The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 174. How can you choose him over me?

Chapter 174: 174. How can you choose him over me?

That night, Neriah could not help feeling uneasy. She had sent Aria to the place where she would find Lyle and Aria had returned with another letter from Lyle. He would meet her on the eve of the next day... Even when she was sneaking out to see him previously she was not as nervous as she was tonight. She prayed again and again that everything would go smoothly tomorrow. That Barak would not find out that she was going to meet with Lyle and that Lyle would accept her change of heart without causing any problems for her.

She was selfish to hope that he would let her go without any problems, but she really hoped he would understand her if she told him she was carrying the child of Barak and did not wish to take a child away from its original father. And also, that she wanted to stay with Barak just because she really wanted to.

Everything will be fine... She repeated in her head, giving herself hope

Everything would be fine.

Barak stirred beside her, his hand that laid on her waist pulled her closer to his body. He was evidently exhausted.

When he had returned that night he had kissed her as a way of announcing his return and headed straight for the bathroom. His dinner had been quick like he could not wait to lie down. And when he did climb onto the bed, he drifted to sleep almost as soon as he held her in his arms.

She turned around in his arms to face him, snuggling into his warmth as he slept. She could not sleep. She had lay down for over four hours and while her dear husband slept she could not find sleep. Indeed, the saying was true, there was no sleep for the wicked.

A deep sigh left her lips as she forced her eyes close again, trying to make herself fall asleep but then she felt his hand on her waist move till it touched her head and she heard his voice. It was deep, slow and low, evidence that he was partly asleep and partly awake. "You can’t sleep?" Were the words he spoke and Neriah nodded and hummed.

"Why? Because we did not do it tonight?" He jested and she blushed, pressing her head upon his chest to hide her flushed face.

"You can never change." She said.

"Is something troubling you?" He asked.

At that moment, Neriah wondered what this man thought of her. He knew she had been seeing someone else, it was expected that he believed she was still seeing that person. It made her wonder what his reaction will be if she told him she no longer wished to be with Lyle.

What if she told him everything? What if she came clean and explained to him that she was ready to let go of her lover and she was going to meet with him tomorrow to end things with him. What if she told him all that?

She wondered if he would believe her? Would he believe her if she told him that she was now envisioning a future together with him and their child? Would he believe her if she told him that she was not certain what this feeling was, but she no longer hated him to the point of wanting him dead. Would he belive it if she told him she could not bare the thought of seeing him perish?

Would he believe? Once again, her former lies were standing in her way. Her many, many lies.

But he was a forgiving man. What if he believed her? And forgave her too.

"Barak—" She opened her mouth to speak. Maybe it was time she truly said it all. She would tell him of how she had indeed planned with her lover to take his life and escape from what she once saw as a hellish marriage. She would make him understand that she no longer felt that way and that was why she was planning on ending everything with Lyle tomorrow.

"Yes? I am listening." He said while stroking her hair ever so tenderly. She could tell he was still very sleepy.

"I—" She opened her mouth to speak again, but the words were heavy. She could not push them up from within her throat. She could not force them to the tip of her tongue. They were so heavy and scary that she did not know where to begin.

"Neriah?"

"I just cannot wait to get to Fortia." Were the words that she was able to let out of her mouth. She could not just say what she wanted to and she feared she would regret it someday.

A soft chuckle came from within him and reached her ear. She felt his hands hold her closer and his lips pressed upon the center of her head. "Me too." He said.

"It would just be the two of us. I will give you a personal tour round Fortia." He said and she could feel him drifting back to full sleep.

"Alright, just the two of us." Neriah muttered.

"I will take you to all the special places." His voice went lower, "And we will have the best time." She nodded and snuggled a little closer.

"Just me and you." Were the last words he said before he was completely taken by sleep yet again.

She wanted to tell him. She wished she had told him... Something within her made her fear the future. Something scared her, she was not sure what. She feared that she would regret withholding the truth from him tonight. She feared that a day would come when she would have wished she had confessed it all to him tonight...

But she could only pray that such a day never comes.

...

"Neriah, you cannot do this to me?" Lyle said desperately holding her hands and even that mere touch was uncomfortable for her. She removed her hands from his own but he held her yet again.

"What are you even saying? You have been bewitched by that demon." Maybe he was right, maybe she had been bewitched by Barak. Because once upon a time, this same man meant the world to her.

Just the brush of his fingers on her skin made her flush, the look of his green eyes staring at nothing but her made her feel happy all over. His voice used to sound like the most beautiful opus to her ears. And yet now, things were so very different.

He no longer shined in her eyes. Those green eyes that made her feel happy now made her feel so very uncomfortable. The sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine, cold disturbing shivers.

All round, he no longer looked so beautiful in her eyes. Now if she was asked to describe manly beauty, only one thing came to her head... Barak, her husband.

So maybe he was right, maybe she had been bewitched by Barak, but the truth is, even though she was... She was fine being bewitched.

"Lyle, I did not come here for this. I just want to let you know that I no longer wish to run away from you. I no longer wish to be with you. I know you came all the way here for my sake and I will forever be grateful for the love you have for me and have shown me, but I can no longer be with you. Please try and understand." She was trying to be as calm as possible about it.

She wanted to make him understand that indeed he had been in her heart at some point, but she could no longer keep him in her heart.

"Can you even listen to yourself!" He screamed and Neriah flinched in shock. She had never heard his voice rise so high before. The look in his eyes was destructive and she had never seen him looking like that before.

Suddenly, she realized that she was alone with him in the room. She looked around the room where they were. She was suddenly very scared of being alone with him.

"You are not seeing clearly any longer. You do not know what is right from wrong anymore. How can you say you would choose a barbarian like him over me who is of the same race as you?"

Neriah could not take it anymore. She wanted to go back home now. She was tired. She did not wish to talk to him any further. His grip on her hand was so tight she wanted to scream.

"I can see it. He has used the dark magic of the Tragonian’s on you. He has blinded you. Come my love, I will save you. I will help you. Only I can love you. You do not—"

"I am with child!!" She screamed the words out, yanking her hands from his own and staggering away from him. "I am with child, Lyle. My husband’s child. And I want to have this child with its father by my side."