Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 856: He Knew ()

Alessio’s arms went around Neveah’s waist, hugging her from behind. He pulled her into his chest and nuzzled her neck.

She didn’t protest or resist. She felt too drained to attempt to. She just stood stiffly, with a faraway gaze.

"You’ve always been a clever girl," he murmured. "That’s what frustrated me the most, I think. That you weren’t quite like any other woman..."

He was quiet for a short moment, and then he continued in a softer tone. A whisper really, like he’d held the truth too long in his throat, it was hard to let it out.

"You were more. You’ve always been more."

The tip of his nose grazed her neck as he inhaled deeply, like he wanted her scent to be imprinted into his memory, etched into his own skin.

She tilted her head away from him, her gut churning in unspoken displeasure.

"I believe it’s time we laid all our cards on the table, Omega," he mused quietly.

"Isn’t it a little too late for that?" Neveah replied blankly.

He hadn’t been honest when honesty was all she had asked for. Now, she simply didn’t care for it anymore. He could build a fortress with his lies and deception if it suited him.

She didn’t care to be the one trying to tear it down anymore.

"How much do you know?" he asked.

"Enough." Neveah’s response was simple and straightforward.

"Then you know... that I’ll die before I let you leave me." He murmured it like he was simply speaking about the weather, and not voicing a threat.

She knew better. He wouldn’t let her go, not even in death.

But the thought of it was no longer terrifying. At the moment, she just felt numb.

"I know," Neveah replied in much the same manner.

Casual... unconcerned.

Alessio stiffened. Perhaps he’d expected a fiercer comeback. Or he’d hoped she would lash out now that she knew all he’d said were lies to serve his purpose.

And the fact that she didn’t, for some reason, hurt him.

Good. It was a reality he would also have to get used to.

When he finally spoke again, his voice was tame. Almost pleading.

"Be with me... and everything you love will be safe." His tone was barely audible. "As long as I have you, I don’t need anything else."

They fell into another uncertain silence. This time, it stretched. The weight of his words settled into her chest heavily.

Her eyes went closed.

There was something cruel about the way he said it. He was so calm and so certain. Like the world would bend just because he willed it.

Like she was already a part of him even if she did not yet realise it, and not her own person.

Neveah’s fingers twitched at her sides, she clenched them into a tight fist. No one was coming. She’d just made sure of that.

There was no window to climb out of, or terrace to leap down from. There were no memories to fall back on. She was here, stuck between what she could remember and what she couldn’t. Between who she had been, and whatever this was now...

Whatever this was supposed to be.

She didn’t want to stay.

By everything sane, she didn’t want to stay.

But there was something that she couldn’t risk losing.

Alessio knew it too. The man in the cavern had known it.

The ultimate trump card had always been in his hands, he’d just saved it for the best moment possible...and that was now.

She’d gone out of her way seeking for the truth, only to find out that the truth was in fact that she could not leave Alessio.

And he had always known it would eventually come to this.

He knew her too well, even when she didn’t know herself. When she didn’t know who she was.

He knew what choice she’d make, when she met the crossroads. He’d known that she would hope and hope to be selfish, but she would be unable to.

He knew her. That was the part that made her want to scream her lungs raw.

He’d always known her.

He knew exactly what string to tug on, to play her right into his hands. And still, he held it gently, like he believed they could be something more than just a puppet and a puppet master.

It was laughable. It was aggravating.

Neveah was quiet for the longest time, but finally, she said, "You’re not going to get the version of me you want. That version doesn’t exist."

He didn’t respond immediately. "I’m not trying to change you," he eventually said. "I’m just... not letting you go."

Neveah exhaled slowly. "Even if it means you’re only holding onto a husk?"

He turned her around. Too gently, it stirred wrath in her veins. His hands moved to her hips, but he didn’t pull her closer. Just stared at her.

"Even then."

Her eyes didn’t move from his. "I think I must have hated you," she said.

"You did."

Had it been any other situation, she might have laughed.

"If you know it so well, you should let me go."

"I can’t." He stated simply.

Her gaze shifted to stare past him, at nothing in particular. Just the stillness of the forest.

The worst part wasn’t that she was staying. It was that a part of her was starting to find logic in the madness.

If she stayed, the things she couldn’t name... couldn’t recall, would remain untouched. Safe... and maybe she was better off.

He reached up to touch her cheek, but she recoiled. A small gesture, but it was enough.

"I’m not going to act out this lie with you, Alessio."

"I never asked you to." He shrugged,

"Then don’t expect softness. Don’t expect warmth. Not from me. Not ever." Her gaze darkened. "I won’t marry you. Not here, not anywhere else."

He nodded. "I don’t expect anything. Just... stay."

She stared at him for a long time. There was something in his eyes...something desperate, depraved even. Like he was still trying to convince himself that if he held her tightly enough, she wouldn’t vanish.

"I’ll stay." Neveah said finally. Her tone resigned.

His tense shoulders eased visibly.

"But not for you," she clarified.

She didn’t have to say who. He understood.

_______

The carriage jostled gently as the wheels ran down the dirt road. Every now and then, they hit a bump and Neveah was jolted out of her reverie.

It’d been three days since they left the Eclipse Palace.

Every night, when they stopped for a rest at an inn, she sat on the edge of the bed with unfamiliar attendants waiting on her. A new pair on every night, changed quicker than she could get accustomed.

He had said he wanted her to be comfortable. If only he knew how ridiculous that sounded.

He never came to her while she rested. But she could sense him lurking somewhere down the hall. Every night. At every inn. He probably hadn’t slept.

He would wait and watch, listening for the sound of her leaving. He never found it.

Three days on the road, heading in a direction that was unfamiliar to her, to a destination she still knew nothing of.

But that no longer mattered. She had the chance to leave and she hadn’t taken it.

The farther from the Eclipse Palace they travelled, the deeper the numbness sunk in.

On the first day, she’d occasionally watched the roads they’d taken. In some vain hope that she could find her way back if the need arose. But she’d given up on that on the second day.

Not because she couldn’t keep track of the paths, but because even in the days to come, she still couldn’t leave...not until she was certain Eira would be safe.

Eira... she’d found it hard to think of the frozen woman as her mother, even if there was no doubt that she was.

After a while, she’d decided it wasn’t necessary. Not when she didn’t feel attached beyond a sense of duty.

Maybe it had something to do with what the man in the cave had said. Maybe she felt indebted to the woman who’d lost herself bringing her into the world.

Or maybe there was something more. A reason behind her deep-rooted reluctance to part with Eira now that she had found her, even when she didn’t feel compelled to think of her as her mother.

Whatever it was, Neveah had chosen to stay. Because leaving on her own would bring her answers and perhaps something greater, but the regrets that would follow... that, she could not bear.

She’d stayed not because she had chosen to honour Alessio’s plea, but to bide her time. Eira’s recovery was after all dependent on Alessio and Karan.

If this was the wrong choice or the right one, she would only know in the future.

The road ahead was long. She didn’t know what she would face. But for now, all she could do was hold on to that single reason she’d chosen not to leave with the ruby beast.

Eira.

Whether it was out of obligation, guilt, or some buried affection she couldn’t name.

Neveah didn’t care to understand it. She just knew she couldn’t walk away. Not yet. Not until the woman was awake