Chapter 8
Lola was obviously keen to make a scene and complain out loud without an ounce of dignity.
Everyone in the event hall was at once silent, though whispers of disapproval could soon be heard.
It was only then that I found out what had happened to Lola.
After Sirius cut her tail and chased her out of his house, my parents also ignored her pleas for help now, after having grown utterly disappointed in her.
As such, she was left wandering the streets, but she realized she was pregnant as her belly started to swell.
Even if Sirius tried to tear her off himself in his rage, she clung on to his leg with a vice-like grip-the child was both her only leverage against him and the one chance she could use to turn things around.
Still, Sirius’s family was nothing more than a joke to everyone watching now.
Even his father came running to the event hall when he heard and had to force Sirius take Lola home to save face.
Still, before she left, Lola shot me a resentful glare, her face distorted from sheer jealousy and indignation.
I shrugged and headed home with Ebony, who rubbed my shoulders as usual and prepared a warm bath.
Still, I looked him in the eye and asked, “When you chased that woman out… what did you mean you had a crush on me for years?
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He paused, silent for a moment before heading to his study.
I was just feeling perplexed when I saw him return with the Elixir of Truth.
He drank it as I watched, and he said, “I’ve been in love with you for seven years. Do you remember a black snake you saved when you were studying herbs on the mountains? I had to revert to my beast form after being attacked by an enemy, but you saved me with your potions.
“You were basically divine when you came to save me from the brink of death, and I’ve fallen for you since that day… although you were engaged when I found you.”
I was shocked. “You were that black snake?”
I thought the snake was just an ordinary snake, but instead, I had saved the future head of the Serpentkins by sheer coincidence.
Still, I remembered another thing. “You saved me from that car that gone out of control too, didn’t you?”””
“Yes.” Ebony nodded, grimacing as if in pain. “Sorry, I was late because of work and couldn’t stop them from hurting your hand.
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I glanced at my palm, but it was good as new-his ointment was very effective, leaving no scars while quickly healing my hand.
I went up and hugged him. “Thanks, my love.”
Ebony stiffened, flushing up to his neck—he was exceedingly honest after taking the Elixir of Truth.
He took my hand and pressed against his face, his eyes gleaming with thrill as he asked, “Can you call me that one me time?”
Ebony became even more clingy after he confessed, and he took me flying across the world for our honeymoon, using up the annual leaves that he had never used over the years.
Life was certainly much easier without Sirius bothering us, though we still received word from home about him.
1/3
Chapter 8
Lola and Sirius hated each other now and were tormenting each other every day, but they were locked in a stalemate because of
Lola’s pregnancy.
But while I thought that meant peace for us, bad things inevitably happened.
It started with Sirirus and Lola having a fight by the road one day, pushing and shoving each other.
She lost the baby and her worth with it.
Sirius’s family once again chased her out, and Sirius once again stalked me.
“There’s nothing coming in between us now,” he told me when he saw me, smiling with sick obsession.
Even as I was caught by surprise, an outrageous thought occurred to me.
Wasn’t it possible that the accident was no accident, and that Sirius was crazy enough to kill his own child?!
Before I could speak, Lola came bursting out of a nearby bush, her face contorted in madness as she stabbed a fruit knife at me.” Die, Winnie! You’re the reason this happened to me! And lucky for me, you only have one life left! After taking away eight, I can still take the last!”
Shunk!
Sirius had jumped in front of me, blood trickling out of his lips as he slowly dropped after stopping the knife.
And it was obvious that he was going to be impotent, given where Lola’s knife struck.
Still, the cops soon arrived and arrested Lola.
Sirius was eventually discharged after extensive rehab, but the cops soon arrested him, after he was found to have deliberately caused Lola’s miscarriage.
As for me, all was well. With just three years of hard work, I became the nation’s best potions master, and Ebony and I were gifted twins-a boy and a girl.
The girl was a rare nine-tailed foxkin like myself, while the boy was a black snake like Ebony.
Naturally, rumors about Ebony being impotent faded, though there were new ones about him being a slave to his wife.
Over the years, my parents came over to our house countless times, saying that they want to make it up to me, even sending me wedding gifts that they had never thought to give back then.
I refused to see them at all-my life was happy and fulfilling, and their tit-for-tat affection was unnecessary.
When we celebrated our twins turning a month old, every rich and powerful person showed up, sending us endless gifts.
I was playing with the babies when a waiter brought in a huge gift box, saying that someone not on the guest list had brought it and left without giving a name.
I opened to see it containing countless priceless treasures and a stock certificate worth twenty percent of Sirius’s company’s shares.
And at the bottom was a ring-the one I had thrown into the sewers.
So Sirius had somehow managed to find it.
Regrettably, the ring itself had lost its meaning.
I closed the gift box and rewrapped it, calmly telling the waiter, “Please deliver it back, and send a message.”
“What is it?” the waiter asked.
“I forgive you, Sirius, but we shall never meet again.
