CHAPTER 26

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you showed me colors that I couldn't see with anyone else  

-Taylor Swift

Taking a deep breath, she delicately set her comb aside

There is nothing nothing that you couldn't go through haven, you will go through this as well.

Hell is your home, you just need to accept it.

These were the words that she kept saying over and over again in her head looking at her reflection in the mirror.

There was no fight left in her, all that was left was the will to keep Aezvan safe. With a final glance at herself, she walked out of her room.

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As she walked downstairs, descended the grand staircase, the enticing aroma of a meticulously prepared breakfast enveloped her, a fragrant symphony that danced through the air. Upon her arrival in the dining room, her eyes found themselves drawn to the presence of an elderly couple standing with Aerius.

"Oh, look, here she is, my beautiful sister," Aerius exclaimed, gracing Haven with a smile. She couldn't help but suppress a scoff at the charade he was orchestrating so masterfully.

The elderly couple slowly approached, their expressions unreadable, nodding in approval as if granting some silent approval. Haven paid little mind to their enigmatic presence, her singular desire being to retreat to her room and lock herself away from this unusual gathering.

"Hi, I am Maverick" introduced a man of almost the same age as Aezvan, though perhaps slightly older. 

Not forgetting Aerius threat, she turned towards him and he subtly nodded gracing her with permission.

"Hi, I am H- Evange-"

"Evangelina, what a boring name... but fits you. Reflects your personality" As she began to introduce herself, she was abruptly interrupted by another voice, one filled with a discourteous contempt that pierced through the polite facade. The man, in his early thirties, stood tall before her, regarding her with an air of disdain. She kept quite, there was no good in standing up for herself, she had learnt that the hard way.

"Be in your limits Sebastien, I wouldn't hold myself back if you dare say a word against my little snow" Aerius warned, his protectiveness for Haven taking her by surprise. 

'Weren't these guests important for him. Why is he offending them?, it wasn't the first time someone was openly insulted her, he had done that countless time himself. What a hypocrite'

She thought in her head.

Sebastien just smirked and walked past by her.

"My, my, Hayden, you aren't supposed to show your emotions like this. Everyone already has their eyes on your position. What if somebody were to drag you down using your weakness—a beautiful weakness, in fact?" The elderly woman spoke, her voice tinged with a smirk.

"Well, that would be fun," Aerius responded with a nonchalant tone, seemingly unfazed by the implications.

Haven was about to lower her gaze, attempting to escape the uncomfortable exchange when her eyes unexpectedly locked onto someone in the room, a sight that sent a shockwave through her core.

Ivan.

The name escaped her lips in a barely audible whisper. Even though her voice was hushed, Ivan's ears were attuned to the sound of it, for her voice was etched into his heart.

Ivan, the man she had once loved deeply, had been her confidant and the one with whom she'd shared her painful past. He had been the painter of her world, revealing vibrant colors, but he was also the one to plunge her back into the darkest shade of black. Ivan, the person who had heartlessly abandoned her without a second thought, leaving her in the clutches of the same monstrous past she had fought so hard to escape.

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