Chapter 23

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Sorry for the delay in the update! :D But here's the next chapter and I hope you guys enjoy it! ;D Hopefully, this will answer some of the questions that you guys have... enjoy reading! :D I'm still dedicating the chapters to my loyal readers so please vote and comment as usual to identify yourselves to me! :D Picture of Arulan on the side! ;D 

Chapter 23

                None of the others reacted; Troy and Dahlia had been told of Kayla’s marriage by Cedric, Romulus had known thanks to all of Kayla’s memories and Arulan had been told by Kayla. Relief flickered in her eyes when all of them remained non-judgemental and impassive.

                Kayla closed her eyes; it was easier to talk to them without looking at them. “The wedding happened the night that I left,” she continued. “I had found out about the Room of Torture just before the wedding; I saw Troy and Helen being forced in there. After Benjamin and I were married, I wrestled with my emotions, trying to decide what to do. Should I do what I knew was morally right or should I do what I wanted? But I couldn’t stay, not after knowing Varmer’s true nature. At midnight, I made my decision. I would leave and never return.”

                “Why did you choose to leave?” Troy asked curiously. “I mean why did you choose saving us over your husband? And I know that you still love Benjamin, you never stopped. But you didn’t even know that we were your siblings at that time and yet you saved us.”

                Kayla opened her eyes to look at Troy. She reached out and squeezed his hand, surprising both him and Dahlia. She had disliked physical contact with anyone ever since she had left Varmer’s castle; the after effects of her time there were still very strong. It was rare for her to touch anyone, even Troy who was her own brother.

                Guilt welled up inside as she glanced at Dahlia. But the time had come to be honest with her even though it didn’t seem like the perfect time. She had had enough of postponing things that she didn’t want to think about.

                “Dahlia, it’s a long story,” she said, looking down at her hands. “You have to promise me to listen to the whole thing before you start hating me.”

                Dahlia managed to laugh, although her blue eyes looked tense. “Kayla, I couldn’t hate you,” she said. “I may dislike you sometimes, but you’ve saved my life too many times for me to hate you forever.”

                Kayla grimaced. “Well, that’s before you found out that I got your parents killed.”

                This comment had her expected reaction: Dahlia gasped in shock and Troy tensed up until his hands were balled into fists and his teeth were clenched. Only Romulus and Arulan managed to control their surprise.

                Kayla fully expected Dahlia to slap her or punch her, anything but what her actual reaction was. Although her face twisted in pain and she looked like she was struggling to keep her emotions in check, she only shook her head.

                “No, Kayla,” she said as firmly as she could although her voice shook. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t force my mother to kill my father or for my father to murder my mother.”

                Surprise flickered over Kayla’s face; she hadn’t been expecting Dahlia to react the way that she currently was. She knew that Dahlia often tried to think the best of people, but this was not something that someone easily dismissed just like that.

                “Dahlia, you don’t understand,” she said. “It’s nice of you to think that it’s not my fault, but I set in motion a series of events that could have ruined everything.”

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