Unraveling Eden ✔ [ONC 2021]

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

A warm hand on my shoulder pulled me from my slumber, as a soft voice whispered my name. My eyes fluttered open and I peeled my cheek off the page as I lifted my head. The jacket placed over my torso slipped down onto the sofa as Ethan's face came into view and he knelt in front of me. An unfamiliar scent hit my nose and I slowly remembered where I was. The town archives. I must have dozed off while looking through one of the books. "Sorry..." I muttered. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. How long has it been?"

"Just a few hours, but hey, don't worry. I think I found something anyway," he said very nonchalantly, but it made hope radiate through me and caused my heartbeat to quicken in my chest. I could almost imagine the sense of relief I would have felt if we found out that my dreams truly had been real and that I wasn't crazy.

"Really?" I jumped to my feet and saw the array of books open on the table. The amount of work he has done was evident, while I had been asleep. My hands grasped the side of the table as I leaned over, scouring for the piece of information that proved this mess was real. Ethan reached over, pressing his finger against a page. An old birth certificate with the name, Niklaus Undergrove. My hand flew over my open mouth as tears pricked my eyes. "Oh my god, that's it," I muttered breathlessly.

I turned to look at Ethan and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. Pushing my head into his neck, his arms wrapped around my waist. It was real, all of it. Even if I didn't know how or why I was having these dreams, whether these were past lives and we were reincarnations, it still brought me some peace. I really thought I was having some sort of mental break, that history was repeating itself, just in a different way.

"You did it. Thank you for believing me," I whispered against his ear.

He nodded against me. "Always." Slowly, he pulled me back so we were face to face. He gestured toward the table, clearing his throat. "There's something else though."

Underneath the birth certificate was a small portrait of Niklaus. It was just as I remembered and he was a dead ringer for Ethan, it was uncanny. I took it in my grasp and held it up so he and Ethan were side by side. The facial features, even the birthmark on the side of the neck were the same. The only differences were related to the time period, the clothing, and hairstyles.

"Insane, right?"

My eyes focused on Nik and it felt as though I was being sucked into the portrait, traveling back in time. A tingling feeling ran down my arms as the room began to spin. "Ethan, I don't feel so..."

He grabbed me by the waist as I began to lose feeling in my body and the world went black.

My wrists burned as rope dug into my skin and my head hung low. I was knelt, about to confess my sins to the King and Queen. To them, I was the trollop who seduced their son. A wretched girl whose end was in the near future. A guard stood at my side, the sword hanging from his belt swaying as he awaited the order to cut off my head.

The sound of the door bursting open made my head raise, only for the guard to shove it back down. A whimper escaped my lips as I teetered back and forth on my knees, thankfully steadying before I was to land face-first on the cold floor.

"Get away from her!" a familiar voice boomed, which was followed by loud footsteps.

"Nik..." I tried to shout, though it came out as a mere whisper.

"Delphine..." Swiftly, he scooped me into his arms and pulled me to my feet. I melted into his side, letting my trembling body relax. He pushed the hair from off my face and looked deep into my eyes, silently asking if I was alright. I nodded against his side, I knew he would never let anyone or anything hurt me so maybe he could save me. "How could you do this?!" he spat at his parents who were sitting regally at the head of the room, overseeing my demise.