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Chapter 260 - I Promise

Lina found herself in a nightmare. She opened her eyes to sunlight on her skin, the wind in her hair, and the meadow scent tickling her nose. Forest trees wrapped around the enormous meadow, where flowers of all colors and sizes could be seen. She gazed up at the sky, astonished by the beautiful white clouds, and abundance of birds. She noticed a pack of ravens flying by, chasing a white dove. Before she could follow it any longer, an ecstatic voice filled the air.

"Mama, Mama!"

Lina turned around. She had never heard such excitement and joy before. The childlike wonder and innocence were hard to miss. When she glanced down, she saw the ancient dresses she wore, as a Princess of Teran.

Lina\'s chest tightened in disbelief. Without warning, a tiny body dashed right into her legs. The child squealed in delight, burying its face into her lower stomach, rubbing the spot. The child hugged her tightly, revealing cropped brown hair. When he peered up at her, she felt her entire world stop.

Red eyes.

"Mama, Mama!" The boy exclaimed, tugging at her dress with a large, crooked smile.

Lina could see the resemblance to his father. Her breathing quickened. They were the split image of each other. It was hard to even distinguish her own features in the child. Staggering backward, she tried to create distance between them. Not because she hated children, but because she knew this was a dream.

"Mama?" the boy naively asked, tilting his head in confusion. "Mama…"

"I-I\'m—"

"Mama, look, I made you a ring!" Her son called out, revealing a white daisy ring, with wilting petals and a dying stem. She glanced at it in disbelief as he tucked it onto her finger.

"And and, I got a boo-boo…" the child complained, stepping back to show her his scraped knee.

With shakiness, Lina slowly lowered onto her knees. She wanted to be eye-level with the boy. Holding onto his shoulders, she quickly searched his face. Her heart broke at the sight of what could\'ve been hers. The child that could\'ve been birthed. The family she could\'ve had with Kaden.

"You\'re such a handsome boy," Lina murmured, stroking him on the cheeks. His cheeks were round and filled with color. A well-loved child. That was what he could\'ve been. But she had taken it from him and Kaden.

"Mama, my boo-boo…" the boy pouted, widening his eyes at her neglect. His sulking deepened when she pinched him on the face.

"Ow, Mama, that hurts," he whined.

"You\'re real," Lina said to herself, but she knew he wasn\'t.

Lina lowered her gaze to his knee. She didn\'t know how parents comforted sullen children. She never had the luxury to whine and pout in front of her parents. The only reason Evelyn and Linden got married was because of her. If it wasn\'t for the pregnancy, they would\'ve long gone their separate ways.

Wanting to please her grandparents, Lina never complained about anything—not even when she fell down.

"P-pain…" Lina attempted.

Lina stared at the boy. He looked at her expectantly, his face the mirror image of his father. Unable to deny him of his request, she bent towards him, kissed him on the cheek, and made a small gesture with her other hand.

"Pain, pain, fly away," Lina softly sang, brushing her thumb on his cheek. "There, all gone."

The child blinked back tears. His face was filled with confusion whilst looking down at her.

"No, Mama," he said, grabbing her hand and placing it elsewhere. "The pain is here."

Lina\'s smile dropped. She let out a shriek, falling backward in fear. Blood dripped down her son\'s neck, in the exact spot she had sliced in her first life. Lina tried to scramble away from him, but found herself frozen in place. Vines grew from the soil, clutching her ankles and wrists.

"Mama, Mama, it hurts…" he gurgled, holding tightly onto his throat, where the blood did not stop. "Mama, Mama, why did you hurt me?"

Lina couldn\'t stop shaking. She tried to look away, she tried to run. She was unable to face the consequences of what she did. Without warning, he pounced at her.

- - - - -

Lina screamed bloody murder. She shot out of bed, tightly clenching something in between her fingertips. Hot tears trickled down her face as she struggled in bed. Gasping for air, she saw what it was. The report was crumbled in the sheets, her fingers on the wax seal. She had opened it.

Lina\'s entire body couldn\'t stop trembling. She heard urgent footsteps approaching. The doors slammed open as she heard the click of a trigger.

"I\'ll kill you," Kaden snarled, pointing the gun towards the bed, where he assumed the intruder would be. His eyes were on fire, his face filled with vengeance, and his lips curled.

But at the sight of no one in bed, except his wife, Kaden lowered his gun. Through the moonlight, he saw what injured his wife. It wasn\'t a person or thing. It was her nightmares.

"Kaden…" Lina whispered, her gaze rapidly searching for him.

Lina didn\'t know how she planned on telling him the truth of what she saw. She didn\'t know how she could reveal the information about the child. The truth would ruin them. It would shatter their hearts.

"Dove…" Kaden breathed out, tossing his gun to the ground. He immediately closed the distance between them, rushing to her side.

Lina was limp in his embrace. She saw his tie was loosened as if he had just come home. He smelled like blood. Her stomach twisted in the realization that he tortured someone, again. Letting out a shaky breath, she couldn\'t find it in herself to embrace him.

"It\'s alright, my dove," Kaden murmured, pulling her into his lap. He kissed her on the side of the head, whilst stroking her hair.

"You\'re shaking." Kaden tightened his grip and placed the blankets over her. She resembled a newborn lamb in his arms. Terrified of the world. Uncertain of everything. He could do nothing, but hold her.

"It\'s just a dream," Kaden said to her. "It can\'t hurt you."

Kaden pulled back a bit to touch her face. But she was no longer looking at him, instead, she was staring at something on the nightstand. When he turned his head, he also saw it.

The report. It was opened.

"I didn\'t—"

"You saw."

"I didn\'t!" Lina insisted, showing him her finger. "I-I must\'ve grabbed it in my dream, but I swear I didn\'t look at it!"

Kaden\'s face grew frigid. He released her, his arms falling to his side. He took the report from the nightstand, unable to believe her. Why else would she have a nightmare?

"I didn\'t look at it!" Lina repeated, attempting to grab him.

"How could you be so cruel to check?" Kaden murmured.

Lina was stunned by his words. Did he truly not believe her? "I was grabbing Krystal\'s contract from my drawers, but I accidentally took this instead. I was going to put it back, but I was tired from all the unpacking and wanted to take a nap."

Lina grabbed for him, but he pulled away.

"Kaden…" Lina trailed off, her heartbreaking on the spot. But then, she realized something.

"Why would you be so furious?" Lina murmured. "It\'s almost as if you know the answer."

Kaden\'s eyes darkened significantly. "Do not turn the tables on me."

"Do you know the answer?" Lina demanded.

"No."

Lina narrowed her gaze.

"But from your reaction, I assume you must know the answer," Kaden shot back.

"I truly didn\'t look!" Lina argued, finally raising her voice in hope of convincing him.

"You can be so cruel sometimes…" Kaden softly said, grabbing her by the upper arms.

Lina could only stare at him, helplessly and confused. Tears filled her eyes at the realization that he didn\'t believe her. She couldn\'t tell if she was angry or hurt. She cried at both emotions.

"I promise," Lina attempted to convince him.

Lina searched his face for his response—for any ounce of mercy or emotions. Kaden\'s handsome features froze over, like ice on a mountain peak. She felt her heart fall to the ground, stomped on by his mistrust in her. His eyes were dead and deserted. She felt her breath hitch.

Kaden truly didn\'t believe her.

"What are you doing?" Lina shakily asked as he leaned in, his mouth landing on her forehead.

"N-no—" Lina attempted, but she felt it anyway.

Lina\'s eyes rolled back. The last thing she remembered was Pure-Bloods had supernatural abilities. And from her foggy memories, despite her clear mind, she knew what his power was. But the thought would never linger, for she felt the world turn black.

The very last thing she said to him was, "I really don\'t know…"