Ascension Of The Villain

Chapter 223 - 223: Broken Trust

"Well, that was spectacularly unhelpful," Vyan sighed, leaning back in his chair. They had spent ages discussing the novel over dinner, but it felt as though they had made no progress at all.

Leila nodded, setting down her napkin as the last of the plates were cleared away. "Yeah, I know. Too many things have changed from the original story."

"At least we learned a few things," Iyana offered, trying to keep the mood light.

"Not that anything is certain," Vyan replied, worry creasing his brow as he gazed into the empty space before him.

Iyana reached out, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat. "It's going to be okay. Don't stress too much."

Vyan managed a small, wry smile, but his eyes flicked to her lips, lingering there for a beat too long. "Your lip color… it's a little smudged," he noted, almost absently.

"Oh." Iyana touched her lip, blinking down at her fingers. "I will go fix it. Thanks." She rose, asking a server for directions to the restroom before disappearing into the hallway.

As soon as she was out of sight, Leila leaned in, her tone shifting. "By the way, I didn't bring this up in front of Iyana, but did anything like a carriage accident happen with you two? Like, was there ever a moment her life was at risk because of it?"

The memory washed over Vyan like a cold wave, making his heart stutter. He looked at Leila, trying to gauge what she knew.

Leila caught his reaction and nodded, sighing. "So, that's a definitive yes," she said softly. "In the novel, there was an accident, too. Back then, even though Iya was developing feelings for Easton, there was still that soft corner in her heart for you, ya know, because of your past together. She didn't know you had turned evil yet." She gave a small, hollow laugh.

"So when the accident happened, her first instinct was to protect you. And she did, at the cost of her own safety."

Vyan clenched his fists, getting a sense of where Leila was going with this.

"In the novel, the specifics were never revealed. It was just there to force Easton into realizing how much Iya meant to him, to make him imagine what life would be like if he had lost her. But, toward the end," Leila's gaze bore into him, "it was finally revealed that you were the one who saved her life."

Vyan's head dipped, his eyes avoiding hers. He didn't want a single soul to know about it, because he knew how his close ones might react to it—especially Iyana.

However, as he felt the weight of Leila's scrutiny, he admitted, "So, you know, huh?"

Leila nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know that you sacrificed ten years of your life for her."

"Don't say that out loud." Vyan shrugged, forcing nonchalance into his voice. "It's not that big a deal—"

"You really think it's not a big deal?"

The fragile, broken voice sliced through the air, and Vyan's blood ran cold. His head snapped up to see Iyana standing just a few feet away, her face pale, her lipstick still faintly smudged—the telltale sign that she had never reached the restroom. She had heard everything.

"Iyana… I—" He stumbled to his feet, but the words refused to come.

"Please… don't. Don't say anything."

For once, he was grateful that she had told him not to speak, because he was utterly lost for words. He hadn't planned on her knowing; he had no explanation prepared, no rehearsed lines. He had only done what he felt he needed to at the time. How could he make her understand?

But as Iyana turned away, he knew he had to move. He couldn't just let her go.

"Count Darren is coming to pick you up, right?" he called to Leila, barely waiting for her nod before he bolted after Iyana.

Out in the night, Vyan scanned the dimly lit street, heart pounding as he

"I didn't have any other choice," he argued, irritation creeping into his tone from the pounding rain. "I mean, I did, but the other options were worse than this. I did what I had to do."

"Vyan, I have already told you…" Iyana said, her voice trembling as she clung to a remnant of composure, a thin veil barely masking the pain in her eyes. "In fact, you promised me that you would take care of yourself better—"

"And I am doing my best to keep that promise now. This happened a while back, and you know what? Given the option now, I would still do the same thing, if it's to save your life."

She drew in a shaky breath, the rain mixing with tears she didn't bother to wipe away. "Who told you to prioritize my life over yours?"

"Well, you did it first," he replied, almost bitterly. "If you hadn't tried to shield me during the carriage accident, I wouldn't have needed to go through all this."

"That was instinct, Vyan. I would have done the same for anyone."

"And that's the difference," he replied, his voice cracking, his mask of bravado slipping away. "You would do it for anyone, but I would only do it for you. Why can't you get it? If you were in my shoes, you would have done the same, Iyana."

"Yes, but why did you hide it from me?" she demanded, the rain pounding around them like a relentless drumbeat. "You told me there were no more secrets between us—that there was nothing left hidden. And now, I find out that there was this—this huge, life-altering secret? Why couldn't you just tell me?"

"Because I knew this would happen!" he shot back, the frustration boiling over as he clenched his fists. "I knew you would react exactly like this, and look—I wasn't wrong. What good would it have done for you to know? You would only be left feeling guilty and angry, just like now."

"Don't you see what is wrong with that?" Iyana cried, her voice breaking as she took a step back, widening the space between them. "If you keep hiding things from me just because you are afraid of my reaction, then how is this ever supposed to work? How can I trust you, if you decide what I should or shouldn't know?"

"Trust? After everything, that's what you are questioning?" Vyan's words were laced with a bitter laugh. "After all we have been through, you are seriously telling me you don't trust me?"

"Yes, Vyan," she whispered, her voice catching on the syllables. "How can I? You say you have told me everything, that there is nothing more. But here I am, finding out about this—this sacrifice you made for me—and I am supposed to believe there is nothing else?" She shook her head, the disbelief etched into every line of her face. "How can I know? I can't trust you on this.

I don't know what else you are hiding from me. I just… I don't."