Chapter 196
Nyssa pov
He was crying.
Darius was crying in my arms, his hands wrapped tightly around me, pulling me so close it felt like I might shatter if he ever let go. And maybe I was breaking too, standing there with my heart hammering against my chest, my breath sharp and heavy as his words echoed over and over in my head:
“It’s you, Liana.”
D–did that mean he finally believed me? That he truly knew I was Liana?
What was happening? Even though I tried not to show it, fear twisted in my stomach. I had expected him to explode in rage, to throw me away like a rag doll. But instead… here he was, holding me. Hugging me.
“It really is you, right? Liana… it’s you…” he choked out, his voice heavy, carrying a sadness so deep it tore at
- me.
Hearing Darius cry, feeling his tears dampen my shoulder, made my heart ache. Before I knew it, I tightened my hold on him and whispered, my voice barely audible, yet he still heard me.
“Yes, Darius… yes, it’s me. Liana. It’s me,” I said with a trembling smile, clinging to him, not wanting to let go.
Why should I?
After so many centuries apart, we had finally found each other again, not as Nyssa and Darius, but as Liana and Darius. As the lovers torn apart by fate, whose love had been cut short.
I missed him. The man who once smiled so easily, who never used a mask to hide his emotions.
“How-” Darius began, his voice breaking as he leaned back just enough to see me. The moment his face came into view, I couldn’t stop my own tears from spilling.
They streamed down his cheeks, his wild eyes fixed on me with disbelief… and hope.
“How is this possible? Are–are you really Liana? You smell like her, but… are you truly her?” he asked, voice trembling as his hands gripped my shoulders. He searched my face desperately, and a soft laugh slipped from me as I nodded.
“Yes. I didn’t know I was Liana either, not until that day in the room. Then… everything came rushing back.” I leaned into him, pressing my forehead against his, our breaths mingling as I cupped his face gently.
“I remembered you. The goddess was there, Sandra, the blind woman. She made me remember everything
before she left.”
His eyes widened at my words, and something seemed to snap inside him. He gasped, his gaze trembling, and I leaned in closer until there was barely any space left between us.
“Ever since I came to this pack, everything felt familiar, like I’d been here before. It was like a distant memory… and then I began having vivid dreams about our past. Even though our faces were blurred in them, it still felt real, still felt like you. Darius… even though I died back then, even though it seemed like I was gone, I wasn’t. My soul never left you. My heart still longed for you, still yearned to find you again. And now… now we finally have.”
Darius’s eyes quivered at my words, a weak scoff slipping past his lips as fresh tears spilled down his cheeks. He shook his head, broken.
“You were here all along? The one I’ve been longing for, for so many years… you were right in front of me all
this time.”
His voice cracked, more to himself than to me, and I watched as he stumbled back a step, the words spilling out in harsh, ragged breaths as he cried even harder..
“And I didn’t know… I almost rejected you, I almost killed you. I treated you so cruelly, all while missing you, while still wanting to be with you.”
He took another step back, and I shook my head, already knowing he believed me now, already seeing the guilt eating away at him. But he cut me off, his voice breaking so deeply it hurt.
“Liana… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Forgive me, for everything I’ve done. Please… please forgive me. It’s all my fault. You died back then because of me, and even now I almost killed you again. Everything… everything
my fault.”
is
And then Darius collapsed to the ground, burying his face in his hands as sobs wracked his body. Without hesitation, I rushed to him, wrapping my arms tightly around his frame, holding him as close as I could while whispering against his ear.
“No, my king… it isn’t your fault. It’s fine. I’m fine. What happened in the past is done, let us let it go and live in the present, okay? I’m here now… and everything will be fine.”
I said with a smile, forcing back the tears as Darius slowly lifted his head, his teary eyes locking onto mine. For a moment, he just stared, saying nothing. Silence stretched between us, the air thick and suffocating, and just when I thought he wouldn’t speak, he finally uttered my name, not Liana, but the one I carried in this life.
“Nyssa…”
Before I could even react, before I could process the weight of it, he closed the distance. His hand slid to the back of my head, pulling me to him as his lips crashed against mine in a kiss so sudden and fierce it stole the very breath from my lungs.
My eyes widened as he dragged me closer, his mouth moving against mine in a rough, desperate rhythm, and the next second, I melted into him, my arms wrapping tightly around his shoulders as I kissed him back.
My eyes fluttered shut, my heart pounding wildly in my chest, as everything else faded. The world blurred, leaving only us.
A soft moan slipped from me as Darius’s hand gripped the back of my head, his other sliding lower to the curve of my butt, pulling me flush against him. The kiss deepened, rough and hungry, and my whole body grew hot, arching for him as heat pooled between my legs. He seemed to sense it because a low, guttural grunt escaped him against my lips.
