Free Web NovelChapter 115: Can I Pinch Your Cheeks?
She was proud of him. The man he had become against all odds. That hint of contentedness in her voice was all the gratification he needed.
If he had been wearing a mask Skyla would have seen that his cheeks lightly coloured at the praise she showered on him.
"It’s an honour for me that you feel that way but my work is only half done. Not until I liberate you too Skyla can I sit in peace," Zyair answered, resting his hand on hers.
If only he knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task. She softly smiled. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Zyair asked his next question.
"If he hadn’t usurped your father’s company, would you have left him by now?"
"In the blink of an eye, no one wants to be abused," she replied with a heavy sigh which reflected all the afflictions she had endured and was still doing.
Tearing away her eyes from him she focused them on the wedding band he had given her. It felt more like a slave band, constantly reminding her she had no free will.
"Not for long," he followed her line of sight and captured her flimsy hand in his strong one. Using his forefinger and thumb he began to take the wretched ring off, the ring that had her tethered to that vile man.
"Zyair?" Skyla questioned but didn’t withdraw her hand from his.
"I need this off for a few minutes," he quietly informed her, removing the ring from her finger and tossing it on the table in front.
~Clink~
It landed with small clinking sounds. Zyair didn’t care, his focus was on the burn mark just above her knuckle. Bringing her hand closer to his covered lips he slowly kissed it with his eyes closed.
It was not a kiss of lust, it was a kiss of his assurance, his pledge and his silent vow.
Skyla was a puddle of raw nerves and conflicted emotions. Her heart ached at the thought of what could have been her life if her husband was a man like Zyair.
"I wish I could remove this ugly scar he has given you. But I promise you, when I am done with him he will have a thousand times more than these. I will pay him back in a ratio of infinity."
The thunderous threat was louder than the roaring of clouds outside and yet he didn’t even raise his voice. It stuck Skyla like lightning and she flinched and extracted her hand from his.
"No, that’s not what I want. I am not the type of person who enjoys inflicting pain on others," she insisted, picking up the ring and putting it back on her finger rather unwillingly.
It didn’t faze Zyair in the least. He knew she possessed a kind heart, which hadn’t been tainted even after everything she had been through.
"I don’t expect you to Skyla. I alone can carry the darkest vows for both of us."
The vileness in his heart had crept up to his eyes and it made Skyla shudder down to her soul. In that instant, she understood how scary it was having Zyair as an enemy. She gulped and stayed quiet.
"It’s your turn," his tone and look both softened seeing her get disturbed. She cleared her throat and asked.
"What about your real family? Where are they?"
Zyair’s eyes were coated with this forlorn but pained look, there was something acutely vulnerable about it that Skyla even regretted asking. It seemed like a sour topic.
"I don’t know who my father is and my mother abandoned me when I was nine. I don’t know where she is now or even alive," he still answered her but his voice had these cold undercurrents which made Skyla’s skin prickle. She nodded in understanding and didn’t question him any further related to this topic.
He controlled his emotions and waited for a few moments before speaking.
"Why did you send me such a huge amount? Why didn’t you save something for yourself? We were only strangers who slept together for one night."
His next questions made heat surge to her cheeks.
"Money wouldn’t have set me free but it certainly could have you. You were kind to me, I only repaid your kindness."
"With 10 million $?" His right brow arched at her.
"Kindness can’t be measured with something as frivolous as money. If I had more I would have sent that too. 5 million I had to donate to a charity that treated cancer patients. My dad died from it and I didn’t want anyone else to lose their father like that."
She answered with a wounded smile, the pain constricting her chest.
"I am sorry for your loss and I can understand. I felt the same when Montague died although he was not my real father."
She nodded before asking.
"Do you remember I called you Calix in my drunken state? You tucked me into bed and removed my shoes, didn’t you?" She asked, rubbing her arms, it had gotten cold due to changing weather and excessive rain.
"I will be back." Zyair got up and lit up the electric fireplace. The fire cackled softly with its amber flames. She watched him with awe, his back muscles rippled with every move.
He then went to his room and brought out a woollen blanket. Opening it he carefully wrapped it around Skyla.
The man with oceans for his eyes didn’t even require her words to understand what she needed. He observed her so meticulously and acted. Spending months with her had imprinted everything related to her in his memory.
"Here you won’t feel cold now." He held the edges of the blanket and covered her head.
"Thank you!" She warmly smiled and snugly sat hidden in the folds of the soft blanket like a bunny rabbit.
"Now to answer your question. You have addressed me as Calix at least three times. Every time you were drunk, you thought I was him and every limb of my body ached to hold you. The words remained on the tip of my tongue, the words that wanted to tell you I am him but I didn’t want to make you awkward or have you run away from me. It had been eight long years since I finally found you. I am not letting you slip through my fingers again."
He was still leaning in front of her and patting her fiery head as if she were a small child, embarrassing her even further, the blush on her cheeks deepening both from his words and his actions.
So he knew and the smart cunning devil never even showed. Zyair had layers like that of an onion. She peeled off one and another appeared, never truly revealing what lay inside.
He then mischievously smiled and it descended in his eyes as well as he cocked his head at her and flirtatiously said.
"My turn. Can I pinch your cheeks? I have been dying to do that for a very long time."
"What type of question is that?" She frowned and leaned away. His smile widened below the mask.
"I can ask whatever I want on my turn. And right now I wish to pluck these cherry tomatoes," he pointed to her cheeks and Skyla could sense a nosebleed coming from the mountain of embarrassment he had placed on her head.
’Should I take a penalty?’ She thought to herself, but knowing Zyair she knew he would just tease her more.
"I am not a kid that you want to pinch my cheeks." She huffed at him, showing fake annoyance. Hoping he would back away.
"Never said you are. I only asked for a small pinch when in reality I wish to bite them. They look very inviting and delicious." He winked at her, flustering her some more. Enjoying the state of her demure, her coyness and the tints of shyness that coated her cheeks now.
"Don’t bite me," she requested solemnly, hiding her face in her hands and his boisterous laugh filled the living room.
