it doesn’t feel bad... just different."

She paused, something clicking in her mind.

She turned to face him directly, her expression unsure.

"Do you... do you hear my heartbeat?"

Zethan gave her a soft smile and nodded.

"Yeah, sweetheart. All the time."

Her eyes widened.

"And you didn’t say anything?"

He shrugged, completely relaxed.

"You never asked."

Lilia stared at him in disbelief.

She couldn’t believe this man.

Her eyes widened further as a new realization hit her.

All those hard moments—the strange feelings in her body, the heightened senses—she had been growing, changing. She remembered the first time she could clearly hear heartbeats... how she used it to sense if someone was nervous, lying, angry, or calm.

And Zethan had known. All this time, he had known. And she... oh...

So that meant all this time, he could detect her lies, her...

Then Zethan spoke, quietly and calmly, almost too casually.

"Your immortality will be fully formed in three months, my wife... I’m glad you’re finally a vampire. Even if you’re only half, at least now I can do things with you without worrying you’ll fall asleep in the process."

Lilia gasped, her eyes flying open as she glared at him.

"Oh, you naughty little husband of mine!"

Zethan chuckled deeply, shaking his head.

"Nope. You’re the little one here, my wife," he said, standing tall before her—a playful reminder of the massive height difference between them.

Lilia couldn’t help but giggle. He was so full of himself.

Then she reached for his hand and said softly,

"Come on. Let’s go have some lunch. You haven’t eaten in a while."

Zethan raised a brow, amused.

"You’ve forgotten, my wife... we’re both vampires now."

Lilia rolled her eyes.

"Still. Let’s go," she said, unable to hide the wide smile tugging at her lips as she gently pulled him toward the door.

But just as they reached it, Zethan spoke again—this time, more solemnly.

"The reason I turned you into an immortal... is because you can’t return to the land of the dead."

His voice dropped lower.

"Not after we broke the forbidden rule. Both of us."