Self

Chapter 55

Yara made a beeline for the books as soon as she was inside, carefully setting them up. By the time she finished, she was drenched in sweat.

Fresh from the shower, she spotted the ointment on the coffee table. She dabbed some e on the bruises that marred her chest and waist, the cooling mint scent soothing more than just the ache.

It was still early, and she had planned to dive into a book, but exhaustion weighed heavy on her eyelids. Her head throbbed, and she surrendered to sleep, drifting off quickly.

However, rest was elusive; nightmares stalked her dreams, turning the quiet night turbulent.

In the grip of a nightmare, Yale lunged at her like a nightmare came to life, and she could not shake him off no matter how hard she tried. The terror was so intense, so vivid, that she grabbed her collar in a death grip, and her eyes snapped open, her breath coming in ragged, desperate gulps.

The night pressed in, dark and deep, but the thought of closing her eyes again was unthinkable.

She reached for her phone and dialed Rainie, but all she got was the endless ring of an unanswered call..

Her fingers tightened around the phone as she rose to her feet, and she noticed a light on the balcony next door. After a brief hesitation, she opened her messaging app and sent a message to Wade.

[Yara: Still up?]

The silence stretched on, and just as her eyelids were drooping with the weight of her exhaustion, her phone buzzed to life.

[Wade: Yeah.]

Yara was slow to check her phone, but then another message popped up.

[Wade: Look outside.]

She lifted her gaze to the quiet night sky, a canvas of stars twinkling in the vastness, a scattered tapestry of light.

[Wade: See that shape straight ahead, like an angular bend? That’s the Gemini constellation.]

Her phone kept buzzing with a stream of messages.

[Wade: In ancient Greek lore, the Gemini twins emerged from a golden egg. The elder was a harbinger of war and floods, a walking disaster, while the younger was a child blessed by the god of love, humanity’s guardian]

[Wade: Green with envy, the elder tried to kill his brother time and again. But the younger, understanding his brother’s heart, willingly became the sacrifice when the time came.]

[Wade: The younger’s sacrifice woke the elder to his senses. He fought valiantly for his country, and, in death, he and his brother were graced by the gods, immortalized as the constellation Gemini, one of the twelve.]

[Wade: And so, Gemini is the only constellation where the stars are linked, hailed as the most beautiful, yet also the most elusive.]

[Wade: Doesn’t the thought of spotting such a rare beauty make you feel a little better?]

A smile tugged at Yara’s lips. He must not be used to typing; it took him nearly ten minutes to craft those messages.

Chapter 55

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However, just like he said, she stumbled upon something extraordinary, and it was like a dose of magic had calmed her anxious heart.

She whipped out her phone and texted back.

[Yara: Thanks. I’m feeling a ton better now.]

Wade could not help but smirk as her text lit up

his screen.

He was about to dive back into his report when his phone buzzed again.

[Yara: So happy to watch the stars with you. Night!]

The study in the villa was still lit under that shared sky.

Yale stared at the barren bookshelf, the image of Yara cozying up to Wade earlier that day burning in his mind, and in a fit of rage, he shattered the cup next to him.

Then, his phone chimed. It was Xandra.

[Xandra: Babe, are you all done with work? It’s been ages since I’ve seen you. I miss you like crazy! I’ve planned out a bunch of stuff. How about a date next week?]

Yale skimmed the messages and stopped at the last one. [Xandra: Can I swing by right now?]