Over the next few days, Eira ignored Kael a little, speaking to him only when necessary. However, she still tried to fulfill her duties as a wife, such as cooking, cleaning the house, and taking care of all of Kael’s needs.
Eira also often left the house and returned before—or even after—Kael did. Since Kael didn’t ask her directly, Eira felt there was no need to explain anything to him.
Even so, that doesn’t mean Eira was completely in the dark about her husband. She kept hearing rumors about her husband’s habit of hiring beautiful women for his own pleasure.
“Are you really okay with your husband always getting caught with another woman? I mean, he's all over the news,” said Lucas, Eira's friend.
Eira gave a small smile, trying to look like everything was fine.
“Aren’t the rumors about Kael just like that?” Eira replied.
“I guess so. But I’m pretty surprised to see you reacting so calmly.”
“That’s because I’m used to it.”
Eira had already decided to ignore the rumor, even though it was clearly one hundred percent accurate. After all, Kael had absolutely no interest in Eira, which made her too tired to do anything about it.
Ignoring Kael didn’t mean Eira was suddenly free from the hanahaki illness she suffered from.
Deep down in her heart, there was clearly still a great love for Kael. And as long as that remained, on top of that, Kael’s firm refusal to be mated with Eira was enough to worsen Eira’s physical condition, which had already become one with the hanahaki.
“Thanks for driving me home, Lucas,” said Eira as she opened the car door after it had pulled up in front of her house.
Lucas nodded with a faint smile, then waved and drove off, while Eira stepped into her dark yard.
Her steps halted when she saw a moonflower that stood out more than the other flowers.
There were no signs of life coming from that one plant.
“This flower will never live,” Eira murmured as she touched the leaves of the moonflower that had dried up and withered in front of the house.
It was the flower she had planted with Kael to fulfill the ritual binding their souls together several years ago. The flower would only grow if there were love from both people whose souls were bound.
If one of them refused, the flower would not grow—or might even turn to ash if the bond between them had been severed.
Eira took a little water and watered it. Her hope in Kael’s love had long since faded, but for some reason, she wanted to see what it would look like if the flower bloomed under the brilliant light of the full moon.
“Do you still remember home?”
Kael stood there, already wearing his pajamas and with his arms crossed, greeting Eira upon her return.
“Yes,” Eira replied—facing her husband.
“I don’t mind if you don’t come home at all,” Kael remarked sarcastically, aware that Eira had indeed started going out frequently and coming home late at night, as if there were no rules anymore.
Although Eira was sometimes at home when he returned, it was undeniable that she still looked neatly dressed while cooking.
“All right. I won’t come home tomorrow,” Eira said casually.
Hearing that, Kael smiled, half-annoyed. It wasn’t like Eira to brush him off like that; instead, she responded to everything he said so casually, as if she didn’t mind at all. Yet Kael had hoped Eira would beg him not to kick her out, since she now had nothing and no one.
She didn’t even have a single friend within her clan, which was extinct.
“Yeah, fine. Take all your stuff with you. You can go live with the men you serve with your body.”
Those words pierced right to the deepest part of Eira’s heart, making her feel suffocated as the Cherry Blossom roots tightened around her heart—a sensation that often left her helpless.
“Ah, that’s right. You get to spend the whole night with the man you have to serve as a prostitute. Don’t you really want to be fucked? Well? Do you like it? It’s fun, isn’t it?” Kael said in a condescending tone.
Even though her eyes were glistening with tears at the accusation, Eira still nodded and forced a smile.
“That’s right. I’m enjoying it. No wonder you like whores so much, Kael,” she said.
Pretending to be strong while hanahaki was eating away at her soul was clearly the wrong decision. Kael would keep cursing her with vile words that would only make her condition worse.
But Eira was truly tired of staying silent and appearing weak in front of Kael. Because if she were weak, it didn’t mean Kael would stop hating her or show even the slightest bit of concern for Eira.
“Oh, thank God, you enjoyed it, you slut!” Kael sneered.
“Stop being so cynical, Kael. I’ve followed the advice you gave me. Thank you,” said Eira.
Kael clenched his fists at his sides, trying to keep his wolf’s claws from emerging and attacking Eira. His jaw had tightened, making the veins stand out.
“I’m tired. Excuse me,” said Eira, who could already feel an itch in her throat.
She walked past Kael. Sometimes Eira thought that having a dead heart was far better than never getting used to the pain from the same source of wounds she endured all the time.
“You’re having a great time living your life as a prostitute…”
Eira stopped when Kael suddenly spoke up again. “Yes. And you’re having a great time as a client.” Eira replied quickly.
Kael turned around. Now, from a considerable distance, they looked at each other.
“Let’s end our mating.”
At that moment, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Eira’s common sense. Kael said it without hesitation, and the look in his eyes made it clear that he had wanted to break up with Eira for a long time—and this was the first time he’d managed to say it directly.
“Isn’t it easier now that you’ve met so many men? If we both reject our fate...”
“Rejecting fate is very different from defying it, Kael,” Eira quickly interrupted.
Kael chuckled softly. “All right. Let’s say we’ve defied fate. I think a thousand sins would be enough to sever the bonds of our fated.”
“What do you mean, a thousand sins?”
“I’ll be mating with other women, and so will you.”