Acidity of Regret Ch 35
- Dec 28, 2025
- 7 min read
Even when she had sensed her love was a snare, the feeling had remained unshakable.
Even with the poisonous doubt that Declan was the informant who had orchestrated her family’s ruin, Vanessa had been unable to cast him out.
She loathed herself for it—for being so pathetic, so stubborn, so desperately loyal to a ghost. But the heart was a lawless thing; it didn't take orders.
To stop loving him meant excising every memory they had built, erasing every vibrant sensation and shared breath. It was a surgical impossibility.
Until now.
Now, with the truth flayed open before her eyes, that devotion finally lost its way.
[Declan] “Vanessa.”
The world was a cacophony of failing senses. A sharp, high-pitched ringing drowned out the night, and her vision smeared into a gray blur.
The metallic tang of blood was so thick she could taste it on her tongue, a cloying weight that numbed her throat. A violent shiver racked her, her skin turning as cold as a slab of winter ice.
A finger traced the line of her frozen cheek.
[Declan] “A husband and wife promise to love one another through any crisis. That is the nature of the bond.”
Vanessa turned her head with mechanical slowness. She blinked, and a heavy tear that had been clinging to her lashes finally broke, charting a slow, hot path down her face.
[Declan] “And we made that vow before God himself.”
His words made no sense. Or perhaps, the man standing before her wasn't the Declan she knew at all.
Is this him? If it is, then why?
Why? Why did you do this?
Questions swirled in her mind like debris in a storm, frantic and disorganized.
[Vanessa] “...Why...?”
The word tore from her throat, raw and jagged. It was the desperate sound of a cornered animal, a hollow rasp that only reached Declan because of their proximity.
[Vanessa] “Why... why... why...?”
She was trapped in a loop, the single syllable the only thing left in her vocabulary.
She couldn't wrap her mind around the contradiction. This man was her sanctuary. He was the one who had wrapped her in the warmth of his affection, the one who had made her feel safe for the first time in years.
Why would you show me this?
Why would you break me like this?
[Declan] “That knight was trying to take you away.”
Vanessa had cherished their time together because they understood each other. Whether the conversation was trivial or profound, their words had always felt like shared secrets.
Now, the past was a mockery. Though he spoke her language, his voice drifted past her ears like a hollow wind. She realized then that there was no bridge left between them.
A dry, soundless laugh escaped her lips.
[Vanessa] “...It was true. Everything Elliot said.”
The vibrant emerald of her eyes seemed to shatter, turning dull and opaque.
[Vanessa] “You’re the one. You destroyed my family.”
Elliot’s gruesome end was the only evidence she needed. The final, bloody period at the end of a sentence she had tried so hard not to read.
[Vanessa] “How could you... How could you do this...?”
She had spent days in a fever of denial, rationalizing that Elliot must have been mistaken. But as the reality settled into her bones, it brought a tidal wave of fury, betrayal, and a sickening, lingering thread of grief for the love she was losing.
She felt like a traveler who had finally realized the maze had no exit—and that she had walked into it willingly.
No, Declan had led her here. He was the architect of the labyrinth.
The white-hot heat of rage finally flared in her chest, drowning out the cold.
She glared at him through a veil of tears, the pieces of the puzzle clicking into place with agonizing clarity.
His perfect timing at the auction. His empty promises to investigate the informant. The silence of his aides.
Every act of "kindness" had been a calculated move.
Before she could spiral further, she acted.
[Vanessa] “Don't touch me!”
She struck his hand away with a resounding crack.
She scrambled across the stone on her knees, crawling toward Elliot’s cooling body. When she saw his unblinking eyes, a fresh sob tore through her.
“My Lady.”
The memory of his voice from two days ago—the relief and joy he had tried so hard to hide—vibrated in her mind. He had been her brother in all but name, the last living link to her childhood.
She pulled his head into her lap, wailing.
It was her father’s death all over again. In her delirium, she couldn't tell if she was holding Elliot or the Count; she was only aware of her own crushing impotence.
I want to die. Let me die instead of them.
Watching her family be slaughtered for a second time was a burden too heavy for a single heart to carry.
But her mourning was cut short. Elliot was ripped from her arms, leaving her shivering as the last of his warmth vanished.
A hand clamped around her wrist, hauling her upward.
[Declan] “You’re getting blood on yourself, Vanessa.”
Declan looked at the crimson stains on her pristine dress with clinical distaste. He began to brush at the fabric, trying to flick away the gore as if it were mere dust.
He was dusting off Elliot’s lifeblood.
[Vanessa] “Stop it! Get your hands off me!”
Fury surged. She shoved him back, her face twisted in a mask of pure revulsion.
Avoiding his touch was a shock to her system, but it was nothing compared to the effect it had on Declan.
His face contorted, a dark, dangerous shadow crossing his features for the first time. His jaw set so hard the bone looked ready to snap, and he lunged forward, grabbing her.
Realizing he was trying to drag her away from Elliot, Vanessa began to scream.
[Vanessa] “No! Let go! Let me go!”
It was horrific. The reality of her situation—the nightmare her life had become—finally crashed upon the man holding her.
Declan stared at her, his eyes hardening into flint. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and swept her off her feet, throwing her over his shoulder.
She kicked and clawed at his back, but his massive frame didn't even flinch. He marched away from the carnage, his boots striking the stone with rhythmic finality.
He carried her into the bedroom, ignoring her ragged sobs. When he spoke, his voice was terrifyingly tender, a stark contrast to the murder he had just overseen.
[Declan] “Stop crying.”
The affection that had once been her lifeline now made her skin crawl.
He was a serpent, flicking a forked tongue while whispering sweet nothings.
Vanessa shoved him away as soon as her feet hit the floor, bolting for the door.
She needed to breathe. She needed to be anywhere but in this room with a monster who wore her husband’s face.
But he was faster. He intercepted her, pinning her wrists and shoving her back onto the bed.
[Declan] “You swore an oath before God.”
The voice that had once been a lullaby was now a noose tightening around her neck.
[Declan] “You promised to cherish and love me, no matter what.”
Vanessa glared at him, her chest heaving. The love that had filled her eyes was dead, and they both knew it.
Yet Declan smiled, a blind, haunting expression.
[Declan] “So, you will continue to love me. You have no choice.”
His voice was a low rumble, vibrating against her skin.
Looking into the sapphire depths of his eyes, she was suddenly reminded of the one man Elliot had claimed could save her.
[Vanessa] “The Crown Prince...”
The calm in Declan’s eyes vanished, replaced by a savage, twisting jealousy.
[Vanessa] “Let me see the Crown Prince... Please...”
She hadn't wanted to owe Hayden any more than she already did, but he was the only card she had left to play. Elliot had served the Prince to spite the Grand Duke.
Why didn't I see it sooner?
Why was I so blind to who my friends were?
[Declan] “From your mouth...”
His hand shot out, his fingers crushing her jaw until she let out a muffled whimper.
[Declan] “Why is his name coming out of your mouth?”
The madness in his gaze was naked now. There was no warmth left, only a possessive insanity that choked the air from the room.
“The Grand Duke is a dangerous man. You cannot stay near him.”
Elliot’s final warning thundered in her ears, a frantic drumbeat of regret.
Declan seemed to realize he was scaring her.
He took a long, stabilizing breath, forcing his features back into a mask of composure. He leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her forehead.
[Declan] “Stay here. Behave.”
He didn't wait for her to answer. He turned and walked out, locking the door behind him without a single backward glance.
Vanessa tried the door, then the windows, but the knights stationed outside were immovable. She was a prisoner in a gilded cage.
She eventually collapsed into the furthest corner of the room, curling into a tight ball. It was the only spot in the chamber that didn't feel haunted by their shared history.
She buried her face in her knees, the memory of her family’s fall flooding back. She had spent so many hours just like this in the Imperial dungeons.
Compared to those dark cells, this room was a paradise of silk and gold. And yet, this was infinitely worse. At least in the dungeon, she hadn't been betrayed by the person she loved most.
I shouldn't have loved him.
I should never have let him in.
Vanessa sat in the dark, her skirts damp with the weight of her endless tears.
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