𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 | Xiao x Reader

18

A/n: Almost done with this book! Just one more part to go so I hope you like it!!

..........

You followed Zhongli into the funeral parlor, feeling your heart pound as you wondered just what more he could possibly have to tell you.

Since your previous conversations with him had often been unpleasant, you promised yourself you could up and leave whenever you wanted, should things go south. But until then, you were willing to try to listen.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, you could see that it was a little after two in the morning now, meaning you had until about six before the others would wake up and realize you'd left. If you weren't back by then, you knew all hell would break loose.

Zhongli took a seat on a couch in the main room of the building, gesturing for you to do the same. You moved to a different chair, plopping down and eying him suspiciously before looking around to see if anyone else was in the building to potentially overhear you.

"No one else is here," he assured, almost as if he'd read your mind, "Director Hu is asleep in her room on the second floor, but I assure you, she sleeps like a rock. I am the only other person who has a key." You nodded, finally leaning back in your chair as you waited for him to continue. When he didn't, you raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"I don't have all night, you know." You told him, eyes drifting over to the nearby fireplace, which seemed to have been put out only recently, because the cinders were still glowing a dim red.

"Right," he cleared his throat, finally seeming to break from his daze. "Y/n, I brought you here because...I believe I owe you a sincere apology for many things."

You whipped your head back to look at him, a look of disbelief on your face. Not once in the thousands of years since you'd left Liyue had he ever wanted to apologize to you. After all, if he had, he could have at least written a letter, or even visited Snezhnaya to see you himself. Not that you would have accepted it in either form...

"Okay..." You replied finally, crossing your arms.

"I know this will not make up for any of what you've endured because of me," He continued, gaze cast down at his hands, "but I am truly, truly sorry, Y/n." He paused for a second, his voice becoming shakier at the end of that sentence. Still, he swallowed hard, continuing.

"I am sorry for condemning you to a fate based on a contract you had no say in," he said softly, "for dragging you here to Liyue to perform a duty you had no responsibility to, and most of all, for being a horrible father to you."

You listened intently, letting the words sink in but not knowing what to think about them. They were exactly what you'd been wanting to hear since the day you left, and yet, coming from him now, they were so hard to believe. You almost wanted to stand up and walk out right then and there, to call him a liar and scream in his face before storming away. But the tears glistening in his eyes matched your own, and they held you in your place.

"You do not have to forgive me, ever..." He kept going, "But know that giving you up was the biggest regret of my life, Y/n."

You truly didn't know what to say to that, so instead, you opted for silence. You felt like the ceiling had come crashing down on you, knocking the wind right out of your chest, Even though many tears formed in your eyes, you refused to let them spill over, not yet.

"Thank you for hearing me out," he finally finished, "You did not have to." You just nodded, still feeling as if you were at a loss for words. After all, even though you'd dreamt of this moment for so long, you'd never thought it would actually come true, so there had been no reason to prepare for it before.