𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕗 ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕧𝕠𝕚𝕔𝕖𝕤....? (𝚁𝙴𝚆𝚁𝙸𝚃𝙴)

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 30 | 🆄🅽🅳🅴🆁🆆🅾🆁🅻🅳

🅽🅾🆃🅴

𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗐𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝖾 𝖺 𝖻𝗈𝗇𝗎𝗌 𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖾𝗇𝖽. 𝖨 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗍 𝗆𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝖻𝖾 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝖿𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗂𝗍, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗋𝗎𝗌𝗍 𝗆𝖾, 𝖺𝗅𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗈𝗇𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗆𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖧𝖾𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗇𝗂𝖼 𝗆𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗒.

✿✿✿

Miss Meadows was in denial.

Meanwhile, Eupha had reunited with someone she never expected to see again—her cousin. Lisira, against all odds, had helped her escape the underworld while Ferelthis was away. Ferelthis, who had left Eupha in the care of the God of the Underworld, had no idea how much would change in her absence.

Thanks to Lisira's cleverness, the two managed to make it to the surface. Lisira had permission to leave the underworld, but no one had anticipated she'd bring someone else with her. Yet, she did—Eupha.

Chaos and Trouble, reunited at last, were bound to wreak havoc.

As for Claire, she was recovering peacefully, though quietly, after being revived. The gods still didn't know she was alive.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Willow had done it. She'd completed the task she'd agreed to with her father. Finally, she had earned his approval—approval that meant she could have Baldi.

Once Baldi finished his part, she and he could finally marry.

So why did she feel so... empty?

It couldn't be because of her small feelings for Aiko. No, that was absurd.

Just a ridiculous attachment, that's all. It wasn't surprising. Expected, even. She and Miss Circle had shared an emotional and intimate bond, though Willow knew it had always been one-sided. Aiko wouldn't—couldn't—love her. Not as a woman, anyway. To Aiko, she was William Marsh. Just a façade. Miss Circle would never love her. Not now. Not back then.

Yet, it still hurt.

Her heart had skipped—no, stopped—when she met the hatred and betrayal in Aiko's eyes.

It...

It hurt.

But maybe... maybe it wasn't the hurt of rejection. Maybe it was guilt. Willow had used Circle, knowing full well their first ever relationship was already fractured. It had broken the moment Aiko discovered the arranged marriage Willow had been hiding.

Not that the marriage had meant anything to her—her previous husband could rot in hell. But Miss Circle? She... Willow knew she'd moved on.

And Willow had Baldi now. He'd been there for her through that nightmare of a marriage.

So why...

Why did it feel like her heart was tangled in knots whenever she thought of Aiko?

No, no, no—it's not like that!

Willow shook her head violently, as though the motion could banish the thought. She was in the middle of texting Mister Demi, her best friend. She hadn't realized how long she'd left his last message unanswered until another popped up. Willow scrambled to reply, only to find her mind wandering.