Lidiya never thought her life would lead her here-to a marriage with a man she barely knew in the remote village of Roxana. But as a poor farmer's daughter, her fate was never truly hers to choose. She hadn't imagined her wedding night would be one...
Lidiya's mind raced with the new revelations as she stood in the small, dilapidated kitchen. Her stomach rumbled, but her appetite had been lost to the swirling confusion inside her. She had been running for so long, fighting battles she didn't fully understand, and now the pieces were starting to fall into place-though they painted a picture even more tragic and convoluted than she could have imagined.
The broken frame in her hand showed Zidane and Aurora, smiling in a way she had never seen him smile before. His eyes were soft, his face at ease-so different from the cold, calculating expression she had come to know. And Aurora-her beauty was striking. With her delicate features, her flowing hair, and the necklace that Lidiya now recognized as her own wedding gift from Oswen. How did that necklace find its way from Aurora to Oswen? she wondered, her heart aching with a mix of pity and anger.
She held the frame closer, examining every detail. There was no denying the tenderness between them. Zidane had once loved deeply-passionately, even. But something had shattered that love, leaving him twisted and bitter, a shell of the man in the photograph. It was a startling realization, and it made her see him in a new light. Was this what turned him into the monster I know now?
Still holding the frame, she walked outside, the cool evening air brushing against her skin. The night was quiet, save for the sound of Zidane sharpening his blade near the edge of the forest. His white hair shimmered in the moonlight, and she caught herself staring at him, taking in the change in his appearance. Despite everything, he looked... dignified. The silver hair suited him, giving him a regal air that was hard to ignore.
Lidiya's thoughts swirled. I need to know the truth. She couldn't keep running forever, and she was tired-tired of fighting a war she didn't understand, tired of living in fear of a man who had once been capable of love. She clutched the frame tighter, feeling the weight of the questions pressing down on her.
With a deep breath, she approached him. "Zidane," she called, her voice softer than usual.
He paused, looking up from his blade with narrowed eyes. "What is it?" His voice was gruff, his tone as unreadable as ever.
She hesitated for a moment, unsure how to begin. But there was no turning back now. "I found this," she said, holding up the broken frame.
His expression darkened instantly. His gaze flickered from the photograph to her face, and for a brief moment, something like pain crossed his features-but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"Why do you care about that?" he muttered, turning back to his blade.
Lidiya stepped closer, her heart pounding in her chest. "I think I deserve to know the truth. You've been chasing me, controlling me, tormenting me-and I still don't understand why. What happened to you, Zidane? Why are you doing this? What did Oswen do to deserve your hatred?"
He didn't respond at first. His jaw clenched, and he resumed sharpening his blade, the rasping sound filling the tense silence between them. Lidiya's patience was wearing thin. She was done with the half-truths and the games.
"Answer me!" she demanded, her voice rising. "I've seen the picture. I know you were once in love with Aurora. I know the necklace Oswen gave me belonged to her. What happened to her, Zidane? What happened to you?"
For a long time, Zidane didn't move. Then, slowly, he stood up, his eyes cold as he turned to face her. "You really want to know?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.
Lidiya nodded, refusing to back down. "I do."
Zidane's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Aurora was everything to me," he began, his voice laced with old pain. "She was my world. We were supposed to live a life together-until your precious Oswen came along. He seduced her, used her, and then threw her away like she was nothing. And when she couldn't bear the shame, she took her own life."
Lidiya's breath caught in her throat. "No," she whispered, her heart sinking. "That can't be true."
Zidane's eyes flashed with anger. "Believe what you want, but that's the truth. Oswen wasn't the man you thought he was. He was a liar, a cheat, and a coward. He ruined my life, and I swore I would destroy his in return."
Lidiya's hands trembled as she held the frame, her mind reeling. Could it really be true? Had Oswen betrayed her-and Zidane-in such a terrible way? And if so, what did that make her? She had fought so hard for Oswen's memory, for his spirit, but now she wasn't sure she even knew the man she had loved.
"But why me?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why did you marry me? Why keep me in this prison of yours?"
Zidane's expression softened, just for a moment. "Because you remind me of her," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "You have the same fire, the same defiance. And part of me... part of me wanted to protect you from the world that took her away from me."
Lidiya felt a tear slip down her cheek as she stared at him, this broken man who had once loved so deeply and lost everything. For the first time, she saw the vulnerability behind the mask. But it didn't change what he had done-what he had put her through.
"You don't own me, Zidane," she said softly but firmly, wiping her tears. "I am not Aurora. I am not your possession."
Zidane's face hardened once more, his defenses rising again. "You're right," he said coldly. "You're not her. But you're still mine, Lidiya. Don't forget that."
With that, he turned away, leaving her standing alone in the moonlit clearing, clutching the broken frame of a love long lost.
Picture or Aurora and Zidane
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